‘Orange Is the New Black’ Creator Jenji Kohan Reflects on Son’s Skiing Accident Death

Jenji Kohan, the creator of Weeds and Orange Is the New Black, as well as her ex-husband, Christopher Noxon, released a statement regarding the passing of their son, Charlie Noxon. 

“Our hearts are shattered. Our dear boy Charlie Noxon died on New Year’s Eve on a ski slope in Park City,” the statement begins. “Charlie was 20 years old and a junior at Columbia. He studied philosophy and economics and Chinese. He loved Bob Dylan, George Saunders and Hayou Miyazaki. He was questioning, irreverent, curious and kind.”

Christopher was on a holiday ski trip with his father and two siblings when he struck a sign. Charlie was reportedly skiing alone and trying to turn on a trail at the Park City Mountain Resort when the incident happened. Because his family was at another location in the resort, no one witnessed the accident. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

“He was absolutely adored by his parents, Jenji Kohan and Christopher Noxon, and his siblings, Eliza and Oscar,” the statement continued. “Charlie had a beautiful life of study and argument and travel and food and razzing and adventure and sweetness and most of all love. We cannot conceive of life without him.” 

Kohan also took to Instagram where she eulogized her son with a post. 

“He was my best work. A list of adjectives don’t do him justice. There is no justice. I am the luckiest person who ever lived in that I got to spend so much time and help grow this brilliant, funny, truly kind and thoughtful person-man-boy,” she wrote. “My baby. My golden child. My beautiful boy. I don’t understand what life is now without him in the world. I don’t understand where he’s gone. And I’m broken. How is this real?”