Taryn Manning Opens Up About How Her Arrests Affected Her Work

Because Taryn Manning plays prisoner Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett on Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” the media has been fascinated with the actress’s legal troubles, both real and alleged.

On Monday, Manning discussed this unwelcome exposure on “Conversations with Maria Menounos.”

Manning takes full responsibility for assaulting her former friend and makeup artist in 2012. “I made a poor, poor choice under stress and, you know, we do sometimes as humans, we hit a threshold, and we can snap,” she said

“I got into a physical altercation with someone I’ve known a long time. So stupid,” she said. “So that was terrible, and I went to jail, and I deserved it. And I’m here to tell the tale, and I never want to go through that again.”

However, Manning’s false arrest in 2014 involving a stalker unfairly shot her into the spotlight, so she decided to sue New York City, facing backlash even from the judge, she said.

“I know that what I did was a bold choice, but it’s more about being arrested for something that you never did, under false allegations, and then being humiliated,” she said. “And that affected a lot of work, by the way.”

“There was a couple jobs where they were like, ‘We don’t want trouble on our set.’ And it’s like, I’m so not trouble. I get to work on time, I know my lines, I love what I do,” she added. “I don’t continue to get in trouble; it’s just these one-off things that have happened.”

Now, the star is focused on staying positive, nurturing her beloved dogs, Penguin and Thunderbird, and moving forward.

“Conversations with Maria Menounos” airs live weekdays at 1pm ET on Stars.