Chloé Hayden

Chloé Sarah Hayden (born 23 July 1997) is an Australian actress, author, activist, and media personality. After gaining early attention on social media, Hayden made her acting debut as an autistic lesbian in the Netflix comedy drama series Heartbreak High, for which she won an AACTA Award and was nominated for a Logie Award.

Diagnosed with autism at a young age, Hayden is also an advocate for disability rights and women's rights. She published the bestselling memoir Different, Not Less (2022) and hosts the podcast Boldly Me (2023–present).

Early life
Chloé Sarah Hayden was born 23 July 1997 in Melbourne. She grew up near the city of Geelong, Victoria.

At the age of 13, she had attended ten different schools and had severe depression and anxiety as a result of severe bullying, leading Hayden to be homeschooled. She was diagnosed with autism at age 13, and ADHD at age 22. Hayden has also been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), endometriosis, and adenomyosis.

Hayden has a younger brother who is also autistic, as well as an adopted brother and sister from Taiwan.

Career
Hayden began posting to her YouTube channel in 2016, under the pseudonym Princess Aspien. In 2020, she went viral after she posted a YouTube video criticizing Australian singer Sia's debut film Music for its portrayal of autism. In 2019 Hayden won the Aspect National Recognition Award. In November 2021, she was cast as Quinni Gallagher-Jones in the Netflix reboot of Heartbreak High. Her character is autistic and was written with her input. This makes Hayden one of the first autistic actors to portray an autistic main character. Hayden herself says that she loves playing an autistic character as she can freely stim.

In August 2022, Hayden released the book Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After, a part autobiography, part self-help book. Hayden stated, "I wrote this book because I wish I had it when I was diagnosed [with autism]."

Hayden appeared in the Women of the Year edition of the Australia Marie Claire.

Since April 2023, she has hosted the podcast Boldly Me on Nova, in which she interviews several guests.

Public image and activism
Hayden's performance as Quinni in Heartbreak High was universally well-received, with many commending her for portraying a well-represented autistic character that isn't stereotyped.

Hayden wishes to break existing autism stereotypes by talking about her experiences. She has stated, "I see autism as a superpower, if you look at people at the top of their fields, so many of them are on the spectrum."

She is a proponent of autism rights and neurodiversity movements.

In 2023, Hayden and other fans accused Marvel Stadium of ableism after they were barred from a sensory room during a concert for Harry Styles in February 2023. Marvel Stadium then stated that they would be building a second sensory room and retraining their staff.

Personal life
Hayden became engaged to her boyfriend Dylan Rohan in December 2022. They got married on 13 January 2024.

Hayden is Christian and vegan.