Name: Ava Michelle Cota (professionally known as Ava Michelle)
Introduction: Ava Michelle is an American actress, dancer, and model. She first gained public recognition through her appearances on the reality television show Dance Moms, and later achieved widespread fame for her starring role as Jodi Kreyman in the Netflix film Tall Girl and its sequel.
Date of Birth: April 10, 2002
Height: 185 cm (6 ft 1 in). She is notably tall, a characteristic central to her breakout film role.
Place of Birth: Linden, Michigan, U.S. (She was raised in Linden and Fenton, Michigan, and later moved to California).
Family:
- Parents: Rick Cota (father) and Jeanette Cota (mother). Her mother owned and operated JC’s Broadway Dance Academy.
- Siblings: Devon Cota (brother), who passed away due to accidental fentanyl poisoning. Ava and her mother have since established The Devon Michael Foundation in his honor to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis.
- Spouse/Children: Not married and no publicly known children. She is reportedly dating Bryan Pearn.
Profession: Actress, dancer, model, digital creator, advocate.
Nationality: American
Religion: Information not explicitly stated in provided sources.
College or University Attended: Information not readily available; she began her career at a young age.
Biography and What Famous For:
Ava Michelle Cota began dancing at a very young age, training in various styles including contemporary, ballet, pointe, jazz, and tap. Her early career was heavily documented on the Lifetime reality series Dance Moms, where she made regular appearances from season 3 to season 7, and was briefly a member of the Abby Lee Dance Company’s “Select Team” in season 4. During her time on the show, she faced challenges and criticism, particularly regarding her height and body shape, which she has openly discussed as a difficult but ultimately strengthening experience.
In 2017, she made her runway debut at New York Fashion Week as a model. However, her true breakthrough came in 2019 when she landed the lead role of Jodi Kreyman in the Netflix original film Tall Girl. The film, which centers on a high school student who is insecure about her height, resonated with audiences worldwide and became a significant success. Michelle reprised her role in the sequel, Tall Girl 2, released in 2022. Her portrayal of Jodi has made her famous globally, especially for her ability to bring an authentic and relatable performance to a character dealing with self-acceptance.
Beyond acting, Ava Michelle has leveraged her platform for advocacy. In 2018, she launched the social media campaign #13Reasons4Me, encouraging people to list 13 things they love about themselves or their lives, promoting self-love and positive body image. Following the tragic loss of her brother, Devon, to fentanyl poisoning, she and her mother established The Devon Michael Foundation to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis and emotional well-being. She also co-launched a clothing line, Identified Clothing, inspired by her late brother.
Ava Michelle is famous for her lead role in the Netflix Tall Girl movies, her background as a dancer on Dance Moms, and her advocacy work for self-love and fentanyl awareness.
Have participated:
- Television:
- Dance Moms (2014–2017) as Herself (regular appearances)
- So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation (2016)
- The Bold and the Beautiful (2018) as Forrester model
- Zombies 2: The Collab (2020, TV film) as Zombie
- Films:
- Tall Girl (2019) as Jodi Kreyman
- Tall Girl 2 (2022) as Jodi Kreyman
- Short films (2018)
- Modeling:
- New York Fashion Week runway debut (2017)
- Advocacy:
- Founder of #13Reasons4Me social media campaign (2018)
- Co-founder of The Devon Michael Foundation (dedicated to fentanyl crisis awareness and emotional well-being)
- Co-founder of Identified Clothing (clothing line inspired by her late brother)
