Amanda Knox's Cameo In Laid Season 1 Explained

Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Laid season 1!

In Laid season 1, famous exoneree Amanda Knox makes a cameo, a decision that will delight true crime fans like the character AJ. The dark comedy show follows a 33-year-old woman named Ruby Yao, who figures out that every person she’s slept with is dying. Her best friend, AJ, uses her true crime obsession to help Ruby track the deaths on a “sex timeline” so that they can figure out what’s truly happening. Throughout the show, she repeatedly brings up that she was obsessed with true crime before it became popular and that her idol is Amanda Knox.

Knox was wrongfully arrested for killing her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2007 while studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. She barely spoke the language, making it difficult for her to understand the investigators, and people pointed to her behavior after the murder as proof of her guilt. A court convicted her of the crime in December 2009. Knox stayed behind bars in an Italian prison for four years before getting exonerated for the crime. Peacock feeds into the true crime obsession about that case by including Amanda Knox in the cast of Laid.

Amanda Knox Plays Herself Meeting AJ In Laid Season 1

Amanda Knox Gives AJ One Hour To Ask Her Anything

At the end of Laid season 1, Amanda Knox plays herself during a dinner with AJ. Even though Laid was filmed primarily in British Columbia, the series is set in Seattle, making the Amanda Knox cameo more narratively sound. Knox famously moved back to Seattle, where she grew up, after she was released from an Italian prison. During the dinner, Knox opens up to AJ about her experiences of being wrongfully convicted of murder, and AJ is in awe of her idol.

The scene where AJ and Amanda talk is essential in repairing Ruby and AJ’s friendship. Rather than taking credit for the dinner, Ruby lets her best friend think Zack planned everything. She’s helping them fix their relationship, knowing that AJ might not forgive her. The selflessness of Ruby’s actions allows AJ to move past the betrayal.

How Amanda Knox's Laid Cameo Really Happened

The Filming Of The Amanda Knox Scene Happened On A Closed Set

Amanda Knox’s cameo in Laid wasn’t publicized before the show came out on Peacock to prevent spoilers, and she only shared the news on her social media the day after the show premiered. Additionally, Zosia Mamet explained to IndieWire that they kept the set extremely small on the day Knox filmed in order to protect her privacy. Mamet said this of filming with her:

“It wasn’t dissimilar to the scene that we shot. She’s wonderful and so kind and so smart and so open about her experience. She’s a force. She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

This consideration feels especially important since Knox never had a choice about whether to be in the public eye. Her arrest and trial were widely publicized, forcing her into the limelight. By the time she was exonerated for murder, she’d become the subject of many a true crime obsession, making it nearly impossible for her to live a private life.

The writers of the dark comedy even worked this reality into the show, with her saying, “Three people have already tweeted that I’m here.” It’s nice to see that the creative team for Laid showed her respect by closing the set, rather than using her as a marketing ploy to draw in more viewers leading up to the release.