Reagan Baker and the rest of the Swiping America cast are ready to find love beyond the confines of a 212 area code.
In the Max reality dating show, which has been dubbed a queer-inclusive "rom-doc," a group of four New Yorkers heads to eight cities across the U.S., including New Orleans, Santa Fe, and Seattle, ditching dating apps and allowing producers to set them up with fellow singletons and direct their romantic lives. It can seem intimidating, but Reagan Baker, a 38-year-old hairstylist, was up for the challenge.
"I was first approached to do this show at the tail end of New York’s never-ending lockdown, so nothing sounded more interesting to me than traveling around America and possibly finding myself a cornfed," she told Cosmopolitan.
We still have a few weeks to go before we learn how the experiment ended for Baker, but let's get to know the woman brave enough to say yes to the reality TV experience in the first place.
Who is Reagan Baker from 'Swiping America'?
Reagan Baker is a popular hairstylist in New York who has been working independently since 2019 and was once affiliated with the Whittemore House Salon in the West Village. She has a knack for creativity and she writes quite a bit in her downtime. Several years ago, she penned hair-related features for Refinery29.
Though she's a relatable New Yorker now, Baker had an unorthodox upbringing, according to The Cinemaholic. She was raised in a Mormon household in Utah where she was homeschooled and taught lessons from the Bible, though she has said that she wished she was allowed to make friends outside of her home.
Once she turned 20, she left Mormonism, headed to New York and married a man from Utah with a similar experience. Though the two welcomed a daughter, Piper, they ultimately went their separate ways.
According to an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, she uses her experiences as inspiration for her writing but chose not to be resentful of the faith. "It just didn't work out for me," she told the outlet.
Who is Reagan Baker's daughter?
Baker is close with her daughter, Piper Jane, who's about 15 or 16 now, but she, too, had a difficult upbringing, having been born with Cerebrocostomandibular syndrome. Per The Cinemaholic, Piper Jane had to remain in the NCIU for seven months and lives in a long-term care facility.
Despite their challenges, the mother and daughter are peas in a pod, according to Baker's 2016 StyleCaster interview: "It’s like I’ve had two totally different lives: Before Piper and after Piper! There is also no way to expect the amount of love you feel for your child, and the mother-daughter connection we have. It re-shocks me all the time!"
What is Reaghan Baker's Instagram handle?
You can keep up with her hair adventures, writing, and outings with her pup on Instagram at @reagan.baker_, where she has more than 8,600 followers.
'Swiping America' fans are rooting for Reagan
Though the Swiping America adventure has only just begun, fans have already felt a connection to Baker and are rooting for her happy ending.
New show alert / recommendation! #SwipingAmerica Just binged the first two eps and loved it! Great casting! All the daters r likable. I’m so glad Reagan got an opportunity to not only talk about Piper but to do so on such a big platform. You brave girl, you!Rooting for everyone!June 15, 2023
I freaking love #SwipingAmerica . This is the type of reality dating show I want. Real people having real experiences in dating. No matching people for drama. No overly setup situations or questions.June 20, 2023
Okay but Swiping America is actually v cute and I’m v invested now on how this will all end. #swipingamericaJune 17, 2023
of course i'm watching swiping america... Reagan is funny and weird at the same time. she told that man to lick her arm!June 16, 2023
Time will tell how things unfold for her, and hopefully other daters in the future.
”I would love to do as many versions of ‘Swiping’ that we possibly can with as many different, diverse groups of people,” show creator Johnnie Ingram told Variety. "It’s a very fresh, very relatable real-life format that is queer-inclusive. When they say you can’t make a queer-inclusive show, it’s bull****. We did it and we’re very proud of it.”
Swiping America premiered on Thursday, June 15 on Max. Four episodes will drop on Thursday, June 22, followed by the final two episodes on Thursday, June 29.
