Simone Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera
Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in
2007â€"08. A member of Passions' Russell family, Simone is introduced
as the youngest daughter of Eve Russell and T. C. Russell, and the
younger sister of Whitney Russell. Her early appearances center on her
love triangle with Chad Harris-Crane and her sister Whitney; the
character later gains more prominence on the show through her
experience coming out as a lesbian to her family, and her relationship
with Rae Thomas. The network defended the show's treatment of Simone's
sexuality as a serious commentary on the topic.Simone Russell is a
fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired
on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007â€"08. A member of
Passions' Russell family, Simone is introduced as the youngest
daughter of Eve Russell and T. C. Russell, and the younger sister of
Whitney Russell. Her early appearances center on her love triangle
with Chad Harris-Crane and her sister Whitney; the character later
gains more prominence on the show through her experience coming out as
a lesbian to her family, and her relationship with Rae Thomas. The
network defended the show's treatment of Simone's sexuality as a
serious commentary on the topic.Simone was created as a part of the
show's effort to represent a complete African-American family and
fully realized African-American characters on television. Conceived by
the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, the role was
portrayed by three actresses over the course of the show: Lena
Cardwell (1999â€"2001), Chrystee Pharris (2001â€"2004), and Cathy
Jenéen Doe (2004â€"2007). The exact reasons behind Cardwell's
departure remain unknown; Pharris chose to leave to pursue other
acting opportunities. Doe was the third and final actress to play
Simone before the character was written off the show shortly before
its transition to DirecTV.Simone's storyline made daytime television
history when Passions became the first soap opera to show two women
having sex. The character was also daytime television's first
African-American lesbian. At the 17th GLAAD Media Awards, the show won
Outstanding Daily Drama, and Doe accepted the award on the show's
behalf. The show's representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) topics, and Doe's performance as Simone, received a
mixed response from critics; she was the principal actress during the
storylines focusing on the character's sexuality. Simone Russell Top Movies & Young Movies