Who Is Iris Apatow? Meet the Actress Who Plays Amanda in 'Tell Me Lies' Season 3
In the hit Hulu drama, her character is a freshman who seems to have a history with the toxic Professor Oliver.
Few teen dramas have more adequately portrayed the terror of toxic men quite like Tell Me Lies. The Hulu hit tells the twisted, terrifying story of Baird College student Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and her on-again-off-again relationship with Stephen (Jackson White). But Stephen isn't the only predator on this fictional college campus; in fact, he's far from it. Season 2 presented a brand new threat: the married Professor Oliver (Tom Ellis), who set his sights on Lucy's best friend Bree (Catherine Missal) during the first semester of her sophomore year.
In the season 3 premiere, which hit streaming on January 13, 2026, Oliver is not only back in Bree's orbit, but he's back to his old tricks. At least, that's what Bree thinks after she spots an impressionable freshman coming out of Professor Oliver's office upon her return from winter break. So when she sees that same freshman at a bar in episode 2, Bree can't help but introduce herself. Amanda, played by series newcomer Iris Apatow, quickly gains her trust. So much so that later, Amanda confesses to Bree that she and her boyfriend from home broke up because she cheated with a “way older” married man. She even admits to Bree that she met this mysterious new fling at a Christmas party hosted by his wife—just like the one Bree attended in season 2.
It sure sounds like Amanda has gotten caught in Oliver's web, but maybe there's more to the situation than meets the eye. While we wait to find out, here's everything you need to know about the newest Tell Me Lies cast member, Iris Apatow.
Iris Apatow is an actress and the daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann.
Iris Apatow attends the New York season 3 premiere for Tell Me Lies on January 12, 2026.
If the name Iris Apatow sounds familiar to you, there's a good reason. The 23-year-old was practically raised on camera. The youngest daughter of prolific comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Trainwreck) and actress Leslie Mann (Blockers, How to Be Single) appeared in her first major role at just 5-years-old. She was directed by her father and starred opposite her mother in the 2007 blockbuster Knocked Up, playing her mom's on-screen daughter, alongside her real-life big sister, Maude Apatow. And she's been stealing scenes ever since—mostly appearing in her father's projects like This Is 40 (2012), Love (2016-2018), and The Bubble (2022). Recently, however, she's been branching out on her own, including her new role in Tell Me Lies.
Despite her pivot away from her father's filmography, Iris isn't shy about acknowledging her nepo baby status. “When people comment, like ‘nepo baby,’ it gets you at first,” Apatow told Bustle in 2024. “People stumble because it does feel like an ego kick, but it should be more excitement, that you can prove yourself and make things that are great and make people happy.”
“At the end of the day, I'm proud of both things. I'm proud of the work that will come out of being on my own, but obviously [family connections] helped me,” she continued. “So I always want to be very transparent that I am aware of that, and understand it now.”
Speaking with her sister, Maude, for Interview Magazine, Iris admitted that working with their famous parents as an adult on The Bubble helped put her career into perspective. “Working with them as an 18-year-old, I felt the weight and the expectations to really do my part and work hard, because I was in such a privileged situation,” she explained. “I wasn't 6 anymore, I couldn't laugh around and not memorize my lines. That's what made it amazing.”
Iris Apatow is dating Sam Nivola.
Sam Nivola and Iris Apatow attend the season 3 premiere of The White Lotus in February 2025.
Apatow's boyfriend, Sam Nivola—son of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer—recently enjoyed his own television breakout playing Lochlan in season 3 of The White Lotus. The two keep their relationship mostly private, but have been known to attend events together. They even walked the White Lotus season 3 premiere red carpet side by side.
She's also BFFs with Olivia Rodrigo.
Apatow doesn't just have a famous family—she has famous friends, too. One of her longtime BFFs is none other than Olivia Rodrigo. In fact, the two can frequently be spotted on each other's Instagram pages, like recent photos that show them ringing in the New Year together or celebrating Halloween in coordinated Elphaba and Glinda costumes. Apatow has also played a role in Rodrigo's career, appearing in Rodrigo's iconic “bad idea right?” music video.
The two are so close that they even lived together at some point, although it's unclear whether or not they still do today. (Apatow told Flaunt Magazine last year that she had moved from L.A. to N.Y.C.) The actor dished on her roommate situation during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022, telling Barrymore that she and her pop star BFF have “Sex the City movie nights” together.
Apatow will appear in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.'
In addition to Tell Me Lies season 3, Apatow has a couple of exciting projects on the horizon. Soon, she'll star in the horror film Ballerina Overdrive, appearing alongside Lana Condor, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Millicent Simmonds, and Uma Thurman. The film—which doesn't have a release date but is expected to stream on Prime Video—follows a ballet troupe as they fight for survival when they check into a mysterious inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition.
In November, she'll appear in what might be her biggest project yet: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Based on Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games prequel novel about the 50th games, Apatow will bring to life Proserpina Trinket, sister of the iconic Effie Trinket (to be played by Elle Fanning in the new movie).
And that's just her work in Hollywood. Apatow is also making a name for herself as a model. She previously modeled for Rodarte, has worked with Chanel, and, in the summer of 2025, she made a splash as the face of the Stanley X LoveShackFancy collaboration collection.
As for what comes next, Apatow is working on it. She recently told Elle that her dream “is to be in a Sofia Coppola movie,” but for now, she seems happy to explore what's out there. “I'm still in a discovery phase,” she told Flaunt Magazine in a 2025 interview. “I just want to try everything.”
