Thomas was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Gladdy Lou Ryder, a special education teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

[citation needed] Thomas started acting at age 14, when she was one of the hosts of a series on NBC called Talking with a Giant, in which she interviewed celebrities.

Following her acting career, Thomas wrote a screenplay called School Slut and sold it to Touchstone Pictures for a figure reported as "mid-six-figure.

[6] In 2014, Thomas temporarily came out of retirement to appear in a small role in the musical comedy Girltrash: All Night Long.

[8] In that same month, Thomas was struck by a car while crossing San Vicente Boulevard, and she sustained serious injuries to both of her legs.

Thomas left acting in part due to being harassed by stalkers, as well as a desire to focus on her family and to explore writing.

"[11] Thomas and Brittenham became joint hosts of a monthly fund-raising breakfast gathering at their home in Santa Monica, California, which became known in Washington as the "L.A.