Draper is a member of the Democratic Party; she donated money for John Kerry and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
In 2003, she starred as Cat, a lesbian singer with a drug addiction in her playwriting Getting Into Heaven (2003) at The Flea Theater; she wrote the music with her husband and then-young son, Nat.
[19] In addition, Draper was the creator, showrunner, head writer, and director of the hit Nickelodeon musical comedy series The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09), which was adapted by the pilot movie of the same name that she originally wrote and directed as an independent film in mid-2004.
In 2010, she appeared with a recurring guest role in the Showtime comedic television drama The Big C. Draper directed her son Alex's playwriting What Would Woody Do?
[citation needed] In 2011, she also wrote and starred in an episode of the Current TV science fiction series Bar Karma and appeared in the play My Brilliant Divorce (2012) at the Bay Street Theater.
IndieWire said that "Draper's refreshing take on a Jewish mother brightens" the film,[21] and Variety called her performance "delightfully witty".
[24] In 1988, Draper’s work on Thirtysomething earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
[5][28] In August 2018, Stella's Last Weekend won Draper the Grand Prize at the San Antonio Film Festival.