Reed was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Cheryl Houston, a hairdresser, and Seth Reed, a set designer. She has an older brother, Nathan. Reed's father is Jewish and her mother is of Cherokee and Italian descent; Reed was raised without religion though grew up around Judaism (her brother had a Bar Mitzvah).

Reed has described her home life as "complicated". She attended Palms Read more...

Reed and director Catherine Hardwicke finished the script for the semi-biographical film, Thirteen, in six days, a relatively fast time for a Hollywood script to be written. Producers asked Reed to play a role in the film because they had trouble casting it, considering it an "uncomfortable" role for most young actresses. The film, starring Evan Rachel Wood, was released in 2003 to glowing reviews, Read more...

After Thirteen's success, Reed returned to her Los Angeles high school, but dropped out again after a year. She cited her experiences, involving "mothers [who] were sneaking into the school at lunchtime to confront and harass me about the film" as the reason for her departure. Reed was subsequently home-schooled, and eventually received her high school diploma. Reed divides her time between New Read more...