What Is Karen McDougal's Net Worth?
Karen McDougal is an American model and actress who has a net worth of $1 million.
Karen McDougal was the "Playboy" Playmate of the Month in December 1997 and the "Playmate" of the Year in 1998. McDougal was named the second sexiest Playmate of the 1990s by magazine readers. She has also been a fitness model and was the first woman on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine.
As an actress, Karen has appeared in the films "Charlie's Angels," "Joe Dirt," "The Arena," "Grind," "The Girl Next Door," and "Stiletto" as well as in episodes of the TV series "Jake in Progress," "Lovespring International," and "Anger Management." She became a co-owner of the health and wellness supplement company Pharmore Alternatives in 2010. McDougal has been romantically linked to actor Bruce Willis, among several other celebrities.
Relationship with Donald Trump
In March 2018, Karen McDougal appeared on CNN to detail her relationship with Donald Trump. She first met Donald in 2006 during a filming of "Celebrity Apprentice" at the Playboy Mansion. Soon after, the two began a romantic relationship that lasted around one year. They would allegedly see each other a minimum of five times per month at hotels around the country. During Trump's Presidential campaign, McDougal sold the rights to her story to the "National Inquirer," which is owned by a friend of Donald's. The agreement was for $300,000 and called for Karen to keep quiet about the affair. The National Inquirer reportedly only paid half of the settlement.
Early Life
Karen McDougal was born on March 23, 1971, in Merrillville, Indiana. She is of Cherokee, Scottish, and Irish descent and grew up with her three older brothers and one younger sister. When she was nine years old, her mother, Carol, remarried, and the family moved to Sawyer, Michigan.
Throughout her childhood, McDougal studied dance, and it was her childhood dream to become a ballerina. While attending River Valley High School, Karen became a cheerleader, marching band member, color guard member, and volleyball and softball player. She was the Michigan state champion clarinet player for four years in a row in high school. As a high school student, she was known for being very sweet and wholesome and earned the nickname Barbie. After high school, she attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, and studied elementary education.
Karen McDougal (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
Career
McDougal began working as a pre-kindergarten teacher in Detroit. She was soon persuaded to enter a local swimsuit competition promoted by Venus Swimwear in Michigan. She won the competition, earning her a place at the International final in Florida. She caught the eye of "Playboy" photographer David Mecey and was approached by the magazine to do a test shoot at Playboy Studio West. Upon completing the test shoot, she was asked to return for a complete photo and video shoot and was chosen as Miss December 1997. Her pictorial was shot by photographers Richard Fegley and Stephen Wayda and had a winter theme. The outdoor portion of the shoot was done on location in Park City, Utah. Her "Playmate Profile" video was featured on Playboy TV soon after her magazine debut.
In May 1998, it was announced that McDougal had been chosen by Hugh Hefner and fans as Playmate of the Year of 1998 at a luncheon at the Playboy Mansion. After winning the distinction, she was awarded $100,000 and a special edition silver Shelby Series 1 convertible. Her Playmate of the Year pictorial was featured in the July 1998 issue of "Playboy," and she also appeared on the cover. The pictorial had a tropical theme and was shot in Saint Lucia.
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"Playboy" released a Playboy Collectors' Figure Series limited edition doll in 2002 based on the likeness of McDougal. She also collaborated with fantasy sculptor Bill Toma in creating a limited edition bronze statuette called "Warrior Princess" in 2003. In early 2004, Karen appeared in a photo spread in the Italian edition of "Vogue" with a number of other fellow Playmates. It was a tennis-themed men's fashion spread shot in Las Vegas by photographer David LaChapelle. The spread contained her first published nude photos since her contract with "Playboy" had expired years earlier. She also traveled to Japan to be one of the eye candies for the wrestling match between Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in Yokohama, Japan, in May 2004.
In 2005, McDougal appeared in the "Playmates at Play at the Playboy Mansion" swimsuit calendar as the calendar girl of July. It was shot on the grounds of the Playboy Mansion. The following year, in November, she was part of a trio of Playmates that appeared in the "Celebrity Playmate Gift Guide" pictorial in "Splat" magazine.
McDougal also has gotten involved in fitness modeling. She became the first woman to appear on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine in March 1999. Since then, she has expanded her career into fitness modeling even more by appearing in bodybuilding magazines like "Muscle & Fitness," "Physical," and "Iron Man." Karen appeared in a 10-page pictorial in the January 2006 issue of "Iron Man" as the featured body of the month. She returned to the magazine in November 2009 when she was featured in a pictorial together with fellow Playmate Katie Lohmann.
Additionally, McDougal has made a number of appearances in television and film. In 2001, she co-starred with Lisa Dergan in "The Arena," a direct-to-video movie by director Timur Bekmambetov. The film was entirely shot in Russia. She was also one of 12 contestants in the search for a new host for the show "Wild On!" She also appeared on "WWE Diva Search" and has guest-hosted and appeared on other shows.
