Claudia Jordan, 47, got major attention this week when she gave a new interview about President Donald Trump, 74, on a recent episode of the podcast, Behind The Velvet Rope With David Yontef. In the episode, the actress/host, who worked with Trump during the second and sixth seasons of his reality competition show, The Celebrity Apprentice, claimed he tried to kiss her more than once during her time on the show and insisted he loves his oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, 38, “more than his own wife.” She also admitted she thinks Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, 27, “is the most neglected” of his daughters.
Here are five things you should know about Claudia, who has bravely come forward with her claims about the president, and her successful career as an actress, host, model, and more.
1.) She started her career in beauty pageants. The brunette beauty, who was born to an Italian mother and African American father, was born in Providence, RI and started off as a sprinter before competing in impressive pageants. She held the title of Miss Rhode Island Teen USA in 1990 and represented Rhode Island at the Miss Teen USA pageant that same year. She became the second African American woman to hold the title of Miss Rhode Island USA when she won in 1997. She competed at the Miss USA 1997 pageant and came in the top 10.
2.) Her pageant success led to appearances in music videos and game shows. Some of the artists she worked with include Backstreet Boys, Fabolous, Coolio, and Ginuwine. She went on to appear as a model on The Price is Right from 2001 until 2003, and on Deal or No Deal from 2005 until 2009. She also booked gigs on national commercials for large brands like Pepsi, Sears, and Microsoft.
3.) Trump hired her to co-host the Miss Universe 2009 pageant after appearing on The Celebrity Apprentice. She accepted the job alongside Billy Bush. She also hosted a number of other shows, including The Best Damn Sports Show Period and worked as a co-host on E! and The Style Network’s The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life for two seasons.
4.) She also branched out as a radio host. She was featured on the satellite radio show, The Foxxhole with Jamie Foxx. She impressed him so much that he gave her her own SIRIUS/XM show on The Foxxhole called The Claudia Jordan Show. She also co-hosted Tameka “Tiny” Harris‘ VH1 talk show, Tiny’s Tonight along with Tamar Braxton and rapper Trina.
5.) One of her most recognizable jobs was as a main housewife on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Claudia, who was married to producer Datari Turner, 41, from 2009 until 2010, joined the show in its seventh season in 2014 and returned as a guest the following season. She was also co-hosting the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show at the same time she was filming the popular Bravo reality series.
