Omarosa Manigault

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Omarosa
Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth.jpg
Born (1974-02-15) February 15, 1974 (age 39)[1]
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Residence Beverly Hills, California
Citizenship American
Education B.A. Broadcast Journalism (Central State University) [graduate studies] (Howard University) [graduate][2]
Occupation Businessperson
Years active 2004–present
Known for Reality TV participant
Spouse(s) Aaron Stallworth (2000–2005)
Website
Omarosa.com

Omarosa (born Omaroseonee Manigault, February 15, 1974[1]) is a reality game show and reality show personality.[3] A former political consultant who worked for then-Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton Administration,[4] she was a contestant on the first season of Donald Trump's original American version of The Apprentice.[5] She later returned for the series' seventh season, the first series of its TV series sequel, Celebrity Apprentice,[6] and the All-Stars edition of the show, making her the only contestant in the history of The Apprentice format to compete in three seasons. TV Guide included her in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.[7] Omarosa has been labeled as "The Queen of The Apprentice boardroom" for her survival tactics on the show; further, Trump has credited Omarosa for The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice's longevity and success.[8]

Contents

Early life [edit]

Omarosa was born in Youngstown, Ohio; her father is of Yoruba Nigerian descent.[9][10] After graduating from The Rayen School in Youngstown, she earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism[9] in 1996 at Central State University[11] in Wilberforce, Ohio. She later moved to Washington, D.C. in order to attend Howard University, where she pursued both a master's degree[11] and a Ph.D. in communications.[12]

Omarosa's father was murdered when she was seven years old.[1][13] In 2011, Omarosa's brother, Jack, was also murdered.[14]

Career [edit]

Omarosa worked in the office of then-Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton Administration as Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel.[15] According to a People magazine article, she was transferred due to disruptive behavior.[16]

In August 2009, Omarosa enrolled at the United Theological Seminary in Ohio to pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree.[17] She received a preacher's license in February 2011 from her church (Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California) and was formally ordained on February 27, 2012.[18] As of February 2012, she was working on finishing her degree at Payne Theological Seminary.[18]

Television career [edit]

Omarosa first came to public attention in 2004 after becoming a participant on NBC's reality TV Series, The Apprentice, produced by Mark Burnett, and starring business mogul Donald Trump. Stemming from her controversial, blindsiding, alienatory, and acrimonious tactics of game play on The Apprentice (particularly in its boardroom segments), she soon became the "woman America loved to hate"[19] and was named by E! as reality TV's No. 1 bad girl.[20] Omarosa has disagreed with the "villain" label, rather believing herself to be "A shrewd businesswoman," asserting that when a male takes on such characteristics, it's always seen as strong, but when a woman takes on as such, it's seen as a negative. Omarosa has also claimed the show's producers have manipulated footage of her to make her look like the villain, and said, "These shows are constructed. They don't happen, nor do they portray actual reality. They are constructed reality." She added, "Historically, blacks have been portrayed negatively on reality television. We don't come across well. You've got to start looking and saying, 'Is that really how all blacks are?' Because they are trying to say that this is representative of our people."[19]

Since her participation on the first season of The Apprentice, Omarosa has appeared on more than 20 other reality shows,[9] including VH1's fifth season of The Surreal Life, NBC's Fear Factor (coming in fourth place in the final challenge)[citation needed], and Oxygen's prank show Girls Behaving Badly.[20] She has also been a guest on several talk shows, including a controversial appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was on Winfrey's show where Omarosa accused fellow Apprentice participant Ereka Vetrini of calling her the "n-word", a claim Vetrini has denied.[21] Shortly after that appearance, Omarosa failed to show up for a scheduled appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! after she reportedly objected upon seeing a polygraph machine.[22]

In January 2008, Omarosa was invited to the first season of The Apprentice's sequel show, Celebrity Apprentice. In this, she became the only former Apprentice participant to be invited back to the series.[23] On Celebrity Apprentice, she quickly became embroiled in a personal feud with Piers Morgan. She was eventually fired in the tenth episode, after serving as the project manager of the team that, according to Trump, suffered "the biggest slaughter in the history of The Apprentice" in a challenge to sell artwork against a team led by Morgan. She raised $49 in total for her charity.[24]

In June 2010, Omarosa and Donald Trump collaborated again to create a new dating show called The Ultimate Merger, which included R&B singer and producer Al B. Sure! as one of the contestants. The show aired on TV One.[25]

Celebrity Apprentice: All Stars [edit]

In February 2013, Omarosa returned to television and The Apprentice, appearing on Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars." Omarosa quickly marshaled her team to an early victory on the show, winning a task involving the creation of a photo booth at Universal Orlando. Reality TV's "queen of mean" appeared to break down in tears upon learning of her win as the monetary winnings would go to the Michael Clarke Duncan charity fund. La Toya Jackson in particular expressed cynicism of Omarosa's tears.[26]

Omarosa's win was quickly followed by a loss in the following episode, though with someone else other than Omarosa as project manager. Throughout the project execution segment of the episode, Omarosa and La Toya Jackson had been having acrimonious exchanges with each other brought by Jackson's distrust of Omarosa. This was followed by a heated boardroom segment between Omarosa and Jackson, in which Jackson was fired.

On March 31, 2013, Omarosa and Dennis Rodman were brought back to the boardroom after their team, led by rapper Lil Jon, lost. Omarosa brought in $2,000 more than Rodman (apparently by sneaking money from her own purse to one of her friends to pay for art in the challenge[citation needed]), but she did not contribute memorabilia to be sold as Rodman had. After Omarosa suddenly aggressed on Lil Jon in the boardroom,[27] Rodman sharply stood up to Omarosa which led to a heated argument that resulted in Trump respectfully firing Omarosa. The firing made her the second contestant in Apprentice history to ever be fired three times after La Toya Jackson.

Subsequent interviews [edit]

On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, when asked by Jimmy Fallon whether or not she felt the show set her up by having Piers Morgan act as one of the judges, Omarosa answered, "Well, you know it's very unusual for a contestant to come back as a judge and single-mindedly target one contestant. I felt like I was competing against Piers as well as the other contestants. And it put me at a big disadvantage." In a later interview alongside her close friend Donald Trump, Omarosa added "Piers was creepy. He hung around and just watched all the time. He was out to get me, so I had to not only fight the other contestants but Piers as well. I never saw a judge that was so biased. It was strange how he was out to get me, but maybe its because of his awful ratings on his own show. I could kick his ass in most things.” Omarosa also noted that when she sees Morgan's show canceled in a year, it will be “the best revenge.”[28]

Lawsuit against La Toya Jackson [edit]

Following her stint on Celebrity Apprentice: All Stars, Omarosa announced that she was in the process of suing La Toya Jackson over Jackson's backbiting remarks that insinuated that Omarosa had murdered her fiancé, Michael Clarke Duncan. Jackson made the remarks in Celebrity Apprentice confessionals and in following media interviews.[29] In regards to her suit against Jackson, Omarosa has stated, "I've been in reality TV for a very long time, and I think that those were probably some of the most disgusting, despicable statements I've ever heard. And it will go down as some of the ugliest comments ever spoken on reality TV, but I have an incredible legal team who I've handed that all over to, and I'm sure they will handle her accordingly."[8]

Personal life [edit]

In 2000, Omarosa married Aaron Stallworth and changed her last name to Manigault-Stallworth. They separated in 2005 and later divorced.[30] She reverted back her surname but eventually took her first name as a mononym.[31][32]

On a April 2nd, 2013, episode of Where Are They Now on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, Omarosa revealed that she was an ordained Bapist minister. In the segment, Omarosa revealed that she was brought to the decision after traveling to West Africa where she found herself alone in an orphanage with a little girl dying of AIDS. Said Omarosa, “It was at that moment, looking into the face, in the eyes of this dying child that I received my call to the ministry. Upon returning to the United States, I put reality television on hold. I put everything on hold and returned to seminary full-time.” Omarosa added, "There were people who felt like because I had done the show so many years ago that maybe that disqualified me from the ministry. I’m not really certain. But boy did I hear from the critics, and to them I have to say that they underestimate the power of God’s ability to transform a person’s life.”[33]

Relationship to and loss of partner [edit]

On August 13, 2010, Omarosa confirmed that she was dating actor Michael Clarke Duncan, whom she had met in the produce section of a Whole Foods supermarket.[34][35] In July 2012, she found that Duncan was suffering a heart attack and attempted to perform CPR. It is unknown if this saved his life or if he was revived by natural causes.[36][37] He never fully recovered from the heart attack, and died on September 3, 2012, after having spent two months in the hospital.[38]

On an April 2nd, 2013, episode of Where Are They Now on Oprah Winfrey's network, Omarosa revealed chilling details of the night in which she lost her fiancé, Michael Clarke Duncan. Omarosa reported that she usually went to bed later than Duncan. At some point during one evening while she was still up and Duncan was in bed, Omarosa reported overhearing Duncan laboring to breathe. "And then I didn't hear anything," she recalled. When she realized Duncan wasn't breathing, Omarosa jumped into action. "I started doing CPR and trying to get 911 on the [phone]." In the midst of the frightening chaos, Omarosa stated she also turned to God for support: "I just started praying. I prayed like I have never prayed before," she said, her voice cracking. The paramedics were able to get Duncan's heart started again and rushed him to the hospital. "He fought," Omarosa said, "[But] after two months of fighting, he passed away."[39]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Williams, Kam (Sep 10 – 16, 2009). "Omarosa The 'Life After' TV Villain of All Time". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved February 24, 2012. 
  2. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006). Historical Dictionary of African-American Television (1st ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 27. ISBN 0810853353. Retrieved 4 September 2012. 
  3. ^ Michael Clarke Duncan planned to marry next year CNN
  4. ^ "The Surreal Life's Omarosa". People. July 18, 2005. Retrieved July 4, 2010. 
  5. ^ Elliott, Stuart. "Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
  6. ^ Soll, Lindsay (March 7, 2008). "'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: 'Selling out'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 5, 2010. 
  7. ^ Bretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt; (March 25, 2013). "Baddies to the Bone: The 60 nastiest villains of all time". TV Guide. pp. 14 - 15.
  8. ^ a b "Omarosa Fired from 'Celebrity Apprentice', Lashes Out at La Toya Jackson". ExtraTV.com. 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 
  9. ^ a b c Williams, Brennan (January 24, 2012). "Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth Lands New Editor Position, Sets Return To 'Celebrity Apprentice'". Huff Post. Retrieved March 4, 2012. 
  10. ^ "The Ultimate Merger’s Omarosa Talks Religion, Romance & Bethenny Frankel". Reality Tea. Retrieved February 24, 2013. 
  11. ^ a b "The Apprentice". USA Today. Retrieved 4 September 2012. 
  12. ^ Armstrong, Jennifer (12 January 2004). "Donald's Kids". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 September 2012. 
  13. ^ Tom Gliatto, Jill Smolowe (3 May 2004). "The Hired Man". People. Retrieved 4 September 2012. 
  14. ^ Corneau, Allison (2011-10-11). "Omarosa's Brother Murdered in Shooting". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2012-09-03. 
  15. ^ Omarosa (2013-03-11). "Omarosa's 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice' Blog: Why I Got Emotional Over Team Win". Parade.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02. 
  16. ^ "Omarosa's Long History of Being Fired". People. April 8, 2004. 
  17. ^ "Reality TV villain Omarosa entering a seminary". Dayton Daily News (Yahoo! News). Associated Press. August 14, 2009. 
  18. ^ a b Alexis Garrett Stodghill (27 Feb 2012). "Reality TV star Omarosa has been ordained as 'Rev. Manigault'". The Grio. 
  19. ^ a b "Omarosa". (Apr 12, 2004) Jet, p. 60.
  20. ^ a b Coleridge, Daniel R. (November 16, 2004). "Omarosa, Come Up for Oxygen!". TV Guide. Retrieved March 16, 2010. 
  21. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (April 13, 2004). "Oprah Fans Outraged by Omarosa Segment". People. Retrieved March 16, 2010. 
  22. ^ "'Apprentice' Omarosa storms off 'Jimmy Kimmel Show' after seeing lie detector". Reality TV World. 2004-04-23. Retrieved 2013-04-02. 
  23. ^ "The Celebrity Apprentice: Omarosa". NBC. Retrieved March 27, 2009. 
  24. ^ Soll, Lindsay (March 7, 2008). "'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: 'Selling out'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 27, 2009. 
  25. ^ Kinon, Cristina (June 17, 2010). "Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth is back and has teamed up with Donald Trump to create new dating show". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 19, 2010. 
  26. ^ "Omarosa breaks down in tears on 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice'". Retrieved 21 March 2013. 
  27. ^ Sun, March 31, 2013 11:01pm EDT by Andy Swift (2013-04-01). "‘Celebrity Apprentice’: Omarosa Fired — Episode 5 Recap". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 
  28. ^ Garvey, Marianne (2013-02-11). "Omarosa and Donald Trump are fired up after ‘Celebrity Apprentice,' take turns slamming Lindsay Lohan and Piers Morgan". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2013-04-02. 
  29. ^ Posted: 03/26/2013 5:36 pm EDT (2013-03-26). "Omarosa Suing La Toya Jackson Over Michael Clarke Duncan 'Apprentice' Comments (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02. 
  30. ^ "Omarosa Fires Husband?". South Florida Times. July 22 – 28, 2005. [dead link]
  31. ^ "Omarosa, Trump Team Up For Dating Show". TodaysTHV.com. Retrieved September 3, 2012. 
  32. ^ Omarosa Speaks After Michael Clarke Duncan Death; Couple's Secret Engagement Revealed Huffington Post
  33. ^ "'Celebrity Apprentice' Omarosa Is An Ordained Baptist Minister!". Inquisitr.com. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 
  34. ^ "Omarosa & Michael Clarke Duncan Come Out As A Couple". September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2012. 
  35. ^ "Michael Clarke Duncan & Omarosa Gush About Their New Romance". OK Magazine. August 13, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2012. 
  36. ^ "Green Mile Star Michael Clarke Duncan Suffers Heart Attack". Huffington Post. World Entertainment News Network. July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012. 
  37. ^ Dillon, Nancy (July 13, 2012). "'The Green Mile' star Michael Clarke Duncan hospitalized after suffering heart attack". New York Daily News. 
  38. ^ Nancy Dillon (September 4, 2012). "Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54: ‘Green Mile’ actor dies nearly two months after suffering heart attack". Daily News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 3, 2012. 
  39. ^ "Omarosa On Michael Clarke Duncan: 'Celebrity Apprentice' Star Discusses FiancĂŠ's Death (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 

External links [edit]
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