Danielle Staub
Danielle Staub | |
|---|---|
 Staub attending the Shawn Carter Foundation Carnival, September 2011. | |
| Born | Beverly Ann Merrill July 29, 1962 Athens, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television personality |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Television | The Real Housewives of New Jersey |
| Spouses | Kevin Maher (m. 1986–1987)Thomas Staub (m. 1993–2007) |
| Children | 2 |
Danielle Staub (born Beverly Ann Merrill; July 29, 1962 (age 53) is an American television personality. In May 2009, she came to prominence after being cast in the reality television series The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which documents the lives of several women residing in New Jersey. In August 2010, Staub left the series after two seasons.
Life and career
During the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the participants in the reality show confronted Staub with Charles Kipps's book Cop Without a Badge, which recounts events surrounding an undercover FBI informer, Kevin Maher (one of Staub's former husbands) including an account of Staub's arrest.[1] Known at the time as Beverly Ann Merrill, Staub cooperated with authorities and received five years' probation.[1][2] Although Staub has acknowledged that she was arrested in June 1986,[3] she denies many of the other allegations made by Maher.[1] Staub's autobiography, The Naked Truth, was released on May 25, 2010,[4] and in it she claims that her arrest was a matter of "wrong place/wrong time".[5]
After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed by Bravo that Staub would not be returning to the show for season three but no reason was given.[6] It was later revealed that Caroline Manzo told Bravo and Andy Cohen that she would not return to the series if Danielle did.[7] Rumors have often emerged about Staub returning to the show as either a regular or a guest star, especially since Caroline Manzo has permanently left the cast to do a spin-off program, but Staub has said that Andy Cohen wanted her to appear without being paid and she was not interested in doing so.
In June 2010, her Wayne, New Jersey home, which had been featured on the The Real Housewives of New Jersey, was put up for sale.[8] As of the end of 2014, the property is listed as a short sale in connection with Staub's successful completion of a bankruptcy filing.
In September 2010, she appeared on the Style Network's comedy program, The Dish. She acted in several sketches including a surprise cold open where she tried to take over as the show's host after leaving the real presenter, Danielle Fishel, bound and gagged backstage. The appearance gained media attention after one particular sketch which some say was a parody of Staub's cast mate Teresa Giudice by portraying her as a monkey.[9]
In 2011, Staub, along with Heidi Montag of The Hills and Jake Pavelka of The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, starred in a food-related reality series for VH1 called Famous Food, in which they "[revamp] a restaurant from the ground up".[10] Danielle ended up as a co-winner but it was never clear if she actually got to work at the new Lemon Basket restaurant before it was closed down.
Controversies and legal problems
Stripping deal and lawsuit
In May 2011, she signed a three-year deal with Scores Gentleman's Club as a fully nude stripper and agreed to star in adult online content.[11] [12] However, just days after signing her contract for adult performances, Staub announced she was seeking psychological and addiction treatment, and reneged on the deal.[13] Scores later sued Staub for breach of contract, but that lawsuit was dismissed.
Staub also lost a lawsuit filed by her former boyfriend Steve Zalewski, where he claimed she had defamed him by saying she was unaware that some of their sexual interactions had been recorded. However, while Zalewski was awarded $100,000 in civil judgment, Staub's 2014 bankruptcy agreement listed that amount as an "unsecured" asset, and Zalewski is unlikely to ever receive any of the amount.
Published works
- The Naked Truth (autobiography, with Steven Priggé) 2010, Gallery; ISBN 978-1-4391-8289-5
References
- ^ a b c Dagostino, Mark (June 22, 2009). "Desperate Housewife". People. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ Smith, Olivia (June 24, 2009). "Danielle Staub of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' has a very real criminal past, documents show". NY Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Ryan (February 1, 2010). ""Real Housewives" Danielle Staub Vindicated in Court; Co-Star's Daughter Guilty of "Weave" Assault". CBS News. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Joyce (June 8, 2010). "Danielle Staub Sex Tape to Be Released Via Hustler Posted". CBS news. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Hyman, Vicki (May 26, 2010). "'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Danielle Staub's 'Naked Truth'". NJ.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Shahid, Aliayh (September 7, 2010). "Danielle Staub to leave 'Real Housewives of New Jersey,' Bravo announces". Daily News. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Roberts, Soraya (September 20, 2010). "Caroline Manzo may have had Bravo fire Danielle Staub from 'Real Housewives of New Jersey'". Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Hyman, Vicki (June 14, 2010). "'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Danielle Staub's home on the market, bidet, tanning bed and all". NJ.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Lum, Linny (September 11, 2010). "Danielle Staub takes another crack at Teresa Guidice on "The Dish"". Hollywood News. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Brown, Rebecca (May 4, 2011). "Is Heidi Montag Filming A Reality Show With Danielle Staub?". MTV.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Barker, Olivia (May 17, 2011). "'RHoNJ' takes off -- and so does ex-Housewife Danielle Staub". USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Hyman, Vicki (May 17, 2011). "'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Danielle Staub: Back on the pole". NJ.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Garcia, Jennifer (May 18, 2011). "Danielle Staub Stops Stripping, Seeks Psychological Help". People. Retrieved May 21, 2015.