Kenya Moore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenya Moore
|
|
---|---|
Moore in 2019
|
|
Born |
Kenya Summer Moore
January 24, 1971 |
Other names | Kenya Moore Daly |
Education | Wayne State University (BS) |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 1992–present |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Title |
|
Spouse(s) |
Marc Daly
(m. 2017; separated 2021) |
Children | 1 |
Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Major competition(s) |
Miss Michigan USA 1993 (Winner) Miss USA 1993 (Winner) Miss Universe 1993 (Top 6) |
Signature | |
Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, model, producer, author, television personality, entrepreneur and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for winning the Miss USA pageant in 1993 and being a main cast member on Bravo's reality series, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, starring since its fifth season in 2012.
Moore rose to prominence in 1993 after winning the Miss USA contest, and placing in the top six of that year's Miss Universe pageant. She was the second black woman to be crowned Miss USA, after Carole Gist, and she holds the distinction of being the first dark-skinned woman to win the contest. She subsequently appeared in films and television shows including Waiting to Exhale (1995), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), The Steve Harvey Show (1998) and Girlfriends (2004).
Since 2012, Moore has starred in the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Atlanta, one of the most consistently highly rated reality programs. She was also a member of the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2015, a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test in 2021 and 2023 respectively, and part of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip cast for its first season in 2021. Moore has produced several film projects, had a book published, and starred in her own exercise video. She is also known for her involvement in entrepreneurial ventures and is the founder of a hair care brand, Kenya Moore Hair.
Contents
Early life and education
Moore was born in Detroit, Michigan to teenagers Patricia Moore and Ronald Grant, and was raised by her paternal grandmother Doris Grant(1931–2017) and aunt after her mother abandoned her at three days old. The reality TV show star revealed that her mother never named her. "Since birth, my mother made the decision at age 16 to pretend she never had me. She has never spoken to me," Kenya wrote. "Even if present in the same room with other people and family, she pretends that I simply don't exist. She pretends I'm invisible," Kenya revealed on her Bravo blog. Moore graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1989. While still in high school, Moore experienced domestic violence from a much older boyfriend. In Moore's words, "He tormented me physically, mentally and once even nearly killed me by putting me into the hospital, from attacking me with a finger nail file… stabbing me with a finger nail file." Moore attended Wayne State University, where she majored in psychology and minored in communication.
Career
Modeling and pageants
Moore began modeling at the age of 14 and in the course of her modeling career was the January 1992 cover girl for Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Company's Ebony Man's (EM) magazine. She also became a model for the Ebony Fashion Fair cosmetic line. At 22, Moore won Miss Michigan USA (1993) and then became the second African American woman to win Miss USA. She then represented the United States in the Miss Universe 1993 pageant and placed in the top six.
Film and television
Acting
Moore had parts in television programs including: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Meet the Browns, Homeboys in Outer Space, Sparks, Smart Guy, Video Soul, Living Single, Damon, In the House, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Parent 'Hood, The Steve Harvey Show, Martin, Nubian Goddess, Men, Women & Dogs, The Parkers, Under One Roof, and Girlfriends. She has also appeared on the covers of Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony, and Essence magazines and can be seen in the music videos for Jermaine Dupri's "Money Ain't a Thang" (1998), Nas's "Street Dreams" (1996), Shai's "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" (1996), and Tupac's "Temptations". Additionally, Moore has appeared in several films: Waiting to Exhale (1995), Senseless (1998), Trois (2000), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Brothers in Arms (2005), Cloud 9 (2006), I Know Who Killed Me (2007), and Trapped: Haitian Nights (2010).
Reality television
In May 2012, Moore joined the season five cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In 2015, Moore was cast on The Celebrity Apprentice 7. Moore starred in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a spin-off featuring various women from The Real Housewives franchise, that premiered on Peacock in November 2021.
In September 2021, Moore was announced as one of the celebrities competing on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars. She and her professional dance partner, Brandon Armstrong, were the sixth couple to be eliminated, ultimately finishing in 10th place. In 2023, she placed 7th in the Fox reality competition series, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
Production
Moore has also produced and directed various projects and launched her own company, Moore Vision Media in 2008. ..... Moore is credited as producer/director of the film Trapped: Haitian Nights. After the project lost its director, Moore took over the production and completed the film. When the film failed to find distribution, Moore founded Moore Vision Media, an independent movie production and home-video distribution company. The company's first production was The Confidant, released by Universal Vivendi on August 24, 2010.
Authoring
On November 28, 2007, Moore published a book titled Game, Get Some!: What Women Really Want. Described as a how-to guide, the book is a self-help and conduct containing relationship advice, as well as the author's personal experiences regarding interpersonal and intimate relationships. Moore has stated about the book, "No one man can know everything there is to know about women, but with my help, they may just come close; I feel like the female Ms. Hitch! I want to bring us together not apart." ..... "If you have shared a special bond with someone you have dated, if you always treat her with respect, you will always have a friend at the end of the day." Moore writes.
Exercise video and hair care line
In 2013, Moore released her own exercise video, named "Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp". This venture rivalled former The Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Phaedra Parks own workout video and was a primary storyline in the show's fifth season. In 2014, Moore launched a hair care products brand, Kenya Moore Haircare. Kenya Moore Haircare is designed to grow your real hair longer, stronger & thicker in just one use. Featuring products for all hair types that are sulfate, phosphate, paraben free, and over 95% naturally derived.
Personal life
In June 2017, Moore married businessman and restaurant owner Marc Daly. In April 2018 she announced that they were expecting their first child. On November 4, 2018, Moore gave birth to a daughter. Their daughter is named after Brooklyn, where she and husband Marc met, and Doris, after her late grandmother who raised her. Moore filed for divorce from Daly in August 2021.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Waiting to Exhale | Denise | |
1998 | Senseless | Lorraine | |
2000 | Trois | Jasmine Davis | |
2001 | No Turning Back | Lia | |
2003 | Deliver Us from Eva | Renee Johnson | |
Hot Parts | Passion | Video | |
2004 | Nas: Video Anthology Vol. 1 | Herself | Video |
2005 | Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story | Leticia | |
Brothers in Arms | Mara | ||
2006 | Cloud 9 | Champagne | |
2007 | I Know Who Killed Me | Jazmin | |
2010 | Trapped: Haitian Nights | Nadine | |
The Confidant | Eden Patterson | ||
2013 | Dolls of Voodoo | Nadine | |
2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | Monique | TV movie |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Dana | Episode: "Mothers Day" |
1995 | Soul Train | Herself/Guest Host | Episode: "Jon B/Soultry/Faith Evans" |
1996 | Martin | Lena Bozack | Episode: "You're All I Need" |
Homeboys in Outer Space | Nefertiti | Episode: "Super Bad Foxy Lady Killer or Ty and Morris Get the Shaft" | |
1997 | Sparks | Ms. Collins | Episode: "I, Spy" |
Smart Guy | Vivian Kennedy | Episode: "Brother, Brother" | |
Living Single | Lisa DeLongPre | Episode: "One Degree of Separation" | |
1998 | Damon | Julia Burton | Episode: "The Designer" |
The Steve Harvey Show | Miss Gerard | Episode: "Educating Piggy" | |
1998–99 | The Parent 'Hood | Celeste | Episodes: "A Sister Scorned", "Wedding Bells Blues" |
1999 | Nubian Goddess | Herself/Host | TV series |
The Jamie Foxx Show | Heidi | Episode: "Change of Heart" | |
In the House | Valerie Bridgeforth | 6 episodes | |
2001 | Men, Women & Dogs | Carmen | Episode: "Sick as a Dog" |
2002 | The Parkers | Herself | Episode: "It's Showtime" |
2004 | Girlfriends | Kara | Episodes: "New York Bound", "Maybe Baby" |
2008 | Baisden After Dark | Herself | Episode: "Where's the Ring... and Why are there More Baby Mamas than Wives?" |
2009 | Meet the Browns | Tamiko | Episode: "Meet the Mom" |
2012– | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Herself | Main cast (seasons 5–10, 12–); Guest (season 11) |
2013 | Walk This Way | Herself | Episode: "Abstinence" |
The Rickey Smiley Show | Evette | Episode: "The Reconciliation" | |
2014 | Kandi's Wedding | Herself | Episodes: "Say Yes to Distress", "Blessings and Dressings" |
2015 | The Celebrity Apprentice | Herself | Contestant (season 14) |
The Millionaire Matchmaker | Herself | Episode: "Kenya Moore/Taylor Dayne" | |
Life Twirls On | Kenya Brown | Pilot; also executive producer | |
2016 | Worst Cooks in America | Herself | Contestant (season 9) |
2018 | Hip Hop Squares | Herself | Episodes: "Sarunas Vs. Algee Smith", "Al Harrington vs Kenyon Martin" |
Saints & Sinners | Nina Collier | Episode: "Personal, Not Business" | |
2019 | Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry | Herself | Episode: "Kenya Moore, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Macklemore" |
Porsha's Having a Baby | Herself | Episode: "P Is for Princess" | |
Nashville Squares | Herself | Episode: "Kenya Moore VS Cheslie Kryst" | |
2020–21 | Family Reunion | Herself | Episodes: "Remember Cousin Kenya?", "Remember When Cocoa Was a Housewife?" |
2021 | MTV Cribs | Herself | Episode: "Kenya Moore & Johnny Orlando" |
Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant (season 30) | |
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip | Herself | Main cast (season 1) | |
Games People Play | Marlene | Episode: "There's No Place Like Home" | |
2023 | Special Forces: World's Toughest Test | Herself | Contestant (season 1) |
The Real Housewives of New Jersey | Herself | Episode: "Teresa Gets Married" | |
Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: Pete Holmes vs. Jared Padalecki and Real Housewives of OC vs. Real Housewives of ATL |
Music Videos
Year | Title | Artist | Role |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Stay in My Corner | Keith Washington | Love Interest |
1995 | Temptations | 2Pac | Girl in First Room |
1996 | Street Dreams | Nas | Ginger McKenna |
1998 | Money Ain't a Thang | Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z | Love Interest |
2023 | Already Know | Drew Sidora | Roller Skater |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Real Housewives Awards | Most Memorable Outfit | Won | |
Rookie of the Year | Won | |||
2022 | People's Choice Awards | The Reality TV Star of 2022 | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Kenya Moore para niños