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Karen McDougal, the former Playboy Playmate who claims she had an affair with President Donald Trump, is back in the news in a big way after multiple news outlets reported that Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, recorded a tape of Trump talking about an alleged hush payment to McDougal.
According to the Hill, two months before the 2016 presidential election, Cohen and Trump “discussed a payment to Karen McDougal.” McDougal alleges the affair with Trump lasted a year and started in 2006 when he was already married to wife, Melania.
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All of that controversy has some people wondering about Karen McDougal today. Where is the Playboy Playmate now? Here’s a July 2018 photo of her:
Here’s what you need to know:
McDougal Sued American Media, Inc. & Says She’s a Republican
McDougal resurfaced to sue the National Enquirer’s publisher, American Media Inc., over the deal she struck with them; McDougal has claimed she was paid to stay silent. The company ended up settling the lawsuit in April, “freeing her from their contract,” according to The Hill.
“We are glad that AMI has agreed to a settlement that restores Karen’s life rights to her, and makes right the wrongs that had been perpetrated against her,” her lawyer said at the time. “She is now able to move on from this and go back to living her private life, as she has wanted from the beginning.”
The settlement held that “McDougal will be able to keep the $150,000 payment. Additionally, AMI will keep its rights to photographs of her that it has,” according to USA Today.
Trump and the tabloid’s head are friends.
On her Facebook page, Karen McDougal hawks Playboy memorabilia and wrote, “Playboy Playmate of the Month/December 1997, Playmate of the Year 1998, Reader’s Choice Favorite Playmate of decade (squeezed out only by Pam Anderson), and model.” She lists a website but it says it’s “under construction.”
McDougal Has Collected Motorcycles & Reportedly Once Dated Bruce Willis
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GettyKaren McDougal
Karen McDougal has worked as a fitness model and is a motorcycle collector but has kept her life pretty private other than the Trump suit and interviews relating to it. She told The New Yorker in 2018 that she is a Republican and said the affair with Trump was consensual.
After the alleged affair with Trump, McDougal dated actor Bruce Willis and was photographed on vacation with him.
She once had a custom pink motorcycle built for her. You can see photos of it here.
McDougal Writes About Animal Abuse & Prayer on Social Media
On Twitter, McDougal defines herself as “Model/Fitness Mag(s) Cover girl, Host & Radio ..LOVES life and GOD!! BLESSED!”
McDougal last tweeted two days ago. She has filled her Twitter page with inspirational sayings and advocating against animal abuse. “Be #kind & #compassionate. Stop judging others. Just #LOVE. YOU..could make a difference in someone’s life ~ good or bad. Let’s make it #GOOD! ❤️??❤️”
She has retweeted PETA as part of her focus on animal abuse issues. She also sometimes writes about health; for example, she recently wrote about blood clots.
She has also posted graphics about prayer. “This is why it’s IMPORTANT to have a TOP #explant #surgeon remove #breast #implants ! Read the printed pic ..scary. #Dr.Rankin removed what the other #Dr couldn’t. The FB Group I created to help #ladies ..spreading #awareness ..help by retweeting (spread awareness tooooo)!” she wrote recently on Twitter.
She wrote on Twitter that she lives in Arizona.
McDougal Apologized to Melania Trump & Had Her Breast Implants Removed
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McDougal offered an apology to Melania Trump. “What can you say except I’m sorry?” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want it done to me.”
In 2017, McDougal told UK Daily Mail that she removed her breast implants after they caused her serious health issues. She said they were causing her severe migraines and even black outs. She started feeling ill in 2016. She told Daily Mail she was “getting blurred vision and would pass out a few times a day. Severe migraines, light and sound sensitivity – even the own sound of my voice was painful. It was very emotional and so painful. hen I started having panic attacks as I was worried to leave the house in case I passed out. By October I was pretty much in bed. I prayed every night because I thought I was going to die.”