Farrah Abraham (born May 31, 1991) is an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
personality, singer, pornographic actress, and writer. Born and raised in
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...
, she received public attention after being cast in the reality television series ''
16 and Pregnant
''16 and Pregnant'' is an American reality television series that aired from June 11, 2009, to July 1, 2014, on the cable channel MTV. It followed the stories of pregnant teenage girls in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregna ...
'' in 2009, which documented the pregnancies and first months of motherhood for several young women. Later that year, she was cast in the
spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
series ''
Teen Mom
''Teen Mom'' (renamed ''Teen Mom OG'', starting with the fifth season) is an American reality television series broadcast by MTV. It is the first spin-off of ''16 and Pregnant'', and it focuses on the lives of several young mothers as they na ...
'', and appeared in each of its four seasons until its conclusion in 2012. That August, she released her debut studio album and first memoir, both of which were titled ''
My Teenage Dream Ended''. The book made it onto
''The New York Times'' bestseller list.
Early life
Farrah Abraham was born in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, and raised in
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...
.
Her father, Michael Abraham, is of
Syrian
Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...
and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
descent. Her mother, Debra Danielsen, is of
Danish and
Sicilian ancestry. She grew up with her half-sister, Ashley Danielsen. Her parents divorced in 2010 and in 2017, her mother married David Merz.
Career
''16 and Pregnant'' and ''Teen Mom''
In 2008, Abraham, then 17, was selected to appear on the
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
show, ''
16 and Pregnant
''16 and Pregnant'' is an American reality television series that aired from June 11, 2009, to July 1, 2014, on the cable channel MTV. It followed the stories of pregnant teenage girls in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregna ...
'', a reality series that aimed to document the lives of pregnant teenagers across
the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
News of her pregnancy caused issues between her and her mother, Debra Danielsen, with Danielsen calling her daughter a whore and preventing her from obtaining an
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
; being pregnant, Abraham was forced to discontinue her
cheerleading
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...
.
Furthermore, during filming, Derek Underwood, the father of her child, died in a car accident.
Abraham gave birth to the couple's daughter, Sophia Laurent Abraham, on February 23, 2009. Abraham's episode of ''16 and Pregnant'' aired on June 17, 2009.
Later that year she was cast in the
spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
series ''
Teen Mom
''Teen Mom'' (renamed ''Teen Mom OG'', starting with the fifth season) is an American reality television series broadcast by MTV. It is the first spin-off of ''16 and Pregnant'', and it focuses on the lives of several young mothers as they na ...
''; it followed Abraham, in addition to
Maci Bookout,
Catelynn Lowell
Catelynn Baltierra (née Lowell; born March 12, 1992) is an American reality television personality, author, and public speaker. From Algonac, Michigan, Algonac, Michigan, she received public attention after being cast in the reality television se ...
and
Amber Portwood, who also appeared on episodes of ''16 and Pregnant'', during their first years of motherhood. The series premiere was broadcast on December 8, 2009. Abraham and her mother are seen to have a rocky relationship throughout Teen Mom, with Danielsen being charged with assault in an Iowa court for hitting her in January 2010. Abraham started seeing a therapist to discuss the rocky relationship with her family, because she couldn't cope with her mother's actions as well as dealing with her emotions regarding Sophia's father, Derek Underwood and his death. Farrah eventually proved to Derek's family through a paternity test that Derek was in fact Sophia's father and then was faced with a lawsuit filed by Derek's mother for grandparents' visitation rights, despite no previous contact with Sophia.
In 2011, she began attending the
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale is a former for-profit art and culinary school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which closed in 2018. The school was one of a number of Art Institutes, a franchise of for-profit art colleges with many branches in ...
in Florida, where she got an associate degree in culinary arts and management. She later launched the "Mom & Me" pasta sauce line.
On August 1, 2012, Abraham ventured into the music industry with the release of her debut studio album ''
My Teenage Dream Ended''. It received overwhelmingly negative reviews from
contemporary music critics, but has since been reappraised as avant-garde outsider art. Abraham released a memoir by the same title on August 14. After airing four seasons, the series finale of ''Teen Mom'' aired on August 29, 2012.
In 2013, Abraham appeared in a pornographic video with male porn star
James Deen
Bryan Matthew Sevilla (born February 7, 1986), known professionally by the stage name James Deen, is an American pornographic actor and film director, director.
Deen entered the porn industry in 2004 at the age of 18. He gained attention due ...
that was distributed by
Vivid Video and marketed as being a homemade sex video that "leaked". In 2014, Abraham appeared in a second porn video with Deen, with a press release announcing her second sex tape ''Farrah 2: Backdoor and More'' in February stating: "it's no 'fake' 'leak'—it's the real, raw, ridiculous deal, and it suits Farrah's underhanded personality herself."
Farrah reportedly earned $1 million selling her first sex tape with James Deen. Later that month, Abraham appeared in the TV special ''Being Farrah'', a continuation of ''Teen Mom''; Bookout, Lowell, and Portwood were featured in the specials ''Being Maci'', ''Being Catelynn'', and ''Being Amber'', respectively. Their successes prompted MTV to consider reviving the series without Abraham, who the other women were concerned was an inappropriate influence on their children.
In January 2014, Abraham was cast for the fourth season of ''
Couples Therapy
Couples therapy (also known as couples' counseling, marriage counseling, or marriage therapy) is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to improve intimate relationships, resolve interpersonal conflicts and repair broken bonds of love.
History
Marri ...
''. However, Brian Dawe claimed that he was hired by Abraham to appear as her on-screen boyfriend and ultimately did not appear on the program alongside her. Abraham consequently became the only cast member in series history to continue therapy without a partner, and was refocused on repairing her relationship with her mother.
In March 2014, Abraham returned to the music industry with the release of the song "Blowin'" and the simultaneous premiere of its accompanying music video. She stated that she treats music as a "hobby, not my career move." In August 2014, she signed a contract with Palazio's Gentleman's Club in Austin, Texas, for $544,000 for a residency until New Year's Eve.
In October 2017, Farrah was fired from the show by producer Morgan J. Freeman because of her work in the adult entertainment industry. She was later replaced by
Bristol Palin
Bristol Sheeran Marie Palin (born October 18, 1990) is an American public speaker and reality television personality. She is the oldest daughter and second of five children of Todd Palin, Todd and Sarah Palin.
Palin competed in the fall 2010 se ...
and Cheyenne Floyd.
''Celebrity Big Brother''
In 2015, Abraham appeared on the
16th series of the British television series ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...
'', representing the United States. On September 18, she became the fifth housemate to be evicted. She was not in the top four highest-voted housemates, and her fellow housemate, Austin Armacost, chose to evict her. She had spent 23 days in the house.
On 22 September 2015, she appeared as a panelist on the'' Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side'' after-show and got into a heated argument with fellow panelist,
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace. The show was taken off air 10 minutes early after a "clash" between panelists. Abraham and
Janice Dickinson
Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 16, 1955)As per Dickinson in NNDB aJanice Dickinson profilegives February 15, 1955, noting, "Although Dickinson has maintained in several interviews and her autobiography ''No Lifeguard on Duty'' that she ...
were given police cautions by
Hertfordshire Police.
Personal life
In April 2021, Abraham filed a report to the
Palm Beach Police Department accusing then
Windsor, California
Windsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is 9 miles north of Santa Rosa and 63 miles north of San Francisco. The population was 26,344 as of the 2020 census.
History
Founding
The site now occup ...
mayor Dominic Foppoli of sexually assaulting her. The filing included photographs, video and audio provided by Abraham. The case is under criminal investigation as of May 2021. She is one of nine women to accuse Foppoli of sex crimes. Foppoli resigned within three hours of reporters asking him about her allegations.
Legal issues
In January 2022, Abraham was arrested after it was reported that she assaulted a nightclub security guard. In October 2023, she was sentenced to 18 months probation with mandatory supervision and 40 hours of community service for the incident.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Awards and nominations
Published works
* ''My Teenage Dream Ended'' (2012)
* ''Passy Perfume'' (2012)
* ''Celebrity Sex Tape: In the Making'' (2014)
* ''Celebrity Sex Tape: The Secret's Out'' (2014)
* ''Celebrity Sex Tape: Love Through Limelight'' (2015)
References
External links
*
*
*
Farrah Abraham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, Farrah
American pornographic film actresses
American autobiographers
Writers from Omaha, Nebraska
Writers from Austin, Texas
Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska
Actresses from Austin, Texas
Living people
Participants in American reality television series
American people of Syrian descent
American people of Italian descent
American people of Danish descent
American women autobiographers
1991 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American women writers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers