Kendra Wilkinson

Kendra Leigh Wilkinson (formerly Baskett; born June 12, 1985) is an American television personality and real estate agent. She first gained recognition as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends and for her role on the E! reality television series ''The Girls Next Door'' (2005–2009), on which her life in the Playboy Mansion was documented. Although not a ''Playboy'' Playmate, she has appeared in three nude pictorials with her ''Girls Next Door'' co-stars Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. She subsequently starred in her own reality shows, ''Kendra'' (2009–2011) and ''Kendra on Top (''2012–2017).

After a four-year break from television, Wilkinson had a career resurgence as a real estate agent and began starring in her own real estate-focused show ''Kendra Sells Hollywood'' (2021–2023), which ran for two seasons.

Early life

Born in San Diego, California, Wilkinson is of English, Irish, and Ukrainian descent."Kendra Wilkinson to pen memoir"
, ''Thaindian News'', July 24, 2009. She has a younger brother named Colin. Her mother, Patti, was originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and had been a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. Her father, Eric, was raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and Ocean City, New Jersey, before moving to San Diego at age 15. He received a degree in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and went on to found several biotechnology companies before retiring at the age of 48. Patti and Eric married on November 5, 1983. They divorced on March 25, 1994, when Kendra was eight years old. Her grandmother, Gloria Wilkinson, died in December 2004. Wilkinson wanted to become a marine biologist, when she was younger.

Wilkinson was raised in San Diego's Clairemont neighborhood, and played softball for six years with the Clairemont Bobby Sox. When she left high school, she began working as a glamour model, and also briefly worked as an administrative assistant in a dentist's office.

Life and career

2004–2009: ''Playboy'' and ''The Girls Next Door''

Wilkinson met Hugh Hefner at his 78th birthday party in April 2004, where she appeared as one of the "painted girls" (women who are nude except for painted-on accessories). Hefner had seen a photo of her shot by Kim Riley on a fax machine at the Playboy Mansion and wanted to know who she was. Shortly after they met, Hefner asked Wilkinson to be one of his girlfriends, and he moved her into the Playboy Mansion.

She was featured on the E! reality television series ''The Girls Next Door'', which followed the lives of Hefner's then-girlfriends: Wilkinson, Holly Madison, and Bridget Marquardt. She moved out of the Playboy Mansion in 2009 after meeting her future husband, Hank Baskett, and filmed her own spin-off reality show for E! called ''Kendra''. The first season was about her living on her own and planning her wedding.

Wilkinson has made several cameos on different programs such as ''Las Vegas'' and ''Entourage''. She also appeared in Akon's music video "Smack That". While on the set of the video, Eminem poured a bottle of water on her head, though the two later reconciled. In 2006, she appeared in the Playboy Special Edition ''Sexy 100''. In 2007, she appeared in Nickelback's music video of " Rockstar" along with Madison and Marquardt. They also had a cameo role in the 2006 film ''Scary Movie 4''. Wilkinson also showed her creative side as a rapper on MTV's '' Celebrity Rap Superstar'' which debuted on August 30, 2007. She rapped to Ludacris' "Fantasy", in response to the question asked by the show's host, "Can Kendra move her mouth as fast as she moves her booty?" She went on to take second place, losing to Shar Jackson.

Wilkinson's stated career goal is to become a massage therapist or sports announcer. In December 2005, she became a regular blogger columnist on the website of the Philadelphia Eagles, a team for which her mother had been a professional cheerleader, and for which her husband played professionally.

2009–2011: ''Kendra'', marriage, and motherhood

On August 13, 2008, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that Wilkinson was Olive Garden's "Biggest Celebrity Fan". Wilkinson has described Olive Garden's cuisine as "my soul food". The newspaper emphasized that her repeated enthusiastic public endorsements of the family restaurant were genuine, personal, and not tied to any payment from Olive Garden. In fact, the company was reported as viewing Wilkinson's endorsements with "mixed feelings", as well as something on which the restaurant was reluctant to comment, since it emphasizes a family-friendly nature.

On September 22, 2008, the ''International Business Times'' reported that Wilkinson was engaged to then-Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett. Wilkinson initially denied this, but she later admitted she was in a relationship with him, on October 7, 2008, in an interview with Chelsea Handler on ''Chelsea Lately''. On November 6, 2008, E! Online announced Wilkinson and Baskett were engaged, after he had proposed the previous Saturday at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.

Wilkinson married Baskett on June 27, 2009, at the Playboy Mansion. Although it was initially announced that Hugh Hefner would give the bride away, Kendra's brother Colin walked her down the aisle. Wilkinson's family was in attendance, as well as former ''Girls Next Door'' stars Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. On the wedding episode of ''Kendra'', she said that she would be taking Baskett's last name. They lived in Calabasas, California that Hefner would be the child's godfather. but later denied this.

In an interview after the birth of their son, Wilkinson revealed she had suffered post-partum depression: After the birth she weighed , according to an ''E!'' interview. She attributed her depression to moving to Indianapolis, where her husband played so soon after the birth, and feeling isolated.

Wilkinson starred in a spinoff of ''Girls Next Door'', titled ''Kendra'', which focused on her life after leaving the Playboy Mansion and getting engaged. ''The Girls Next Door'' executive producer Kevin Burns served in the same capacity on the series. ''Kendra'' was produced by Prometheus Entertainment, Fox TV Studios, and Alta Loma Entertainment. ''Kendra'' premiered on June 7, 2009, and had record breaking numbers for E! with 2.6 million viewers, making it the highest-rated reality debut for the network since 2002's premiere of ''The Anna Nicole Show''. The show's 33rd and final episode, the third-season finale, debuted on January 9, 2011. The show was not renewed for a fourth season.

In 2007, Wilkinson appeared on an episode of ''WWE Raw'' with Bridget Marquardt.

On July 6, 2010, Wilkinson published a memoir, ''Sliding Into Home''. Her second book, ''Being Kendra: Cribs, Cocktails, and Getting My Sexy Back'' was published on October 20, 2011, by It Books. In the book, she discusses her life after having a child, motherhood and marriage. Wilkinson was a contestant in the twelfth season of ''Dancing with the Stars'', partnered with Louis Van Amstel. She was eliminated in the seventh week on May 3, 2011. Kendra launched her personal website KendraWilkinson.com in November 2011. The digital community offers space for Kendra to answer all her fans questions, and connect with each other while talking about family, friends and laughter.

On March 17, 2010, Wilkinson's ''E! True Hollywood Story'' premiered on E!. During the hour-long episode, she discussed her rocky road to stardom. In May 2010, a video recording of Wilkinson having sex with a then-unidentified man surfaced. The recording was acquired by Vivid Entertainment

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