Vanessa Trump Explained

Vanessa Trump
Birth Name:Vanessa Kay Pergolizzi
Birth Date:18 December 1977
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Alma Mater:Marymount Manhattan College
Partner:Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud (1998–2001)
Children:5
Relatives:Kai Ewans (grandfather)

Vanessa Kay Trump[1] (née Pergolizzi, later Haydon; born December 18, 1977) is the former wife of Donald Trump Jr. They were married from 2005 to 2018.

Early life

Vanessa Kay Pergolizzi[2] grew up in a townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan[3] and attended The Dwight School,[4] a private school. Charles Haydon, her stepfather,[5] to whom some news articles have referred as her father,[6] [7] was a lawyer. Her mother, Bonnie Kay Haydon, ran Kay Models, a modeling agency, and is of Danish origin.[8] [9] Her maternal grandfather was Danish jazz musician Kai Ewans.[9] [10]

Career

She was a model in her teens and twenties[11] and was signed to Wilhelmina Models.[12]

As an actress, she appeared in a scene of the 2003 film Something's Gotta Give.[13] She also appeared in a 2011 episode of The Apprentice (hosted by her father-in-law, Donald Trump) and Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It (2010).

She and her sister Veronika opened a nightclub called 'Sessa' in the fall of 2003.[14]

She also released her own line of handbags called La Poshett, from 2010 to 2013.[15]

Personal life

During her teenage years, she dated local gangster Valentin Rivera.[16] [17] In 1998, she was linked with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio.[18] [19] From 1998 to 2001, she dated Saudi prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud.[20] The relationship ended following the September 11 attacks when Khalid bin Bandar left the U.S. after his Saudi ambassador father, Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, was suspected of having indirect ties to the Al Qaeda hijackers.[21]

Relationship with Donald Trump Jr.

Vanessa married Donald Trump Jr. on November 12, 2005. The wedding was held at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida; the service was officiated by Trump Jr.'s aunt, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry.[22] Trump Jr. proposed to her with a $100,000 ring which he received as a gift from a jeweler in exchange for proposing to her in front of paparazzi outside of the jeweler's store at the Short Hills mall in New Jersey.[23] Together they have five children: daughter Kai Madison (b. May 2007), son Donald John III (b. February 2009), son Tristan Milos (b. October 2011), son Spencer Frederick (b. October 2012), and daughter Chloe Sophia (b. June 2014).[24] [25] [26] The oldest daughter, Kai, is named after her late great-grandfather Kai Ewans, a well known-musician.[27] [28]

On March 15, 2018, it was reported that Vanessa filed for an uncontested divorce in New York; however, it was later revealed that the divorce was contested.[29] In July 2018, they resolved a child custody issue,[30] and the divorce was settled at the end of 2018.[31]

Notes and References

  1. Turns Out Vanessa Trump Might Have Been the Most Interesting One in the Family. Vanity Fair. Erika. Harwood. March 16, 2018. July 9, 2018.
  2. News: Norman . Lianna . July 18, 2024 . Who is Kai Trump? What we know about Trump's oldest grandchild who lives in Florida . July 18, 2024 . . ...former model Vanessa Kay Trump, formerly Vanessa Kay Pergolizzi..
  3. News: A Name He Can Build On. The New York Times. Alex. Williams. November 19, 2006.
  4. Web site: Katharine. Rosman. Jacob. Bernstein. Unbecoming a Trump: The Vanessa Trump Divorce. The New York Times. March 22, 2018. May 4, 2018.
  5. The Real Story of Donald Trump Jr.. GQ. Julia. Ioffe. June 20, 2018. July 9, 2018.
  6. Web site: Rosman . Katherine . Bernstein . Jacob . Unbecoming a Trump: The Vanessa Trump Divorce . . January 13, 2021 . March 22, 2018 .
  7. Web site: Vanessa Haydon, Donald Trump Jr. . . January 13, 2021 . November 13, 2005 .
  8. Web site: Vidtse du det? Her er Trumps danske forbindelse . avisen.dk . March 30, 2016 . July 25, 2017 . da-DK . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161230085933/http://www.avisen.dk/det-vidste-du-ikke-om-trump-her-er-hans-danske-jazz_414849.aspx . December 30, 2016 .
  9. Web site: Trumps svigerdatter på hemmeligt besøg på lille dansk ø. Den familiære forbindelse mellem Danmark og den amerikanske præsident er tættere end hidtil antaget . dr.dk . June 2017 . July 25, 2017 . da-DK . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170617230655/http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/regionale/sjaelland/trumps-svigerdatter-paa-hemmeligt-besoeg-paa-lille-dansk-oe . June 17, 2017 .
  10. Web site: Vidtse du det? Her er Trumps danske forbindelse . avisen.dk . March 30, 2016 . July 25, 2017 . da-DK . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161230085933/http://www.avisen.dk/det-vidste-du-ikke-om-trump-her-er-hans-danske-jazz_414849.aspx . December 30, 2016 .
  11. Web site: See Vanessa Haydon before she became a Trump. Metro. Linnea. Zielinski. March 16, 2018.
  12. News: Vanessa Trump's early bids for fame included getting known as Leonardo DiCaprio's favorite girlfriend. The Mercury News. Martha. Ross. March 23, 2018.
  13. Vanessa Trump Was In A Movie You Might Remember. Madhuri. Sathish. Bustle. July 12, 2015. May 4, 2018.
  14. Web site: Models Inc.. WWD. January 13, 2003.
  15. Web site: Donald Trump Jr.'s Wife Shows He's Really Following In His Father's Footsteps. John. Haltiwanger. Elite Daily. July 11, 2017 .
  16. Web site: Coleman . Oli . Vanessa Trump's first love was member of violent street gang . Page Six . May 8, 2018 .
  17. Web site: McAfee . Tierney . Inside Vanessa Trump's Teen Love Letters: She Allegedly Told Latin King Ex-Boyfriend She Wanted a Baby at 18 . People . May 10, 2018 .
  18. News: Sutton . Candace . The face that sank a thousand hopes . January 11, 2022 . The Sydney Morning Herald . May 3, 1998.
  19. Web site: Dixon . Christine Liwag . The Stunning Transformation Of Vanessa Trump . The List . October 11, 2023 .
  20. Vanessa Trump Almost Married a Saudi Prince Before Donald Trump Jr.: Report. People. May 14, 2018.
  21. Did 9/11 Keep Vanessa Trump from Marrying a Saudi Prince?. Vanity Fair. Erika. Harwood. May 14, 2018.
  22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817150902/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,661670_1129629,00.html?cid=redirect-articles%2F . Donald Trump Jr. Marries Model Girlfriend . . November 14, 2005 . Silverman . Stephen M. . July 14, 2008. dead. August 17, 2016 .
  23. Web site: Gwenda. Blair. How Donald Trump Jr. Got Stuck In His Father's Shadow. Politico. July 13, 2017. August 4, 2019.
  24. Donald Trump Jr. Welcomes Son Donald John III. February 18, 2009. People.
  25. Vanessa, Donald Trump Jr. Welcome Baby Boy Tristan Milos. October 3, 2011. Justin. Ravitz. US Magazine.
  26. Donald and Vanessa Trump Welcome Daughter Chloe Sophia . Michaud . Sarah . June 18, 2014 . . September 28, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021170703/http://celebritybabies.people.com/2014/06/18/donald-trump-vanessa-trump-welcome-daughter-chloe-sophia/ . October 21, 2014 .
  27. Web site: Løkke om Trump-sejr: Det lykkes sjældent én mand at rive det hele ned. November 9, 2016 .
  28. Web site: Vidtse du det? Her er Trumps danske forbindelse. March 30, 2016 . March 30, 2017. December 30, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230085933/http://www.avisen.dk/det-vidste-du-ikke-om-trump-her-er-hans-danske-jazz_414849.aspx. live.
  29. Web site: Donald Trump Jr.'s wife Vanessa files for divorce. NY Daily News. Stephen Rex. Brown. March 15, 2018.
  30. Web site: Larry. Neumeister. Trump Jr, wife resolve child custody amid divorce. Associated Press. July 26, 2018. August 4, 2019.
  31. News: Vulpo . Mike . Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump Finalize Their Divorce . June 23, 2023 . E! Online . February 22, 2019 . June 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230623123741/https://www.eonline.com/news/1017355/donald-trump-jr-and-vanessa-trump-finalize-their-divorce . live .