Jennifer Murphy
American beauty pageant queen and reality television contestant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jennifer Murphy (born March 19, 1979) is an American personality, entrepreneur, actress, and former beauty pageant titleholder. She won the Miss Oregon USA 2004 title and represented Oregon at the Miss USA 2004 pageant, where she finished in the Top 10. Murphy gained national recognition as a contestant on the fourth season of The Apprentice and has since appeared in film and television.
March 19, 1979
Jennifer Murphy | |
|---|---|
Murphy in 2014 | |
| Born | Jennifer Murphy March 19, 1979 Medford, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupations | Television personality, entrepreneur, actress |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Spouse | |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Oregon USA 2004 |
Hair color | Blonde |
Eye color | Brown |
Major competition | Miss USA 2004 (Top 10) |
| Website | https://www.jennifermurphy.com/ |
Early life
Murphy was born in Medford, Oregon, and grew up in southern Oregon. She attended Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, where she studied business and marketing while working full-time.[1]
Career
Pageantry
Murphy won the Miss Oregon USA title in late 2003,[2] having previously competed in the Miss Oregon system for Miss America. She represented Oregon at the Miss USA 2004 pageant held in April 2004 in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Murphy has remained involved in pageants, hosting the Miss Oregon USA 2006 pageant, and judging the Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2006 pageant. She has also been a judge for the Miss Washington pageant, the Miss Oregon pageant 2009 and the Miss Malibu 2010 pageants.[3]
Television
Murphy appeared on the fourth season of The Apprentice. Murphy was "fired" in the sixth week, along with three others. Murphy first spoke to Donald Trump about the possibility of appearing on his show when she was competing at the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is part of the Miss Universe Organization, which was previously owned by Trump.[4]
In October 2016, Murphy told Grazia that Trump had offered her job interviews a day after she had left The Apprentice. As she was leaving after an interview, a newly married Trump kissed her on the lips, which took her by surprise. Murphy said she ultimately declined his job offer, and that she would still vote for Trump in the 2016 US presidential election.[5]
In 2024, Murphy was featured in People magazine in connection with excerpts from Ramin Setoodeh's book Apprentice in Wonderland, which revisited her experience as a contestant on The Apprentice and her interactions with Donald Trump during and after the show.[6]
After appearing on The Apprentice in New York, she relocated to Los Angeles, California, and pursued a career in entertainment. Murphy appeared in her first feature film Killer Movie, playing the role of Mrs. Falls, and appeared in an episode of CSI, playing the role of "Dream Girl".
Music and internet controversy
In April 2016, Murphy uploaded a video on her YouTube channel performing her song "I want to be NEENJA!" at a private party promoting her line of Murphy beds. The video was widely shared on social media and criticised for its use of an affected accent and lyrics featuring Asian stereotypes.[7] Murphy later removed the original video from her YouTube channel. Despite its removal, copies and references to the song continued to circulate online.[8][9] The video was re-uploaded on January 24, 2021.[10]
In 2024, Murphy released I Want to Be Neenja! The Movie, a feature film based on the song. The film received renewed media attention because of the controversy surrounding the original 2016 video.[11]
Personal life
Murphy married Bill Dorfman, a dentist from ABC's reality show Extreme Makeover, on July 7, 2006. They were married at the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles.[12] She filed for divorce on July 9, 2007.[13]
Filmography
| Filmography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Miss USA | Herself | TV special; Miss Oregon USA (Top 10) |
| 2005 | The Apprentice | Herself | Contestant; 8 episodes |
| 2007 | C.S.I. | Dream Girl | Episode: "Lab Rats" |
| 2008 | Killer Movie | Mrs. Falls | |
| 2024 | I Want to Be Neenja! The Movie | Jennifer Murphy 'GoGirl' (and Others) | |
