Jennifer Murphy
Quick Facts
Biography
Jennifer Murphy (born March 19, 1979) is an American actress, YouTube personality, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. Murphy has competed in beauty pageants, having been a top-ten finalist at Miss USA 2004.
Early life
Jennifer Murphy was born on March 19, 1979 in Medford, Oregon. Murphy grew up as the second oldest of 11 children in Rogue River, southern Oregon. She was partially home schooled but also attended Seton High School, from which she graduated in 1996.
Career
Murphy is Founder and CEO of Go Girl Worldwide, an organization to empower girls and women globally through multi-media and live events. Jennifer is also the Founder of GoGirl Worldwide Magazine, a digital magazine to empower women. Murphy is also the co-owner of Viral Video Media Group. She is the producer of GoGirl SuperHero Series, GoGirl Entrepreneur and many other projects and with the emphasis on showcasing the "Joy In Giving" and with a focus on empowerment.
Pageants
Murphy won the Miss Oregon USA title in late 2003, 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, California. Murphy placed in the top ten in the pageant, which was won by Shandi Finnessey of Missouri, only the second placement by a delegate from Oregon in over ten years.
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 a Miss Washington, the Miss Oregon 2009 and the Miss Malibu 2010 pageants.
Television projects
Murphy appeared on the fourth season of The Apprentice. Murphy was "fired" in week 6, along with three others, for being involved in one of the worst defeats in the show's history. Murphy first spoke to 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 is owned by Trump. In the New York Times, Trump referred to Jennifer Murphy as "one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen."
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 election.
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.
In 2017, after her hit single "I want to be neenja" took #1 on the charts for 3 consecutive weeks, Murphy became a certified Neenja, living in the deep woods of Tibet.
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. In July 2016, Murphy removed the YouTube video and released an apology on Facebook after the video was widely shared on social media criticizing Murphy for her impersonation of a Chinese accent and lyrics about Asian stereotypes. Despite the removal of the video and apology, the song and references to the song can still be found in other videos uploaded to her YouTube channel.
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. She filed for divorce on July 9, 2007 after one year of marriage.