Jennifer Murphy
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/ |
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.
Early life
[edit]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
[edit]Pageantry
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]| 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) | |
References
[edit] | This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2016) |
- ↑ "Medford native tests her luck on 'The Apprentice'". Mail Tribune. September 9, 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ Pollock, Buffy (2003-10-30). "Medford resident wins state crown in USA pageant". Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
- ↑ "Jennifer Murphy "GoGirl" – About". JenniferMurphy.com. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Apprentice:Donald Trump Official site on Yahoo!". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 6, 2006.
- ↑ "Exclusive: 'Married Trump Kissed Me At His Offices'". Grazia. October 10, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ↑ "Donald Trump's Fixation with Former 'The Apprentice' Contestant Jennifer Murphy Explored in New Book (Exclusive)". People. June 15, 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ Drill, Christina (July 16, 2016). "This former 'Apprentice' star's racist ninja song will leave you speechless". revelist.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ↑ Jennifer Murphy GoGirl (July 28, 2016). "NEENJA - Time to meet CHOW! (NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE!)". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ↑ Jennifer Murphy GoGirl (March 4, 2018). "NEENJA - Early RAVE Reviews!". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ↑ Jennifer Murphy GoGirl (January 23, 2021). "I Want To Be Neenja! Original song by Jennifer Murphy". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ↑ General, Ryan (April 15, 2024). "'I Want to be Neenja' movie brings viral racist song to big screen". NextShark. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ Reality TV World Staff (July 10, 2006). "Ex-'Apprentice' Jennifer Murphy marries 'Extreme Makeover' dentist - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs". RealityTVWorld.com. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Ex-'Apprentice' Jennifer Murphy divorcing 'Extreme Makeover' dentist". Reality TV World. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
External links
[edit]- An Interview with Jennifer Murphy, the "Apprentice" and a Whole Lot More Archived 2006-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, Yellow Pages, Accessed 5 April 2006
- Medford native tests her luck on ‘The Apprentice’ Mail Tribune, Accessed 5 April 2006
- Biography on The Apprentice website