Divine Brown (sex worker)
Encyclopedia
Estella Marie Thompson also known as Divine Brown, is an American
former sex worker
who gained considerable public attention in 1995 when Hugh Grant
, an English
actor, was caught receiving oral sex
from her in a car on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard
. Thompson has remained in the public eye since then through work in pornography
, television appearances and newspaper interviews.
. She was one of six children of a single mother. Having herself become a mother of two girls, she turned to prostitution when she could not pay a $133 electricity bill. Going to Union Square in San Francisco one night, she earned $1,000 in five hours: "I just wanted the best for my children and I didn't want them to struggle as hard as I had, so I did what I had to do. I wanted to make money, you know, do the right thing ... go home and raise my children and just have a good life, a good quiet positive life."
were arrested together in Los Angeles
; Thompson was performing oral sex on the actor in his car at the time. Grant had flashed the lights of his BMW
at her, and she had gone into a side street to meet with him. Thompson's charge for going to her hotel room was $100; Grant only had $60 on him, so they agreed she would perform her service in the car. According to Thompson, the attention of a policeman was aroused by Grant repeatedly pressing the brake pedal of his BMW with his foot, causing the brake lights to flash.
Charged with lewd conduct, she pled no contest
on September 6, 1995. In addition to being ordered to attend an AIDS class and perform five days of community service, she was fined $1150 for parole violations and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
after flirting and making suggestive comments to undercover police officers. A police officer involved in the operation was quoted as saying, "She didn't actually solicit, but the police officers knew what she was up to." The arrest resulted in a $950 fine for loitering
for the purpose of prostitution and resisting arrest. Thompson denied she was still involved in prostitution.
and Danny Bonaduce
's short-lived Danny!. She appeared in a television commercial promoting a Los Angeles
radio station, a commercial for a Brazilian lingerie company, in semi-nude pictures for soft-porn magazines like Penthouse
, and as a presenter on UK pornography channel Television X
. In 1996 she played herself in an X-rated docu-drama based on the incident, Sunset and Divine: The British Experience, directed by adult film star Ron Jeremy
. Thompson also worked as a house dancer at Market Street Cinema in San Francisco.
's Public-access television
show in 1998, on Judge Judy
in 1999, and on the Danish documentary series Negermagasinet in 2005. She was the subject of the biopic Million Dollar Hooker in 2006 and appeared on Hollywood Lives, an ITV television series, in 2007. She has been reported to have earned a total of $1.6 million from publicity related to her arrest with Grant. As a result, she and her manager, partner and father of her children, Alvin C. "Gangsta" Brown, bought a four-bedroom home in Beverly Hills and became affluent. Thompson has said the money she earned from interviews and endorsements after the infamous 1995 interrupted dalliance has allowed her to put her daughters through private school. "Everything worked out for the better," she said in 2007: "It helped me turn it into something positive … I was blessed that it could get me out of that lifestyle."
Grant, asked in a 2003 Times
interview about how he viewed his encounter with Thompson in retrospect, said, "I think, ultimately, the pros and cons about evened out, actually. I remember saying to my agent the night of the event – I was very drunk – 'Is this bad for my career?' He was a very Hollywood guy, for whom everything is fantastic, and even he [...] had to say: 'Oh, it's not great.' But on the other hand, there were odd things coming out of it that were quite positive, in a way. So I have to say, in all honesty, I think it was kind of neutral."
In 2007, Thompson said she had separated from Brown, although they were still friends. She said she had a new fiancé and was pursuing a music career.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
who gained considerable public attention in 1995 when Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
, an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor, was caught receiving oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
from her in a car on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
. Thompson has remained in the public eye since then through work in pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, television appearances and newspaper interviews.
Early life
Thompson grew up in poverty in the eastern part of Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. She was one of six children of a single mother. Having herself become a mother of two girls, she turned to prostitution when she could not pay a $133 electricity bill. Going to Union Square in San Francisco one night, she earned $1,000 in five hours: "I just wanted the best for my children and I didn't want them to struggle as hard as I had, so I did what I had to do. I wanted to make money, you know, do the right thing ... go home and raise my children and just have a good life, a good quiet positive life."
Arrest with Hugh Grant
On June 27, 1995, Thompson and British actor Hugh GrantHugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
were arrested together in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; Thompson was performing oral sex on the actor in his car at the time. Grant had flashed the lights of his BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
at her, and she had gone into a side street to meet with him. Thompson's charge for going to her hotel room was $100; Grant only had $60 on him, so they agreed she would perform her service in the car. According to Thompson, the attention of a policeman was aroused by Grant repeatedly pressing the brake pedal of his BMW with his foot, causing the brake lights to flash.
Charged with lewd conduct, she pled no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
on September 6, 1995. In addition to being ordered to attend an AIDS class and perform five days of community service, she was fined $1150 for parole violations and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Other legal troubles
In September 1996, Thompson was arrested at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
after flirting and making suggestive comments to undercover police officers. A police officer involved in the operation was quoted as saying, "She didn't actually solicit, but the police officers knew what she was up to." The arrest resulted in a $950 fine for loitering
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
for the purpose of prostitution and resisting arrest. Thompson denied she was still involved in prostitution.
Media appearances
Thompson only learned who her client had been when reporters besieged her house the day after her arrest. In the publicity that ensued in the days after her encounter with Grant, Thompson appeared on a number of television shows, including The Howard Stern ShowHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
and Danny Bonaduce
Danny Bonaduce
Dante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce is an American radio/television personality, comedian, professional wrestler, and former child actor...
's short-lived Danny!. She appeared in a television commercial promoting a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
radio station, a commercial for a Brazilian lingerie company, in semi-nude pictures for soft-porn magazines like Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
, and as a presenter on UK pornography channel Television X
Television X
Television X is the name of a series of adult television channels in the UK, produced by Portland TV, a subsidiary of Northern & Shell owned by Richard Desmond, the proprietor of the Daily Express...
. In 1996 she played herself in an X-rated docu-drama based on the incident, Sunset and Divine: The British Experience, directed by adult film star Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
. Thompson also worked as a house dancer at Market Street Cinema in San Francisco.
Personal life
Thompson continued to stay in the public awareness, appearing in Joey ButtafuocoJoey Buttafuoco
Joseph A. "Joey" Buttafuoco is an auto body shop owner from the USA, notable for his affair with Amy Fisher , who subsequently shot Joey's wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco , in the face.-Incident:...
's Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
show in 1998, on Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
in 1999, and on the Danish documentary series Negermagasinet in 2005. She was the subject of the biopic Million Dollar Hooker in 2006 and appeared on Hollywood Lives, an ITV television series, in 2007. She has been reported to have earned a total of $1.6 million from publicity related to her arrest with Grant. As a result, she and her manager, partner and father of her children, Alvin C. "Gangsta" Brown, bought a four-bedroom home in Beverly Hills and became affluent. Thompson has said the money she earned from interviews and endorsements after the infamous 1995 interrupted dalliance has allowed her to put her daughters through private school. "Everything worked out for the better," she said in 2007: "It helped me turn it into something positive … I was blessed that it could get me out of that lifestyle."
Grant, asked in a 2003 Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
interview about how he viewed his encounter with Thompson in retrospect, said, "I think, ultimately, the pros and cons about evened out, actually. I remember saying to my agent the night of the event – I was very drunk – 'Is this bad for my career?' He was a very Hollywood guy, for whom everything is fantastic, and even he [...] had to say: 'Oh, it's not great.' But on the other hand, there were odd things coming out of it that were quite positive, in a way. So I have to say, in all honesty, I think it was kind of neutral."
In 2007, Thompson said she had separated from Brown, although they were still friends. She said she had a new fiancé and was pursuing a music career.
TV guest appearances
- Howard Stern: 30 April 1996, 1 May 1996
- ECW Hardcore TVECW Hardcore TVECW Hardcore TV was the weekly professional wrestling television program of Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews....
, episode #163 June 4, 1996 "Fight The Power '96": June 1, 1996
External links
- "The $50 Trick (or how Divine Brown turned an encounter with Hugh Grant into her fortune)", by Emily Dugan, 3 July 2007, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. Retrieved July 3, 2007. - Short biography at Rotten.com Retrieved May 25, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- "Sunset and Divine: The British Experience (1996)" on IMDb. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- "Divine Brown". Luke FordLuke FordLuke Ford is an American writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
on the filming of "Sunset and Divine". Retrieved May 25, 2007.