Tila Nguyen
Encyclopedia
Tila Nguyen better known by her stage name
s Tila Tequila and Miss Tila, is a Vietnam
ese-American
model
and television personality
. She is known for her appearances in the men's magazines Stuff
, Maxim
, Penthouse
, her role as host of the Fuse TV
show featuring performance striptease
, Pants-Off Dance-Off
and her position as the most popular artist on MySpace
(according to page views) circa April 2006, along with Jeffree Star
. She was raised in Houston
, Texas
, and now lives in Los Angeles
, California
. Her MTV
reality show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
aired for two seasons.
, where her family emigrated
from Vietnam
after the Vietnam War
. Her mother is half French
descent, while her father is full Vietnamese. Her siblings are Daniel and Terri. When she was one year old, she and her family lived in a neighborhood in Houston until they were admitted to a gated community
run by a strict Buddhist temple. The family left the community when Nguyen was eight.
While in middle school, Nguyen became a tomboy
and was eventually sent to a boarding school
for six months for her combative behavior before transferring to another school. While in high school, she used her sister's identification card to enter nightclubs, where she began taking drugs
and joined a gang. In her memoir, she would later explain that she felt "confused" and "lost" from various personal family and environmental issues and lost her virginity at 15. She turned to writing poems in an attempt to release powerful emotions, and friends outside the gang briefly helped turn her life around. However, her past caught up with her, and she fled to Queens, New York, at the age of 16. While still 16, she experienced a drive-by shooting
in Houston. She reports having become pregnant and suffering a miscarriage
the following year.
Nguyen graduated from Alief Hastings High School
in 2000. She has cited the violent adolescence she had in Texas as her reason for becoming a model and moving to California in 2001. In a March 2003 interview, she revealed that she has taken some college classes but does not have a degree, stating, "I didn't want to go to college for an actual degree because there's nothing out there I like besides doing something that involves the entertainment industry."
by a Playboy
scout and was offered a chance to model nude for the magazine. She did a test shoot, then eventually moved to Southern California and was featured as Playboy’s Cyber Girl of the week on April 22, 2002, and soon thereafter she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month. A few more pictorials for the magazine followed.
Nguyen gained further popularity through the import racing scene
. She has been featured on the cover of Import Tuner magazine, at car shows such as Hot Import Nights, and in the video game Street Racing Syndicate
. She was also the most frequent host on the first season of Fuse TV's
dance show, Pants-Off Dance-Off
, on which a group of contestants strip
to music video
s.
Nguyen was featured on the cover of the April 2006 issue of Stuff
magazine; in the interview, she claimed that her nickname "Tila Tequila" came about when she experimented with alcohol at the age of thirteen. She appeared on the August 2006 Maxim UK
cover, was named #88 in their Hot 100 List, and also appeared in the December 2007 issue. She was ranked #100 on the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2008.
Nguyen made an appearance as one of the 12 strangers in the first game on the April 6, 2007 episode of NBC
's game show Identity
. On March 4, 2007 she made a cameo appearance
on the show "War At Home.
" She also appeared as a Hooters Girl in the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
.
Nguyen has been featured on the front page of magazines such as Penthouse
, King
, Blender
, and most recently Steppin' Out
Nguyen has provided her voice to shows such as Robot Chicken
and The Cleveland Show
.
men and 16 lesbian
women compete for Nguyen's affections, the twist being that the contestants were not aware of her bisexuality until the end of the first episode. The ten-episode series is produced by SallyAnn Salsano
and MTV.
The show led to a heated online debate between Nguyen and conservative Christians after an article appeared on The Christian Post
on September 13, 2007. After seeing the article, Nguyen wrote an impassioned response in her blog on September 28, 2007, criticizing churches for "bashing
" the gay community
while thanking God for saving her life.
The show premiered for a second season in April 2008 and became a popular gossip subject in Asian media, such as AsianWeek
. The season finale premiered July 8, 2008, the winner being Kristy Morgan who declined her "shot at love".
A new season of the series was announced. However, bisexual twin women were the bachelorettes.
Before A Shot at Love, Nguyen was a contestant on VH1
's Surviving Nugent, a reality TV
show where participants performed compromising tasks and stunts for rock star Ted Nugent
.
.
During 2005, Nguyen launched Tilafashion.com, a site featuring her custom line of clothing for men and women. In 2006, Nguyen created a website entitled "Tila Zone," which features content to use on Myspace
and other social networking websites including layouts, widgets
, and clipart.
In December 2009, Nguyen partnered with Joe Francis
to launch a dating site called "TilasHotSpotDating.com". The site is for people ages 18 and up. The site includes a free membership with basic access to the site, and paid membership which includes access to other areas of the site. Nguyen has taken part in webcam chats on the site.
In 2010, Nguyen launched a celebrity blog site, MissTilaOMG.com.
In April 2006 during the taping of an interview with MTV
's Total Request Live
VJs, will.i.am
announced that Nguyen had been signed to the Will.I.Am music group, a record label under A&M Records
. Despite this major-label signing, Nguyen independently released her first single "I Love U
" through iTunes
on February 27, 2007, justifying the independent release through her desire to become famous by herself. She also shot a music video for the song.
In March 2007, Washington-based record label The Saturday Team released an EP called Sex
, by Tila Tequila. On July 27, 2007, Italian website MusicBlob reported that The Saturday Team and distributor Icon Music Entertainment Services sued Nguyen over breaching her contract related to the album. However, Nguyen claimed in a MySpace bulletin that the EP was not authorized for release by her, and was removed from most retailers. The Saturday Team won a legal case, making Sex available for digital purchase.
On October 9, 2007, Nguyen released her second official single, "Stripper Friends
". A video premiered via Yahoo! Music
on February 26, 2008 and was released to iTunes
on March 4, 2008. The single failed to chart. In April 2008, the single "Paralyze" and its accompanying music video were released via Yahoo! Music
and iTunes
.
On April 7, 2009 the "I Love U Remixes" EP was released to digital music retailers.
In April 2010, Nguyen officially released "I Fucked The DJ", along with an edited version entitled "I Love My DJ", through iTunes
. The songs were released under the name "Miss Tila".
In May 2010, Nguyen released an EP to iTunes entitled "Welcome to the Darkside". The EP includes a cover of Depeche Mode
's song "Blue Dress" and Yoko Ono
's song "Walking on Thin Ice
".
Tila began a tour supporting the new EP in 2010, and at one of her tour stops in August 2010, Nguyen appeared at the Gathering of the Juggalos
, a music festival founded by hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse
. She was repeatedly pelted with rocks and bottles among other objects, and she vowed to take legal action against the organizers and promoters for the event.
, Hooking Up with Tila Tequila: A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success, and Being the Life of the Party (ISBN 9781439101537).
of B2K
. Apart from her record label, Nguyen has also started a management firm called "Little Miss Trendsetter Management LLC".
and restrained
by former boyfriend Shawne Merriman
, who was later arrested. San Diego district attorney
Bonnie Dumanis
decided not to charge Merriman after her office spent three days reviewing reports from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. On November 17, 2009, Nguyen sued Merriman for $1.5 million. Several weeks later, Merriman countersued, alleging intentional interference with contract, unfair competition, and trademark
infringement. She declined to respond to his more recent actions, and a default judgment was entered in his favor for $2 million.
In November 2009, Nguyen announced on Twitter
that she is a lesbian
, rather than bisexual, as she had previously proclaimed herself to be.
On December 9, 2009, Nguyen stated she was engaged to heiress Casey Johnson
and was photographed with a diamond ring. On January 4, 2010, Johnson, who had long suffered from Type I Diabetes
, was found dead. On February 4, 2010, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office announced that Johnson "died from diabetic ketoacidosis
, a life-threatening condition caused by a lack of insulin and high blood sugar". She was reported to have neglected to take her medication, and died naturally. Nguyen has arranged plans to seek legal custody of Casey Johnson's adopted daughter, Ava.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s Tila Tequila and Miss Tila, is a Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and television personality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. She is known for her appearances in the men's magazines Stuff
Stuff (magazine)
Stuff is a men's magazine featuring reviews of consumer electronics, and other articles of interest to a predominantly male audience.- UK edition :...
, Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
, 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...
, her role as host of the Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
show featuring performance striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
, Pants-Off Dance-Off
Pants-Off Dance-Off
Pants-Off Dance-Off is a dance contest which premiered on April 18, 2006 on Fuse. It features stripteasers as they dance while disrobing, and is now shown on its official website.-Format:...
and her position as the most popular artist on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
(according to page views) circa April 2006, along with Jeffree Star
Jeffree Star
Jeffree Star is an American model, fashion designer, make-up artist, DJ, and singer-songwriter residing in the Beverly Hills area...
. She was raised in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and now lives in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila is an American reality television dating game show similar to the TV show The Bachelor. It premiered on October 9, 2007 on MTV starring Tila Tequila. The series is a bisexual-themed reality dating show where 16 straight males and 16 lesbian-identified female...
aired for two seasons.
Early life and education
Nguyen was born in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, where her family emigrated
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
after the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Her mother is half French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
descent, while her father is full Vietnamese. Her siblings are Daniel and Terri. When she was one year old, she and her family lived in a neighborhood in Houston until they were admitted to a gated community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
run by a strict Buddhist temple. The family left the community when Nguyen was eight.
While in middle school, Nguyen became a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
and was eventually sent to a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for six months for her combative behavior before transferring to another school. While in high school, she used her sister's identification card to enter nightclubs, where she began taking drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
and joined a gang. In her memoir, she would later explain that she felt "confused" and "lost" from various personal family and environmental issues and lost her virginity at 15. She turned to writing poems in an attempt to release powerful emotions, and friends outside the gang briefly helped turn her life around. However, her past caught up with her, and she fled to Queens, New York, at the age of 16. While still 16, she experienced a drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
in Houston. She reports having become pregnant and suffering a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
the following year.
Nguyen graduated from Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School is a secondary school in the Alief neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally named Alief Junior-Senior High School, the school's present location opened in 1972....
in 2000. She has cited the violent adolescence she had in Texas as her reason for becoming a model and moving to California in 2001. In a March 2003 interview, she revealed that she has taken some college classes but does not have a degree, stating, "I didn't want to go to college for an actual degree because there's nothing out there I like besides doing something that involves the entertainment industry."
Modeling and acting
Nguyen's career began at the age of 18 when she was discovered at the Sharpstown MallSharpstown Mall
PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and earlier Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas. The mall is located on the northwest corner of U.S. Route 59 and Bellaire Boulevard. This is the third mall to be built in...
by a Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
scout and was offered a chance to model nude for the magazine. She did a test shoot, then eventually moved to Southern California and was featured as Playboy’s Cyber Girl of the week on April 22, 2002, and soon thereafter she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month. A few more pictorials for the magazine followed.
Nguyen gained further popularity through the import racing scene
Import scene
The Import Scene or Import Racing Scene or Tuner Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing.-History:...
. She has been featured on the cover of Import Tuner magazine, at car shows such as Hot Import Nights, and in the video game Street Racing Syndicate
Street Racing Syndicate
Street Racing Syndicate, often abbreviate SRS, is a multiplatform computer and video game produced by Eutechnyx, and released by Namco on August 31, 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and Windows-based personal computers...
. She was also the most frequent host on the first season of Fuse TV's
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
dance show, Pants-Off Dance-Off
Pants-Off Dance-Off
Pants-Off Dance-Off is a dance contest which premiered on April 18, 2006 on Fuse. It features stripteasers as they dance while disrobing, and is now shown on its official website.-Format:...
, on which a group of contestants strip
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
to music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s.
Nguyen was featured on the cover of the April 2006 issue of Stuff
Stuff (magazine)
Stuff is a men's magazine featuring reviews of consumer electronics, and other articles of interest to a predominantly male audience.- UK edition :...
magazine; in the interview, she claimed that her nickname "Tila Tequila" came about when she experimented with alcohol at the age of thirteen. She appeared on the August 2006 Maxim UK
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
cover, was named #88 in their Hot 100 List, and also appeared in the December 2007 issue. She was ranked #100 on the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2008.
Nguyen made an appearance as one of the 12 strangers in the first game on the April 6, 2007 episode of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's game show Identity
Identity (game show)
Identity is a reality/game show, hosted by Penn Jillette and produced by Reveille where contestants could win money by matching 12 strangers one-by-one to phrases about their identities.-Format:A contestant is introduced to twelve strangers...
. On March 4, 2007 she made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
on the show "War At Home.
The War at Home (TV series)
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
" She also appeared as a Hooters Girl in the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a 2007 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Barry Fanaro, and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters. The film was released on July 20, 2007, in the U.S., August 16, 2007, in Australia and on September 21, 2007, in the UK and...
.
Nguyen has been featured on the front page of magazines such as 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...
, King
King (magazine)
King is a monthly men's magazine geared toward African American and urban audiences. It features articles about hip-Hop and R&B, as well as articles covering sports and fashion. The magazine is published by Harris Publications, and was a spinoff from XXL. It ceased publication on March 31, 2009,...
, Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, and most recently Steppin' Out
Steppin' Out (magazine)
Steppin' Out is a weekly entertainment industry-oriented magazine published by Chaunce Hayden that bills itself as "New York and New Jersey's #1 Entertainment Magazine". The main feature of each issue is its cover feature, an interview of a celebrity by Hayden...
Nguyen has provided her voice to shows such as Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
and The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
.
Reality television
In May 2007, Nguyen began filming for a reality show which first aired on MTV on October 9, 2007, as A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. The program is a bisexual-themed dating show where 16 straightHeterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
men and 16 lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
women compete for Nguyen's affections, the twist being that the contestants were not aware of her bisexuality until the end of the first episode. The ten-episode series is produced by SallyAnn Salsano
SallyAnn Salsano
SallyAnn Salsano is an American television producer. Her company, 495 Productions, produces several television reality shows for MTV, including Jersey Shore.-Biography:...
and MTV.
The Christian Post
The Christian Post is a pan-denominational, Evangelical Christian newspaper based in Washington, D.C..Launched initially as an online publication, the newspaper was founded in 2000 to deliver news, information, and commentaries relevant to Christians across denominational lines and to bring greater...
on September 13, 2007. After seeing the article, Nguyen wrote an impassioned response in her blog on September 28, 2007, criticizing churches for "bashing
Gay bashing
Gay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...
" the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
while thanking God for saving her life.
The show premiered for a second season in April 2008 and became a popular gossip subject in Asian media, such as AsianWeek
AsianWeek
AsianWeek was a widely circulated publication of Asian American news, across all Asian ethnic groups, providing coverage of Asian-American issues such as the killing of Vincent Chin, Asian American college admissions, and quotas on Chinese students in competitive San Francisco examination schools...
. The season finale premiered July 8, 2008, the winner being Kristy Morgan who declined her "shot at love".
A new season of the series was announced. However, bisexual twin women were the bachelorettes.
Before A Shot at Love, Nguyen was a contestant on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Surviving Nugent, a reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show where participants performed compromising tasks and stunts for rock star Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
.
Online business ventures
In July 2001, Nguyen started up her website entitled "Tila's Hot Spot". Originally the site featured information, quotes, blog, and pictorials requiring adult verification and a monthly fee. Later, the site was revamped to feature all-ages content and information to promote her career, business ventures, personal information, and a premium membership section including videos, non-nude picture galleries, blogs, and chat sessions. In 2008 the site was transformed into a social networkSocial network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
.
During 2005, Nguyen launched Tilafashion.com, a site featuring her custom line of clothing for men and women. In 2006, Nguyen created a website entitled "Tila Zone," which features content to use on Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and other social networking websites including layouts, widgets
Web widget
In computing a web widget is a software widget for the web. It's a small application that can be installed and executed within a web page by an end user. They are derived from the idea of code reuse. Other terms used to describe web widgets include: portlet, gadget, badge, module, webjit, capsule,...
, and clipart.
In December 2009, Nguyen partnered with Joe Francis
Joe Francis
Joseph R. "Joe" Francis is an American entrepreneur, known as the founder of GGW Brands which produces the Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild DVD series....
to launch a dating site called "TilasHotSpotDating.com". The site is for people ages 18 and up. The site includes a free membership with basic access to the site, and paid membership which includes access to other areas of the site. Nguyen has taken part in webcam chats on the site.
In 2010, Nguyen launched a celebrity blog site, MissTilaOMG.com.
Music
At age 20, Nguyen acted on her interest in rock music and started looking for bands willing to let her join. She eventually assembled a band called Beyond Betty Jean, for which she was singer and songwriter. Following the breakup of Beyond Betty Jean, Nguyen started working in recording studios to sharpen her vocal skills and wrote music. Later, she became the lead singer of a band called Jealousy, which released a few songs online before breaking up. Around this time, she began to employ the stage name of "Tila Tequila".In April 2006 during the taping of an interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
VJs, will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
announced that Nguyen had been signed to the Will.I.Am music group, a record label under A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. Despite this major-label signing, Nguyen independently released her first single "I Love U
I Love U (Tila Tequila song)
"I Love U" is the first official single from Tila Tequila. The single was released to iTunes on February 27, 2007. The video was bundled free with purchase of the 99 cent single until March 13, 2007. Three video clips have been released, two which are available for view on Tila Tequila's...
" through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on February 27, 2007, justifying the independent release through her desire to become famous by herself. She also shot a music video for the song.
In March 2007, Washington-based record label The Saturday Team released an EP called Sex
Sex (Tila Tequila EP)
Sex is a studio EP, released on March 20, 2007, by Tila Tequila through the Washington-based label The Saturday Team. On July 27, 2007, Italian website MusicBlob revealed that The Saturday Team and distributor Icon Music Entertainment Services sued Tila over breaching her contract related to the...
, by Tila Tequila. On July 27, 2007, Italian website MusicBlob reported that The Saturday Team and distributor Icon Music Entertainment Services sued Nguyen over breaching her contract related to the album. However, Nguyen claimed in a MySpace bulletin that the EP was not authorized for release by her, and was removed from most retailers. The Saturday Team won a legal case, making Sex available for digital purchase.
On October 9, 2007, Nguyen released her second official single, "Stripper Friends
Stripper Friends
"Stripper Friends" is the second single from Tila Tequila. The single was released to iTunes on October 9, 2007.A modified version was used as the opening to A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila...
". A video premiered via Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
on February 26, 2008 and was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on March 4, 2008. The single failed to chart. In April 2008, the single "Paralyze" and its accompanying music video were released via Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
On April 7, 2009 the "I Love U Remixes" EP was released to digital music retailers.
In April 2010, Nguyen officially released "I Fucked The DJ", along with an edited version entitled "I Love My DJ", through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. The songs were released under the name "Miss Tila".
In May 2010, Nguyen released an EP to iTunes entitled "Welcome to the Darkside". The EP includes a cover of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
's song "Blue Dress" and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
's song "Walking on Thin Ice
Walking on Thin Ice
"Walking on Thin Ice" is a New Wave/dance song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. She and John Lennon concluded the recording of the song on December 8, 1980. It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman...
".
Tila began a tour supporting the new EP in 2010, and at one of her tour stops in August 2010, Nguyen appeared at the Gathering of the Juggalos
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse , and their label in 2000...
, a music festival founded by hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
. She was repeatedly pelted with rocks and bottles among other objects, and she vowed to take legal action against the organizers and promoters for the event.
Book
On December 2, 2008, Nguyen released a self-help bookSelf-help book
Self-help books are books written with the stated intention to instruct any readers on a number of personal problems. They take their name from Self-Help, the Victorian best-seller, but are also known and classified under "self-improvement", a term that is a modernized version of self-help...
, Hooking Up with Tila Tequila: A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success, and Being the Life of the Party (ISBN 9781439101537).
Record label and management firm
Nguyen has started her own record label called "Tila Tequila Records", and recently signed Raz-BRaz-B
De'Mario Monte Thornton , better known as Raz-B, is an American singer and actor, most famous for being is a founding member of R&B boy band B2K.-Career:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Raz B was a member of the group B2K as a teen...
of B2K
B2K
B2K was an American R&B music group. The group met in 1998, established in 2001, and managed by music producer Chris Stokes with Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion as members. The group disbanded in 2004 due to internal disagreements.-2001-2002: B2K:...
. Apart from her record label, Nguyen has also started a management firm called "Little Miss Trendsetter Management LLC".
Personal life
On September 6, 2009, Nguyen was allegedly chokedChoking
Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some, although inadequate, flow of air into the lungs. Prolonged or complete choking results in asphyxia which...
and restrained
Physical restraint
Physical restraint refers to the practice of rendering people harmless, helpless or keeping them in captivity by means such as handcuffs, fetters, straitjackets, ropes, straps, or other forms of physical restraint...
by former boyfriend Shawne Merriman
Shawne Merriman
Shawne DeAndre Merriman is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. On November 2, 2010, the Chargers waived Merriman...
, who was later arrested. San Diego district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Bonnie Dumanis
Bonnie Dumanis
Bonnie M. Dumanis is currently the District Attorney of San Diego County. Dumanis has been the District Attorney since 2003, when she defeated incumbent Paul Pfingst. Dumanis is currently running for Mayor of San Diego.Dumanis, a Republican, is the first openly gay or lesbian DA in the country...
decided not to charge Merriman after her office spent three days reviewing reports from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. On November 17, 2009, Nguyen sued Merriman for $1.5 million. Several weeks later, Merriman countersued, alleging intentional interference with contract, unfair competition, and trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
infringement. She declined to respond to his more recent actions, and a default judgment was entered in his favor for $2 million.
In November 2009, Nguyen announced on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that she is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, rather than bisexual, as she had previously proclaimed herself to be.
On December 9, 2009, Nguyen stated she was engaged to heiress Casey Johnson
Casey Johnson
Sale Trotter Case "Casey" Johnson was an American heiress, socialite and celebutante, as well as an occasional actress, model and author. She was one of the great-great-granddaughters of Robert Wood Johnson I .-Early life:Johnson was born in Florida...
and was photographed with a diamond ring. On January 4, 2010, Johnson, who had long suffered from Type I Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 1
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
, was found dead. On February 4, 2010, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office announced that Johnson "died from diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. It happens predominantly in those with type 1 diabetes, but it can occur in those with type 2 diabetes under certain circumstances...
, a life-threatening condition caused by a lack of insulin and high blood sugar". She was reported to have neglected to take her medication, and died naturally. Nguyen has arranged plans to seek legal custody of Casey Johnson's adopted daughter, Ava.
Singles
- "I Love UI Love U (Tila Tequila song)"I Love U" is the first official single from Tila Tequila. The single was released to iTunes on February 27, 2007. The video was bundled free with purchase of the 99 cent single until March 13, 2007. Three video clips have been released, two which are available for view on Tila Tequila's...
" (2007) - "Stripper FriendsStripper Friends"Stripper Friends" is the second single from Tila Tequila. The single was released to iTunes on October 9, 2007.A modified version was used as the opening to A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila...
" (2007) - "Paralyze" (2008)
- "I Fucked the DJ (I Love My DJ)" (2010)
- "You Can Dance" (2011)
Television
- A Shot at Love with Tila TequilaA Shot at Love with Tila TequilaA Shot at Love with Tila Tequila is an American reality television dating game show similar to the TV show The Bachelor. It premiered on October 9, 2007 on MTV starring Tila Tequila. The series is a bisexual-themed reality dating show where 16 straight males and 16 lesbian-identified female...
as herself (2007) - A Shot at Love II with Tila TequilaA Shot at Love II with Tila TequilaA Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila is an American reality television dating game show. It is the follow-up season to A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. The series is a bisexual-themed dating competition where 15 straight males and 15 lesbian females live in a house with Tila Tequila and compete for...
as herself (2008) - The War at HomeThe War at Home (TV series)The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
as herself (episode: The White Shadow) - Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
as herself (episode: Help Me!) - MADtvMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
as herself (episode: #1412) (2009) - The Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
as herself (episode: The Brown Knight) - $h*! My Dad Says as Ting Ting (episode: Ed Goes to Court)
Books
- Tila Tequila with Sarah Tomlinson, Hooking Up With Tila Tequila: A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success, and Being the Life of the Party, Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing GroupSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, December 2008 (ISBN 9781439101537)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Soup The Soup The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week... Awards for Entertainer of the Year |
|
| 2008 | Spike Annual Guy's Awards for So Hot They're Famous | |
| Bravo's A-List Awards for A-List Drama Queen |