If you’ve never been a fan of the Playboyfranchise, you can be forgiven for thinking that Kendra Wilkinson was once a Playboy playmate. Kendra Wilkinson’s road to fame was bumpy to say the least, and it all started with Hugh Hefner seeing a picture of her on a fax machine.
The glamorous model and TV personality also has an entrepreneurial side to her. Since her years with Hugh Hefner and the Playboy Mansion, she has continued to build her brand by collaborating with old friends and family. Kendra has appeared in several music videos for big-name artists, and has also created two reality TV series about her post-Hugh life with Hefner. She was also part of E! Entertainment reality series, The girl next door.
Kendra Wilkinson’s Facts
The TV star was born Kendra Leigh Wilkinson on June 12, 1985 and raised in Clairemont, San Diego. His parents, Eric and Patti were married two years before he was born. Patti was a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and Eric had a career in biotechnology. In 1994, when Kendra was eight years old, her parents called for her marriage.
Kendra showed some athleticism with her six-year-old spell playing softball on the Clairemont Bobby Sox team. She didn’t bother to pursue a college education and instead went looking for a job after high school. During this time, she worked as a glamor model and then as an assistant in a dentist’s office.
After Hugh Hefner saw and liked a photo of Kendra he met, he decided to find out who she was. They finally met at the Playboy Mansion when the lady celebrated her 78th birthday in 2004. It was shortly after Kendra graduated from high school. He then brought her in as one of his painted daughters and living girlfriend.
Kendra jumped at the chance and while in Hefner lived and worked with two of his other girlfriends at the time: Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. The trio worked together on a reality series created by E! and Playboy which premiered as The Girls Next Door.
A few years after moving into the Playboy mansion, she met Hank Baskett, who at the time was a football player for her mother’s former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Soon after, Kendra left Hugh and the Playboy Mansion to plan her life with Hank. This post-Playboy era was documented and turned into a reality series called Kendra, produced by E!
While still at home, Kendra Wilkinson turned into a video vixen when she appeared in music videos by notable artists such as Akon’s ‘Smack That’ with Eminem and Nickelback’s ‘Rockstar’. The model has also made cameos in Scary Movie (2006) and General Hospital (2007) cameos and on shows like Las Vegas and Entourage.
Wilkinson’s reality show, Kendra was E!’s best debut reality show at the time, reaching a record 2.6 million viewers. The show aired for three seasons and ended in 2011. After the show was not renewed for a fourth season, Kendra and her family moved on to WEtv where they aired their new TV show -reality, Kendra at the top. It made its network debut on June 5, 2012.
She also found time to do other things besides her reality show. In 2007, she made a raw appearance in WWE with her friend Bridget Marquardt. Three years later, his memoir Slipping Through the House was published.
That same year, a sex tape of Kendra and her high school boyfriend Justin Frye surfaced and caused her some serious tension. The tape was purchased by scandal-dependent label Vivid Entertainment. It was also reported that the model, who was 18 at the time the tape was made, was paid $680,000 for her involvement.
Kendra, Hank Baskett and Kids’ husband.
In September 2008, news broke that Kendra Wilkinson was engaged to marry Hank Baskett, who at the time was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. She would confirm their relationship on Chelsea Lately the following month and they were engaged soon after.
On June 27, 2009, Kendra Wilkinson became KendraBaskett in an elaborate ceremony at the Playboy Mansion where her younger brother, Colin, led her down the aisle. Kendra’s friends and family attended the ceremony.
Their first child, Hank Baskett IV was born on December 11, 2009. She initially decided to make Hefner her child’s godfather, but later denied considering Hugh in a later interview. After the birth of her son, Kendra Wilkinson went through a period of depression and weighed 140 pounds. She attributes this to the instability in her life due to her husband’s profession and the resulting feelings of isolation and loneliness. By then, his family had moved to Indianapolis when Hank was traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
Kendra announced in October 2013 that she was expecting her second child. On May 16, 2014, she gave birth to a daughter, Alijah Mary Baskett.
Things didn’t really improve in the relationship and in April 2018 they announced their separation. The divorce was complete months later.
What is Kendra Wilkinson’s net worth?
The San Diego gal has been with big brands from the start, earning her money. Just consider his collaborations with big-name musicians, his television appearances, his involvement in reality series and his experience with Playboy. All of this makes it easy to see why his net worth is placed at $6 million.
