Who is Karen McDougal? The former Playboy model in the Trump hush-money case
She’s the other “other woman.”
Although the landmark 34-count criminal case against former President Donald Trump hinges on his alleged hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, the Manhattan DA’s investigation also deals with a less familiar name — Karen McDougal.
McDougal, a 52-year-old former Playboy Playmate, claims she had an affair with Trump over a decade ago.
She also says she was silenced when Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, and the leadership at American Media Inc. paid her for her story in the run-up to the 2016 election — and then buried it.
Below, learn more about McDougal, her alleged relationship with Trump and her part in the ongoing saga over the blockbuster criminal charges against the 45th president and 2024 presidential candidate:
Who is Karen McDougal?
Born in Indiana, McDougal’s career kicked off her 20s when she started modeling for swimwear competitions and health and fitness outlets, her personal website states.
She officially became a Playboy Playmate in 1997 and was named Playmate of the Year the following year.
McDougal was also honored as runner-up for Playmate of the ’90s, coming in second to none other than Pamela Anderson, the BBC reported.
The former high school cheerleader was also the first woman to grace the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine, and her buzzy media appearances included an uncredited cameo in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels,” the outlet said.
McDougal is a passionate advocate for breast implant illness (BII), a non-medically recognized condition that some believe to stem from breast enhancement.
How did Karen McDougal meet Donald Trump?
In a February 2018 report based on McDougal’s handwritten memoirs, Ronan Farrow described how the model first encountered Donald Trump at a pool party at the Playboy Mansion in June 2006.
Although Trump, then 60, had recently married supermodel Melania Knauss and had an infant son, Barron, he was apparently “uninhibited” by matrimony and “immediately took a liking” to McDougal.
“It was so obvious that a Playmate Promotions exec said, ‘Wow, he was all over you — I think you could be his next wife,’” McDougal wrote of the starry first meeting.
Did Karen McDougal and Donald Trump have an affair?
Though Trump has publicly denied any affair, McDougal claimed in a 2018 sit-down interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she and Trump had a consensual 10-month relationship.
McDougal said the pair first had sex after a private dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel — and that Trump tried to pay her for her time.
“I actually didn’t know how to take that,” she told Cooper of the awkward moment.
“I looked at him and I said, ‘That’s not me, I’m not that kind of girl.’ And he said, ‘You’re really special.’”
McDougal said she saw Trump at least five times a month during their relationship.
“I liked his charisma,” she explained.
“He always told me he loved me.”
How much was Karen McDougal paid for her story?
Four days before the 2016 presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Media Inc. (AMI), the owner of the National Enquirer, had paid McDougal $150,000 for exclusive rights to her story.
The agreement, which was finalized in August 2016, barred McDougal from discussing the alleged affair publicly, but the story was never run — an example of what some in the media refer to as a “catch and kill” scheme intended to bury unflattering coverage.
The National Inquirer notably endorsed Trump’s 2016 White House bid. In 2018, Farrow described catch and kill as a “favorite tactic” of AMI CEO and chairman David Pecker, who reportedly also counted Trump as a personal friend.
In March 2018, McDougal sued AMI in an effort to get out of the agreement, alleging that Cohen — who reimbursed AMI for the McDougal payment — colluded with the company in a “broad effort to silence and intimidate her,” per court documents obtained by the New York Times.
The suit was settled the following month, enabling McDougal to go public with her story.
In 2021, the Federal Election Commission also fined AMI $187,000 for violating election law through the McDougal payout.
How is Karen McDougal tied to the Trump indictment?
On Tuesday, Trump was arraigned on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records stemming from his alleged hush-money payments to another purported extramarital paramour — adult film star Stormy Daniels.
While the payment to McDougal is not part of the criminal charges, it was detailed in the statement of facts from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
AMI, the document claims, falsely characterized the payments to McDougal — identified only as “Woman 1” — in its official papers.
After the lengthy proceedings, Trump appeared at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida to dismiss the charges as a “witch hunt.”
Where is Karen McDougal now?
Unlike Daniels — who celebrated Trump’s indictment last week with champagne before opening up to Vogue — McDougal has stayed mostly silent in the ongoing saga.
In a cheeky update to her followers on Wednesday morning, the self-described columnist and spokesmodel said she had been “out and about enjoying Gods [sic] country.”
“I hope I didn’t miss anything,” she concluded the post, which featured several images of the brunette smiling at a ski resort.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to sound off on the case on social media, including a call for Republicans to “defund” the Department of Justice and the FBI.
The 2024 hopeful is due back in court on Dec. 4.
