Kendra Baskett Wilkinson born June 12, 1985)is an American television personality and glamour model. She is well known for her role on the E! reality-television show The Girls Next Door, on which her life as one of Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends was documented. Although not a Playboy Playmate, she has appeared in nude pictorials with her Girls Next Door costars and fellow Hefner girlfriends Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. Her own reality series, Kendra debuted in June 2009.
Biography
Kendra Wilkinson was born in San Diego, California and is of English and Ukrainian descent. She is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Colin. Her mother, Patti, was originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and had been a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wilkinson grew up in Clairemont, a middle-class community in central San Diego, and attended Clairemont High School, from which she graduated in 2003. She played softball for six years with the Clairemont Bobby Sox.$PAGE$
Career
Wilkinson met Hugh Hefner at his 78th birthday party in April 2004, where she was hired to be one of the "painted girls" (women who are nude except for painted-on accessories). Hefner had apparently seen her picture, shot by photographer Kim Riley, on a fax machine at the Playboy Mansion and wanted to know who she was. Shortly after they met, Hefner asked Wilkinson to be one of his girlfriends, and he moved her into the Playboy Mansion along with her dogs, Raskal and Martini.
She was featured on the E! reality television series The Girls Next Door, which followed the lives of Hefner's then-girlfriends: Wilkinson, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. She moved out of the Playboy Mansion in 2009 and filmed her own spin-off reality show for E! called Kendra. It is planned to cover her living on her own and planning her wedding.
Wilkinson has made several cameos on different programs such as Las Vegas and Entourage. She also appeared in Akon's music video "Smack That". While on the set of the video, Eminem poured a bottle of water on her head, though the two later reconciled.In 2006, she appeared in the Playboy Special Editions Sexy 100. In 2007, she appeared in Nickelback's music video of "Rockstar", along with Madison and Marquardt. They also had a cameo role in the 2006 film Scary Movie 4. Wilkinson also showed her creative side as a rapper on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar which debuted on August 30, 2007. She rapped to Ludacris’ "Fantasy", in response to the question asked by the show's host, "Can Kendra move her mouth as fast as she moves her booty?".She went on to take second place, losing to Shar Jackson.
Wilkinson's stated career goal is to become a massage therapist or sports announcer. In December 2005, she became a regular blogger columnist at the website of the Philadelphia Eagles,[8] a team for which her mother had been a professional cheerleader,and for which her husband plays professionally. Wilkinson stars in a spinoff of Girls Next Door, titled Kendra, which focuses on her life after leaving the Playboy Mansion and getting engaged to Philadelphia Eagles receiver Hank Baskett.
The Girls Next Door executive producer Kevin Burns serves in the same capacity on the series.Kendra premiered on June 7, 2009, and had record breaking numbers for E! with 2.6 million viewers, and was the highest-rated reality debut for the network since 2002's premiere of The Anna Nicole Show.E! ordered eight episodes.$PAGE$
Personal life
On August 13, 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that she was Olive Garden's "Biggest Celebrity Fan." Wilkinson has described Olive Garden's cuisine as "my soul food." The newspaper emphasized that her repeated enthusiastic public endorsements of the family restaurant are genuine, personal and are not tied to any payment from Olive Garden. In fact, the company was reported as viewing Wilkinson's endorsements with "mixed feelings" which it was reluctant to comment on since the restaurant emphasizes its family-friendly nature.
On September 22, 2008, the International Business Times reported that Wilkinson was engaged to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett.Wilkinson denied being engaged in a blog entry on her official MySpace page.On October 7, 2008, in an interview on Chelsea Lately, she admitted she was in a relationship with Baskett.On November 6, 2008, E! Online announced Wilkinson and Baskett were engaged, after he proposed the previous Saturday at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.
On June 10, 2009 Wilkinson announced that she and Baskett are expecting their first child together.The baby is due December 25, 2009.Reports also claim that Bridget Marquardt will be hosting the baby shower.Wilkinson told E! News that Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner will be the godfather of the baby-on-the-way. "He was like, 'Oh my god!' and then he cried... Hef will be the godfather," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson married Baskett on June 27, 2009 at the Playboy Mansion.Although it was initially announced that Hugh Hefner would give the bride away, Kendra's brother Colin walked her down the aisle. Wilkinson's family was in attendance, as well as former Girls Next Door stars Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt.Us Weekly paid the couple $120,000 for the wedding pictures.On the wedding episode of Kendra, Kendra and Hank said that Kendra would be taking Hank's last name.