Vanessa Lachey
Vanessa Joy Lachey (née Minnillo; born November 9, 1980)[1] is an American television host, model and actress. She was named Miss Teen USA in 1998. She has been a New York–based correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and hosted Total Request Live on MTV. She has starred in two network sitcoms and hosted various competition and reality shows. Lachey has the lead role in the CBS spinoff NCIS: Hawaiʻi.[2]
Vanessa Lachey
Television personality, host, actress, model
3
1985–present
Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998
(Winner)
Miss Teen USA 1998
(Winner)
Early life[edit]
Vanessa Joy Minnillo was born at the 13th Air Force Regional Medical Center at Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Philippines.[3] Her father, Vincent Charles Minnillo, is an American citizen who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, while her mother, Helen Ramos Bercero, was born in Manila, Philippines.[4][5][6][7] Minnillo has an adopted brother who is two years older.[8] Her father moved the family frequently because of his service in the Air Force. She lived in Washington, California, Nevada, Florida, Germany and Japan and attended eight schools in nine years. Minnillo's parents separated in 1983 and divorced in 1986.[9] Her mother left the family when Vanessa was nine years old.[10]
Minnillo's parents both remarried. She and her brother Vincent Jr. relocated to Turkey with their mother and stepfather. By 1991, in the wake of Operation Desert Shield, they returned to their father's home, eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where Minnillo attended the Roman Catholic Bishop England High School and was a cheerleader. From then on, she lived with her father and stepmother, Donna. She has said she had "a very rocky, tumultuous childhood."[10] She also attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in San Bernardino, California, for one year.
Career[edit]
1998–2020: Beauty pageants and television hosting[edit]
Lachey was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA and won the title Miss Teen USA in 1998. She was the first Miss Teen USA from South Carolina and also the first from South Carolina to be named the pageant's Miss Congeniality. She was a host on MTV's The Morning After (2003) and Total Request Live (2003–2007)[11] and became a New York City correspondent for Entertainment Tonight in 2005. She hosted Miss Teen USA 2004 and Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageants.
After leaving MTV and Entertainment Tonight, Lachey was featured in print and web-based advertising for Bongo Jeans' Spring/Summer 2007 collection.[12] She launched a makeup line with Flirt! Cosmetics, which debuted in August 2007 at Kohl's department stores.[13] In May 2006, Maxim magazine ranked Lachey #15 in its annual Hot 100 issue.[14] She has been featured on the covers of numerous magazines such as Maxim, Vegas, Shape, Parents, People,[15] and Lucky.[16]