5 things to know about Omarosa Manigault Newman

Who is Omarosa Manigault Newman

Former White House aide and “The Apprentice” star Omarosa Manigault Newman is making headlines with her latest book, a tell-all about her time with President Donald Trump.

While Manigault Newman has been in the spotlight for years thanks to her stint on reality TV, her book, “Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House,” has been particularly controversial.

Trump has taken to Twitter to call her a “lowlife” and a “dog.”

Want to know more about Manigault Newman? Here a five things you should know.

She has degrees in journalism and communications.

Born the day after Valentine’s Day in 1975, Manigault Newman grew up Youngstown, Ohio. After graduating high school, she attended Central State University, located about three hours away from her hometown. She earned her bachelors degree in broadcast journalism and later moved to Washington D.C. to snag her masters in communications from Howard University.

The 43-year-old has experienced family tragedy.

Her father was murdered when she was seven years old, and in 2011, her brother was also murdered. He was reportedly caught in a lovers quarrel.

In 2010, she publicly began dating actor Michael Clarke Duncan, famous for his role in “The Green Mile.” In 2012, he went into cardiac arrest. While he was resuscitated, he never fully recovered and died about two months later. Five years later, she married John Allen Newman, a senior pastor of a church in Jacksonville, Florida.

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She met Trump as a contestant on his reality show “The Apprentice.”

Manigault Newman first appeared on the show in 2004. There, she forged a relationship with Trump, praising him for his work and business ethic. However, she was controversial. Her feuds with her co-stars often made headlines and she became know as a villain, a title she has denounced. In 2008, she returned to the show’s sequel “Celebrity Apprentice,” and in 2013, she made an appearance on “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.”

Manigault Newman began working for the Trump campaignin 2016.

During the Republican National Convention, she announced she had been named the director of African-American outreach for Trump's presidential campaign. She later joined his transition team after he was elected and worked as an aide.

Her departure from the White House was reportedly a tumultuous one. 

Manigault Newman left her position in President Donald Trump’s administration in January. Although she said she resigned, sources said she was fired.

In August 2018, Manigault Newman released audio recordings she says were made during her time in the White House. In one clip, the president can be heard telling Manigault Newman that he was never told of her firing ahead of time. She also released a recording allegedly made while White House chief of staff John Kelly was informing her of her dismissal in December.

In August 2018, she also released a book titled “Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House,” which gives further details about the recordings and her time with the president, including an allegation that Trump used the N-word. The president has denied the claim.

The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.