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11 things to know about Omarosa Manigault

The latest White House controversy has come courtesy of Omarosa Manigault, who rose to fame as a reality show participant before being hired into the White House in a communications role during the Trump administration.

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Manigault recently has been doing a publicity tour for her upcoming book "Unhinged," during which she has claimed she has audio tapes of President Trump using a racial slur during the making of his reality TV show "The Apprentice," on which she appeared.

Here are 11 things to know about Omarosa Manigault:

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  • She was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and later earned a broadcast journalism degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
  • Manigault's father was murdered when she was seven years old, and her older brother was murdered in 2011.
  • In the 1990s she worked in Vice President Al Gore's office during the Clinton administration. Former coworkers say she was lackluster in the role: "She was the worst hire we ever made," said Mary Margaret Overbey, Gore's former office administrator.
  • She later moved to the Commerce Department, where another supervisor said she "was unqualified and disruptive," so "I had her removed."
  • Manigault's rise to fame began in 2004 on the first season of "The Apprentice," Trump's reality show that required contestants to complete tasks for the prize of becoming running one of Trump's companies. Manigault did not win, but made a strong impression with her aggressive approach.
  • In an appearance on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2004, Manigault accused a fellow "Apprentice" contestant of using a racial slur, a claim that woman denied.
  • Manigault later appeared in reality shows "Celebrity Apprentice," "Celebrity Big Brother" and "The Ultimate Merger," a dating show where men competed for Manigault's attention.
  • In July 2016, Manigault joined Trump's presidential campaign and subsequently joined the White House staff after his electoral victory.
  • In December 2017, Manigault left the White House amid reports that she had to be forcibly removed from the White House grounds. She disputed a report that she had been fired, saying she had actually resigned.
  • Manigault is an ordained Baptist minister and has attended seminary school.
  • Manigault dated actor Michael Clarke Duncan beginning in 2010. She found him in cardiac arrest in July 2012 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Duncan died two months later. She is now married to John Allen Newman, a Florida pastor.
 

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