Strikingly tall (5'8"), shapely, and statuesque brunette knockout Karen
McDougal was born on March 23, 1971 in Merrillville, Indiana. She's of
mixed Irish and Cherokee Indian descent. Karen has three older brothers
and one younger sister. McDougal's mother remarried when she was nine
and moved the family to Sawyer, Michigan. Karen studied tap dance and
ballet as a kid. McDougal attended River Valley High School. She was an
ace clarinetist who took 1st place in Michigan state competitions for
four years in a row. In addition, Karen also was a member of the
softball and volleyball teams as well as a cheerleader for both the
football and basketball teams. After graduating from high school in
1989, McDougal attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids,
Michigan, where she majored in Elementary Education.
After finishing
college Karen moved to Detroit and worked as a preschool teacher. She
entered a swimwear contest at a local nightclub and won it. McDougal
then competed in the Venus Swimwear swimsuit competition in Michigan,
won the state finals, and moved on to the international finals in
Florida. Karen was then discovered by "Playboy" photographer David
Mecey. She was approached by "Playboy" to try out for being a Playmate
and was eventually chosen as the Playmate of the Month in the December,
1997 issue of the famous men's magazine. McDougal was named Playmate of
the Year in 1998. In November, 2001 Karen was voted the #2 Playmate of
the 1990's by "Playboy" readers. She has been featured in many "Playboy"
videos and posed for a handful of newsstand special editions.
McDougal
in the wake of her Playmate stint has modeled for numerous catalogs,
calendars, national liquor campaigns, and posters. A hardcore fitness
enthusiast, Karen has done pictorials in and/or graced the covers of
countless fitness magazines (she has the distinction of being the first
woman to be featured on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine).
McDougal not only had a lead role as fierce warrior woman Jessemina in
"The Arena," but also popped up in small parts in the films "Charlie's
Angels," "Joe Dirt," "Grind," and "The Girl Next Door." She has served
as a host of such TV programs as "Wild On," "The Red Carpet," and "VIP
Access." Outside of acting and modeling, Karen is also an avid
motorcycle rider -- her first modeling assignment was as a promotional
model at a Harley-Davidson bike show in Detroit -- and car collector.
Anger Management(2012)as Shelly
Stiletto(2008)as Karen - Fernando's Girl
Lovespring International(2006)as Woman Across Street
Jake in Progress(2005)as Hot Model
The Girl Next Door(2004)as Woman at Las Vegas Convention
Anderson Cooper 360°(2003)as Self - Guest
Playboy Playmate of the Year DVD Collection: The '90s(2006)as Self
E! True Hollywood Story(1996)as Self
WWE $250,000 Raw Diva Search(2005)as Self - Semi-Finalist
Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace(2017)as Self
The Beat with Ari Melber(2017)as Self
Stormy(2024)as Self - Former Playboy Playmate of the Year
Randy Rainbow: Cheeto Christ Stupid-Czar(2019)as Self
Randy Rainbow: You Can't Stop His Tweets(2018)as Self
The MeidasTouch Podcast(2020)as Self