Whatever Happened To Tila Tequila
This article contains mentions of domestic abuse, mental health issues, suicide, anti-Semitism, and racism.
When looking back at the stars of the early to mid-2000s, you have to wonder what happened to celebrities like Carmen Electra, Seth Green, or Tila Tequila, who were personifications of that era. Following her time on MySpace, MTV, and Playboy (all quintessential noughties pillars), Tila Tequila is still making waves online, though she's not nearly as popular as she was 20 years ago.
Tila "Tequila" Nguyen began modeling for Playboy after high school and found internet fame on MySpace with an incredible 3.8 million friends on the platform. She later had her big break in 2007 with MTV's "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," a reality dating show in which lesbian women and straight men vied for her affections.
Tequila's name was everywhere, as she took the world by storm with her sultry persona, short-lived acting and music careers, and socialite status. However, the star's public image turned sour pretty quickly when her reality show ended after two seasons. Since then, fans have been wondering where the once "it girl" has been. From the tragic death of a loved one to several failed reinventions of herself and countless controversial moments, here's what happened to Tila Tequila post-MTV fame.
She accused her ex-boyfriend of domestic abuse in 2009
Tila Tequila began dating former San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman in 2009, but that same year, their relationship crumbled. On September 6, 2009, an incident took place between the former reality star and NFL player, in which she accused him of choking and restraining her as she attempted to leave his home. According to a statement issued by Merriman, he was only trying to help Tequila, as she was allegedly trying to drive home drunk.
"We would all do our best to help a friend if we considered their actions to be detrimental to their personal safety. At the time, I was concerned about her welfare given the intoxicated state she appeared to be in and I encouraged her to stay until safe transportation could be provided," he explained (via the New York Daily News). A few days later, all charges were dropped against Merriman, as the District Attorney ruled that there wasn't enough evidence to support Tequila's accusations. Despite the case being dismissed, Tequila continued to make claims against Merriman on her website and filed a civil suit against the NFL linebacker in November 2009. He filed his own suit against the Playboy model as her accusations were interfering with his career, and both were settled in February 2010.
Tila Tequila's fiancée died in 2010
Tila Tequila and Casey Johnson, heiress of the Johnson & Johnson corporation, had known one another through mutual friends for years but hit it off and became an item in December 2009. The pair quickly became engaged after dating for just a few weeks, though many believed their relationship to be a sham. Tragically, just a month after Tequila and the heiress struck up their romance, Johnson was discovered dead in her home on January 4. It was ruled the 30-year-old had died due to natural causes, caused by complications with her diabetes.
Tequila spoke with People just one week after her fiancée's death, clearly still in the midst of the grieving process. "We were so excited about starting a new life together," she explained. "My therapist put me on suicide watch. I've been getting help but I'm fine now. I know Casey wants me to be alive and she hates seeing me like this. She always hated it when she would see me cry."
In 2010, she began exhibiting concerning behavior
After Casey Johnson died, Tila Tequila began to exhibit concerning behavior, which many perceived as the reality star's first major sign of an impending mental breakdown. The star of "A Shot at Love" had previously claimed on her MySpace page to have dissociative identity disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder, as well as bipolar disorder. "I am very high strung and suffer from multiple personalities. Jane. She's crazy and she always wants to kill me," Tequila wrote. However, fans hadn't seen evidence of this alter ego until March 2010 when Jane supposedly hacked Tequila's X account, formerly Twitter.
In June, media outlets reported on what appeared to be cuts on the reality star's left forearm. Tequila took to X to explain the marks, saying, "I don't know what happened. People don't believe I have multiple personalities but this morning the last thing I remember was falling asleep cuz I was so tired. ... I just woke up from excruciating pains all over my body, there was blood and dope everywhere! [Jane] is evil! She single handedly smashed and broke EVERYTHING in my bedroom! Both nightstands, the bed lights, all of the surround sound system, my tv boxes and there's glass everywhere."
She released new music under a new name in 2010
Tila Tequila had released some music over the years, but in May 2010, she decided to reinvent herself and release a new EP titled "Welcome To The Darkside" under the name Miss Tila through her own record label.
Tequila decided to perform her new tracks at the August 2010 annual Gathering of the Juggalos, a music festival put on by Insane Clown Posse's Psychopathic Records. The crowd rejected her presence pretty quickly by shouting and throwing things on stage, and she reacted by taunting the audience, removing her top, and continuing her performance, according to a witness' report to CNN at the time. Festival-goers quickly became violent, resulting in Tequila allegedly sustaining several injuries for which she threatened to sue the organizers.
Shortly after, a representative for Insane Clown Posse's label defended the music festival in a statement which read, "Ms. Tequila was made aware, in advance, of her unpopularity with many Juggalos at the Gathering, but she insisted on performing. She was even paid in full before her performance, and was told that she did not have to perform, but if she did decide to perform, she could leave the stage the minute that she felt uncomfortable. As soon as her show started the crowd began to boo heavily and throw garbage. It was immediately obvious that she was not welcome. Her injuries were only sustained because of her refusal to leave the stage" (via Phoenix New Times).
She entered into rehab after an overdose in 2012
One month after the cuts on her arm were seen, Tila Tequila withdrew from participating in "Celebrity Rehab" in July 2010, which had not yet begun filming. She intended to seek treatment on the show for her use of prescription pills but ultimately decided against it.
Sadly, on February 29, 2012, Tequila overdosed on pills in what was believed to be an attempted suicide. Her roommate found her and called an ambulance, but the reality star was determined to have suffered a brain aneurysm.
In April, Tequila spoke with Us Weekly about the experience, saying, "I can remember feeling like the bones were popping out the side of my head [because] the pain was so bad. I took some medications and tried to go for a nap, but when I woke up I was vomiting. I really thought I was going to die." Tequila entered into a rehabilitation program after the near-fatal incident, which she spoke about to the outlet. "Honestly, I feel like I have been reborn. I should have died and feel blessed to have another chance at life and I intend to grasp it. I got excellent treatment and I did a total detox of all substances and medications."
In 2013, Tila Tequila made many controversial statements
If there is one sure-fire way to put a career in jeopardy, it's with anti-Semitism, as Kat Von D and Rafael Reyes can attest. While the beauty brand owner's beliefs were merely rumored, there was no doubt where Tila Tequila stood on the topic in December 2013, when she spiraled into a stream of controversial statements online.
The reality star penned several blog posts in which she expressed sympathy for Hitler. "I am not going to sit here and say that I hate Jewish people because that is not the case," she wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter). "It is about Hitler and his side of the story that was never told since he was not the victor." Tequila went on to deny being anti-Semitic, but that Jewish people should get over what happened during World War II because casualties are just an unfortunate outcome of any war. "Hitler was a good man and it takes some f***ing balls for someone to say this out loud this day and age," she added. Tequila also posted a photoshopped picture of herself in front of Auschwitz-Birkenau as a Nazi.
It was around this time that the model was also posting about conspiracy theories ranging from 9/11 being a hoax to Paul Walker's death being a part of a "ritualistic murder." She also went on to explain that she is an alien, angel, and queen, and will one day fight the "New World Order" to save mankind.
She had a daughter in 2014
In April 2014, Tila Tequila announced her pregnancy, and the father of her baby was revealed to be Thomas Whitaker. However, Tequila had dumped him by the end of April. In an interview with RadarOnline at the time, Whitaker claimed she left him because he was bankrupt. "The two of us are soon to share a child with one another, Tila and I are not together as a couple and we are no longer pursuing a relationship with each other. ... I was trying to remain cordial without adding to her already notorious past, and now I am now experiencing the fallout from my generosity," Whitaker explained.
The reality star gave birth to a girl, Isabella Monroe Nguyen, on November 16. As Tequila told Us Weekly the following day, "I am so in love with her. She's so perfect and beautiful." Unfortunately, the custody battle that ensued shortly after took years to settle. Ultimately, Tequila was awarded primary physical custody of Isabella, so long as she refrained from drug and alcohol use while taking care of her daughter, and Whitaker received weekly visitation.
In 2015, Tila Tequila was kicked off of Celebrity Big Brother U.K.
Tila Tequila finally managed to climb her way back into reality television when she was invited to participate in Britain's "Celebrity Big Brother" in 2015. But, remember those Nazi-sympathizing comments Tequila made back in 2013? They came back to bite her in the butt, as Channel 5's producers discovered her controversial statements and subsequently kicked her off the show after just one day. Tequila also lost out on a whopping $175,000 paycheck and found herself back in the headlines for her anti-Semitic remarks.
In a statement following her removal from the house, the reality star wrote, "I made a statement about Hitler not being a bad person, and ... realized soon after that I had made a terrible mistake that would ultimately come back to haunt me (via Entertainment Tonight). "It was absolutely the lowest point I had ever reached in my life, and today I am truly sorry to everyone that I may have hurt along my self-destructive path. I have made many mistakes that I am definitely not proud about, but I am only a flawed human who is trying my best to be a better person than I was in the past."
She doubled down on her controversial beliefs in 2016
After missing out on the opportunity to compete on "Celebrity Big Brother," Tila Tequila seemed genuinely remorseful for the comments that got her sacked from the show. However, not even a year later, she continued posting offensive remarks and even called out Jewish celebrities in her June 2016 tirades. In response to a tweet that said, "Jesus will come back too just don't tell the Jews about it," Tequila wrote, "We should at least tell @SarahKSilverman since her and her (((People))) killed him."
Tequila shared another hate-filled Twitter post that read, "GOD SEE'S [sic] YOU DIRTY F****** K***S WORKING FOR THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN AND I HAVE RETURNED AS HIS MESSENGER!" The model later posted that Ben Shapiro should be "gassed and sent back to Israel." To make matters worse, Tequila shared a photo of herself doing a Nazi salute at a National Policy Institute conference as well. In November 2016, Tequila's X account was finally suspended over her use of hate speech.
She announced her second pregnancy in 2018
In February 2018, Tila Tequila updated her fans on Facebook that she had recently tied the knot, sharing a photo of her wedding ring. The following month, she shared the news of her second pregnancy on Facebook, with a post that read, "The Lord God has blessed me with baby #2!!!!! (via E! News). "Now Isabella will finally get to be a big sister! She is so, so excited and kisses my belly every day talking to her baby sibling! It is the sweetest thing ever!"
Unfortunately, Tequila continued to make bizarre statements online throughout the year which gave the public a deeper look at her mental state. In November, she compared herself to Jesus, referred to her internet trolls as demons, and even made some shocking allegations against Paris Hilton and her ex-girlfriend Courtenay Semel.
Fans became even more concerned after Tequila had baby number two, Annabelle, as the reality star shared a video to Facebook in January 2020 of a discussion she had with her two daughters about being Nazis and that people should "abort black babies." In the post, Tequila quipped, "We got some Nazi babies up in here."
In 2018, Tila Tequila claimed she was never gay
Tila Tequila continued in 2018 with even more controversy, as the self-professed born-again Christian used her religious beliefs to back some seriously provocative claims.
Despite MTV's "A Shot at Love" being a bisexual dating show and the star dating several women over the years, including Casey Johnson, she later denied ever being gay or bisexual. In a March 2018 YouTube video, she explained, "I was never bisexual, I was never a lesbian, I was never gay. It was all gay for pay. As a matter of fact, when I was filming that reality show, I had a boyfriend. ... I was only acting gay for pay because in Hollywood, they require you to defile yourself with gay rituals, homosexual rituals, pornography." Tequila went on to say that she hadn't known better at the time, but that after filming her show for two seasons, she refused to continue as it was just "too much defilement."
She changed her name to Tornado Thien in 2018
Stars like Lana Del Rey change their names all the time, often to fit the persona they're trying to create. Tila Tequila wasn't the model's real name, so few were surprised when she again reinvented herself with a new title in August 2018: Tornado Thien. Under this new name, Tequila immersed herself in different creative outlets, like painting and making new music.
In March 2019, the reality star announced that she had started a GoFundMe to make a gospel album. She referred to herself as the bride of Christ in a YouTube video, as she explained that God had asked her to make the album, which would be a huge step away from her previous work. While the album has yet to be released, she did raise $650 in a week and previewed one of her songs a few days later.
On her Etsy page, which she uses to sell her artwork, Tequila's bio says, "I am not selling just 'Art' because obviously you can buy that from anyone, anywhere! My work is actual relics or MAGIC!! Every painting brings something that will come to life! As they are live and pieces of prophetic magic or whatever you want to call it! It's real, and it works!" Between 2017 and 2019, many customers left positive reviews of Tequila's work, and in September 2019, she announced she would be giving her paintings away for free.
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