What Is Karissa Shannon's Net Worth?
Karissa Shannon is an American glamour model, reality television personality, and former Playboy Playmate who has a net worth of $2 million. Karissa Shannon rose to fame shoulder-to-shoulder with her twin sister, Kristina Shannon, after they were chosen by Hugh Hefner to be his new girlfriends in 2008. Being Hefner's girlfriends, they got a chance to appear in the E! reality series "The Girls Next Door" in 2009. Their first appearance garnered 2.4 million viewers, making it the show's most-watched season premiere. Karissa and Kristina became Miss July and Miss August 2009 in "Playboy" magazine's combined "summer issue." The two decided to move from Hefner's mansion by January 2010 in order to pursue their careers, and that same year they landed small roles in the film "Somewhere," which was written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Karissa and her actor boyfriend Sam Jones III released a 2011 song titled "Juice and Vodka," and they filmed an adult video together, which was released by Vivid Entertainment under the title "Karissa Shannon Superstar."
Early Life
Karissa Shannon was born on October 2, 1989, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Karissa and her twin sister, Kristina, grew up in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and they attended Largo High School.
Playboy Career
In 2008, Karissa and Kristina began a relationship with Hugh Hefner and moved into the Playboy Mansion. They starred in the fifth and sixth seasons of the E! reality series "The Girls Next Door," appearing in 15 episodes. Hefner became aware of the twins after he saw a photo shoot they had done to make ends meet while they were living in a Florida trailer park. Hugh flew them to Los Angeles, where they were picked up in a limo and taken to meet him.
Karissa said of the meeting:
"We had just turned 18 and were so naive. I remember Hef being very charming and nice. He was wearing silk pajamas and slippers he always wears with his red robe."
After that meeting, Karissa and Kristina spent two years living in the Playboy Mansion and were each paid $1,000 per week for their appearances on "The Girls Next Door."
The twins were named Miss July and Miss August 2009 in "Playboy" magazine's combined "summer issue," and by early 2010, they had left the Playboy Mansion. That year they had small roles as "pole-dancing twins" in the Sofia Coppola drama "Somewhere," which starred Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Michelle Monaghan, and Chris Pontius and was named one of the year's top independent films by the National Board of Review. "Somewhere" also won the Golden Lion award for Best Film In Competition at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.
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Sex Tapes
In 2010, Karissa gained publicity when she confirmed that he had filmed sex tapes with reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Later that year, a sex tape of Shannon and her then-boyfriend, Sam Jones III (who is known for roles on the television shows "Smallville," "ER," and "Blue Mountain State") was released by Vivid Entertainment under the title "Karissa Shannon Superstar." Attorneys for the couple initially sent a cease and desist letter to Steve Hirsch, the head of Vivid Entertainment, but sources later told TMZ that Karissa and Sam had accepted an offer in the "six-figure range" to agree to the release of the DVD.
Other Work
In 2011, Shannon and Jones released a song called "Juice and Vodka" on iTunes. In 2012, Karissa and Kristina joined the cast of the British reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" alongside celebrities such as rapper Romeo, singer Frankie Cocozza, actor Michael Madsen, "EastEnders" star Natalie Cassidy, and rugby player Gareth Thomas. They came in fifth place on the show and also appeared on the companion series "Big Brother's Bit on the Side." In 2015, the twins appeared in an episode of the E! reality series "Botched" to "get their botched noses and breasts fixed."
Brazzers Deal
In late 2018, the twins reportedly entered into a seven-figure deal with Canadian pornographic video company Brazzers to exclusively create content for the company. In 2022, Karissa and Kristina appeared in the A&E miniseries "Secrets of Playboy."
Personal Life
In 2009, Karissa had an abortion after becoming pregnant with Hugh Hefner's baby at the age of 19. In an interview with "Mirror," she stated, "It was like the devil was inside of me. I didn't want anyone to know I was carrying an 83-year-old man's child." In November 2007, Shannon was charged with misdemeanor battery after reportedly kicking Kristina in the head several times. Both women were drunk at the time, and a few days later, Kristina decided against pressing charges. In January 2008, Karissa and Kristina were both charged with aggravated battery. According to TMZ, "The twins went out after work with one of their Wing House co-workers, Erica Civello, to a house party. Kristina allegedly started arguing with Erica, and Karissa came up behind her and hit Erica over the head with a bottle of beer and they both 'jumped her.' Erica suffered a concussion." The twins were put on probation after pleading no contest, and they were ordered to pay restitution.
In October 2015, Karissa and Kristina were involved in a car accident in Beverly Hills. They were both treated for injuries at a local hospital, and Kristina was charged with DUI. After fighting with each other in May 2017, both twins were arrested, Karissa for felony domestic violence and Kristina for misdemeanor violence. TMZ reported, "Cops say Kristina and Karissa had gotten into a violent brawl after a night of drinking. We're told Kristina punched Karissa in the face, and Karissa picked up an ADT security monitor and threw it at her sister … knocking out teeth."
