What is Niki Taylor's Net Worth?
Niki Taylor is a model and television personality who has a net worth of $6 million. Niki Taylor began her career at the age of 13. Early in her modeling career, she became the youngest person ever to be featured as one of People magazine's "Most Beautiful People," and the youngest spokesmodel ever to sign a major contract with CoverGirl. On television, Taylor has appeared on such programs as "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "Make Me a Supermodel," and "The Celebrity Apprentice."
Early Life and Education
Niki Taylor was born on March 5, 1975 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to photographer Barbara and highway patrol lieutenant Ken. She has an older sister named Joelle, and had a younger sister named Krissy who passed away in 1995. Taylor was raised in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and was educated at Cooper City High School.
(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Modeling Career
When she was only 13 years old, Taylor signed with the South Florida agency Irene Marie Models. There, she met her future manager Jean Renard. Not long after that, Taylor won a beauty contest in New York City that came with a $500,000 modeling contract. In the summer of 1989, at the age of 14, Taylor graced the cover of Seventeen magazine, her first cover appearance. The next year, she graced the cover of Vogue, making her the second-youngest person ever to do so, after Brooke Shields. At the age of 16 in 1991, Taylor became the youngest person ever to be featured among People magazine's "Most Beautiful People." In the photo spread accompanying the article, she wore a one-piece orange bathing suit with long, lime-green gloves. The following year, Taylor signed a major contract with CoverGirl, making her the brand's youngest spokesmodel to do so. She went on to appear in national ad campaigns for many other brands, including Escada, Liz Claiborne, Versace, Anna Klein, Pantene, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Notably, Taylor is the only person to have appeared simultaneously on six huge billboards in New York City's Times Square.
In May of 1996, Taylor graced the covers of the six major women's fashion and fitness magazines in the United States: Allure, ELLE, Marie Claire, Self, Shape, and Vogue. This was another historic first. Subsequently, in 1997 and 1998, Taylor appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue; she also served as the cover model for the 1998 Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar. She largely took a break from major modeling gigs after that. Taylor returned to the upper echelons of the industry in 2016 when she appeared in such magazines as Paper, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar. The year after that, she was heavily publicized in the press for her personal style, earning "best dressed" titles from Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Women's Wear Daily, among other publications. In the spring of 2021, Taylor became the face of CoverGirl again for the first time in over two decades.
Television Appearances
Previously on television, Taylor served as an interviewer for segments of the syndicated show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," and was a guest host on MTV's "Fashionably Loud." In 2008, she co-hosted the first season of the Bravo reality competition series "Make Me a Supermodel" with fellow model Tyson Beckford. A few years after that, Taylor competed on the fourth season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" alongside such celebrities as Dionne Warwick, Lisa Rinna, Richard Hatch, Gary Busey, NeNe Leakes, and Marlee Matlin. Ultimately, she was the third person to be fired.
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Other Ventures
In 2005, Taylor launched her first fragrance, called Begin. Additionally, she founded the Begin Foundation for the Advancement of Women in Business.
Car Accident
In the spring of 2001, Taylor was critically injured in a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia. She was driving with her then-boyfriend Chad Renegar, who was trying to answer his mobile phone when he lost control of his vehicle and smashed into a utility pole. Taylor suffered severe internal injuries in the crash, including liver and spine damage and a collapsed lung. She was left unconscious and in a coma for six weeks. Treated at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Taylor had over 50 operations, plus major physical therapy, before she recovered.
Personal Life & Real Estate
Taylor married her first husband, Matt Martinez, in 1994; they had twin boys named Hunter and Jake before divorcing in 1996. A decade later, Taylor got engaged to NASCAR driver Burney Lamar. They married in December of 2006 at the Grande Colonial Hotel in San Diego, California. The couple has a daughter named Ciel and a son named Rex, and resides in Brentwood, Tennessee on a seven-acre property.
In November 2004 Niki paid $1.325 million for a 5,000 square foot mansion on 3.5 acres in Brentwood, Tennessee. She listed the home for sale in 2012 for $1.75 million, ultimately accepting $1.275 million in October 2013.
In September 2012 Niki and husband Burney paid $390,000 for a 2-acre property in Brentwood. They sold this home in 2017 for $1 million.
