President Donald Trump has been married three times, and his wives have become celebrities in their own right. Well, two of the wives, at least. First wife Ivana Trump embraced life as a socialite, and she retained her standing (as well as plenty of her ex-husband’s money and a swanky home in Trump Tower) long after her divorce. Third wife Melania Trump has stuck by Trump’s side for decades, which paid off when his political success led to her becoming the First Lady of the United States.
However, the second wife, Marla Maples, largely dropped out of the spotlight after divorcing Donald Trump. Because of this, few know her story, and even fewer know where she is today. Wondering what Trump’s second wife has been up to? How they met, why they divorced, and what the future looks like for Marla? Keep reading to find out!
Meeting Donald Trump
During her childhood, Marla Maples didn’t seem like the kind of girl who was destined to even meet Donald Trump, much less marry him. You see, she was born and raised in rural Cohutta, Georgia, and she went on to pursue a marketing degree at the University of Georgia. But after two and a half years of college, she decided to drop out and do something truly unpredictable: to make a new life for herself in New York!
At the time, Donald Trump was married to Ivana, but that marriage was on the rocks. He met Maples through mutual friends, and they seemed to form a connection right away. Eventually, the two began dating, which generated plenty of tabloid headlines. Once their relationship became official in 1989, it was the beginning of the end for Trump’s first marriage. He and Ivana ultimately divorced in 1992, paving the way for him to take an entirely new wife: Marla Maples.
RELATED: Marla Maples Got the Ultimate Glow-Up After Divorcing Donald Trump
A nasty tabloid divorce
By the time of his first divorce, Donald Trump had been secretly (and then not so secretly) dating Marla Maples for many years. So once the divorce was finalized, he and Maples moved very fast, tying the knot in 1993. That was the same year that Maples gave birth to Tiffany Trump, their one and only child together.
For a while, maybe even a long while, Marla Maples enjoyed her time in the spotlight. Marriage to one of the world’s richest and most famous people meant that this Southern belle suddenly wore nothing but designer dresses, and she had an entire team to make sure she always looked her best. However, it was clear that she and Trump wanted to lead very different lives. This sadly culminated with the two getting a divorce in 1999.
After the divorce, she wasn’t as financially comfortable as you might think. Donald Trump had learned some bitter lessons from his expensive divorce from Ivanka Trump, so he had previously had Marla Maples sign a prenup. While she reportedly hoped to get $25 million from her ex-husband, the prenup ensured she only got $1 million in cash and another million to buy a house. Furthermore, Trump paid $100,000 child payment settlements to Maples until Tiffany Trump turned 21.
Recreating her rural childhood in sunny California
That leads to a fairly obvious question: what did Marla Maples end up doing with the money? Surprisingly, she ended up recreating her rural Georgia upbringing in an entirely new state: California. She raised Tiffany more or less alone, as Donald Trump continued tending to his business empire on the East Coast. Out West, Marla gave Tiffany a relatively normal upbringing: the young girl played on the trampoline by day and ate organic meals by night. Along the way, she and her mother began going to the movies together, and their shared love of film helped bring the two of them closer together.
While Donald Trump wasn’t a major part of Tiffany’s life growing up, Marla made sure they still spent time together. To this end, she brought Tiffany to New York twice a year, where she would marvel at her father’s luxurious office before eating dinner with him and Melania. Marla felt this was very important, as it allowed her daughter to have a working relationship with her father.
RELATED: The Truth About Donald Trump’s Relationship With His Daughter Tiffany
Marla Maples today: family milestones and a brand new career
Now, Tiffany Trump is all grown up and leading her own life. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is back in the White House, serving his second term as president. Where, then, is Marla Maples? Ironically, she’s right back where she first met the man who changed her life: New York!
Maples stayed busy over the years, releasing an album in 2013 and even appearing on Dancing With the Stars in 2016. On a personal level, she recently celebrating becoming a grandmother after Tiffany gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. As for her career, she is currently in New York to develop a spiritual travel startup named SoulShine Journeys that focuses on helping people achieve personal growth. This is fitting, really: considering where she started and where she ended up, nobody knows more about personal growth than Marla Maples!