Kenya Moore

Kenya Moore
Born	Kenya Summer Moore 1/24/1971
Birthplace	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress, television personality, author, entrepreneur, beauty pageant titleholder
Known for	Miss USA 1993, The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Education	Wayne State University (BS)
Children	1
Website	http://www.kenyamoore.com/

Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, television personality, author, entrepreneur, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA in 1993. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Moore overcame a challenging childhood marked by estrangement from her mother to become one of the most recognized figures in American reality television. She gained widespread public attention as a cast member on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta, on which she appeared from 2012 to 2025. Over the course of her career, Moore has appeared in films such as Waiting to Exhale (1995) and Deliver Us from Eva (2003), guest-starred on television series including The Steve Harvey Show and Girlfriends, and competed on The Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. Beyond entertainment, she has established herself as an entrepreneur, launching a haircare brand and authoring a book on relationships. Moore's career has spanned more than three decades, during which she has maintained a consistent presence in popular culture through beauty pageants, acting, reality television, and business ventures.

Early Life

Kenya Summer Moore was born on January 24, 1971, in Detroit, Michigan. Her early life was shaped by a difficult family situation. Moore was raised primarily by her grandmother, Doris Grant, and her aunt in Detroit after becoming estranged from her biological mother at a young age. In interviews, Moore has spoken publicly about the pain of maternal rejection, stating that her mother had never spoken to her.

Moore's grandmother Doris Grant served as her primary maternal figure throughout her upbringing and remained a central figure in her life well into adulthood. The bond between Moore and her grandmother was frequently referenced in her public appearances and on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Grant's death was a significant personal loss for Moore, who publicly mourned the passing of the woman who had raised her.

Despite the challenges of her childhood, Moore excelled academically and began pursuing opportunities in modeling and beauty pageants while still a teenager. Growing up in Detroit during the 1970s and 1980s, she developed an early interest in the entertainment industry and began competing in local pageants, which would eventually serve as the foundation for her career in the public eye.

Education

Moore attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Her time at Wayne State University provided her with a formal education while she simultaneously pursued opportunities in modeling and beauty competitions. Moore's academic background at a major research university in her hometown demonstrated her commitment to education alongside her aspirations in entertainment and pageantry.

Career

Beauty Pageants

Kenya Moore's entry into public life came through the world of beauty pageants, where she achieved notable success at both the state and national levels. In 1993, Moore was crowned Miss USA, representing the state of Michigan in the competition. At the age of 22, she became the second woman from Michigan to hold the Miss USA title. Her victory brought her national recognition and opened doors to opportunities in modeling and acting. The Miss USA title served as a launching pad for Moore's entertainment career, providing her with a platform and visibility that she would leverage in subsequent years.

Acting Career

Following her reign as Miss USA, Moore transitioned into acting, securing roles in both film and television throughout the mid-1990s and 2000s. One of her earliest notable film roles came in the 1995 ensemble drama Waiting to Exhale, based on the novel by Terry McMillan and starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochelle. The film was a commercial and critical success, and Moore's participation in the project helped establish her credentials as an actress.

Moore continued to pursue acting roles in the following years, appearing in the film Trois (2000), a thriller that gained attention in the urban film market. In 2003, she appeared in Deliver Us from Eva, a romantic comedy starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union. The film, which was loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, performed modestly at the box office but gained a following among audiences.

On television, Moore guest-starred on several popular series. She appeared on The Steve Harvey Show in 1998, the sitcom starring Steve Harvey that aired on The WB network. In 2004, she guest-starred on Girlfriends, the long-running UPN/CW comedy series. These television appearances kept Moore in the public eye and demonstrated her range as a performer across different genres and formats.

Moore also pursued work behind the camera, developing a reality competition show concept similar to Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model. This project reflected Moore's ambition to expand her role in the entertainment industry beyond performing.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta

Moore's career reached new heights in 2012 when she joined the cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA), one of the most-watched installments of the Real Housewives franchise. She joined the series in its fifth season and quickly became one of its most prominent and polarizing cast members.

On the show, Moore became known for her memorable catchphrases, dramatic confrontations with fellow cast members, and willingness to engage in the interpersonal conflicts that drive reality television. Her presence on RHOA brought her a significant new audience and reinvigorated her public profile. Over the course of her tenure on the series, Moore's storylines encompassed her romantic relationships, family dynamics, entrepreneurial ventures, and personal milestones including marriage and motherhood.

Moore appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2012 through 2025, making her one of the longest-serving cast members in the show's history. Her departure from the series coincided with broader changes in the franchise's cast and production.

In early 2026, Moore stated publicly that "legal" reasons were preventing her from returning to Bravo for the foreseeable future. Despite her departure from Bravo, reports emerged in March 2026 that Moore was rumored to be joining an upcoming reality series on Amazon Prime Video alongside Tamar Braxton and other reality television figures.

Other Television Appearances

Beyond The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Moore made appearances on several other prominent television programs. In 2015, she competed on the seventh season of The Celebrity Apprentice, the NBC business competition series hosted by Donald Trump. Her participation on the show provided a platform to showcase her business acumen and competitive drive to a national audience.

In 2021, Moore competed on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars, the ABC dance competition series. Her appearance on the show demonstrated her versatility and willingness to take on new challenges in front of a live television audience.

In 2023, Moore appeared on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, a Fox reality series in which celebrities undergo military-style training exercises designed by special forces operatives. The show tested participants' physical and mental endurance under extreme conditions.

Entrepreneurship

Moore has pursued several business ventures throughout her career, most notably in the haircare and beauty industry. She launched Kenya Moore Hair Care, a line of haircare products, and opened a hair salon and spa business, Kenya Moore Hair Spa.

The hair spa business faced significant legal and financial challenges in early 2026. In February 2026, a judge ordered Kenya Moore Hair Spa to pay nearly $88,000 to its landlord in a dispute over unpaid rent and utilities. In March 2026, it was reported that the landlord had taken further legal action to have the business evicted after Moore allegedly failed to comply with the court order to pay the outstanding amount. Moore publicly disputed some of the claims regarding the situation with her landlord, shooting down certain rumors about the status of the salon.

Author

Moore authored a book titled Game, Get Some! What Women Really Want, which offered relationship advice and insights. The book drew on Moore's personal experiences and perspectives on dating and relationships.

Personal Life

Moore's personal life has been a subject of public interest, particularly during her years on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In June 2017, Moore married Marc Daly, a restaurateur who owned the restaurant SoCo in Brooklyn, New York. The couple's wedding was a private ceremony that was announced publicly shortly after taking place. Moore and Daly's relationship, including their courtship, marriage, and subsequent challenges, was documented in part on the Bravo series.

Moore has one child. The birth of her daughter was a significant milestone that she shared with viewers during her time on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and which became a central storyline on the series.

Moore's grandmother, Doris Grant, who raised her, passed away, an event that Moore grieved publicly. Moore has spoken repeatedly about the importance of her grandmother in her life and the lasting impact of being raised by her.

Moore has used the name Kenya Moore Daly in connection with her marriage to Marc Daly.

Recognition

Kenya Moore's recognition has come from multiple spheres of public life. Her crowning as Miss USA 1993 remains one of her most notable achievements, placing her in the lineage of American beauty pageant winners and bringing her national visibility at the age of 22. The title opened opportunities in modeling, endorsements, and entertainment that shaped the trajectory of her subsequent career.

Her long tenure on The Real Housewives of Atlanta cemented her status as one of the franchise's most recognizable figures. As one of the longest-serving cast members of RHOA, Moore contributed to the show's ratings and cultural impact, particularly among African American audiences. The Real Housewives franchise is one of the most commercially successful reality television properties in the United States, and Moore's role within it brought her sustained media coverage for over a decade.

Moore's participation on The Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test further expanded her television profile and demonstrated her appeal across different formats and networks. Each appearance introduced her to new audiences beyond the Real Housewives viewership.

As an entrepreneur, Moore's haircare brand and salon business attracted attention both for their commercial aspects and for the legal and financial challenges that became public in 2026.