Sonja Morgan (née Tremont; born November 25, 1963) is an American television personality, socialite and philanthropist. She is best known for her long-running role as a main cast member on the reality television series ''
The Real Housewives of New York City
''The Real Housewives of New York City'' (abbreviated ''RHONY'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 4, 2008. Developed as the second installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired thirteen ...
''.
Career
Morgan studied marketing at the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...
.
Her fashion line, ''Sonja by Sonja Morgan'', was launched in 2015 and is sold at the
Vanessa Noel
Vanessa Noel (born October 12, 1961) is an American shoe designer, hotelier, gallery owner, and philanthropist.
Biography
Vanessa Noel was born and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Noel was able to make social connections early in life as he ...
store on East 64th Street and online. Morgan's line also retailed in
Century 21 stores prior to their bankruptcy filing in 2020 following the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Morgan worked as an interior director, event planner, and hostess for a series of high-end Manhattan restaurants.
In 2010, Morgan joined the cast of
Bravo
Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels
*Bravo (band), a Russian rock band
* Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984
*Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
's hit reality television series ''
The Real Housewives of New York City
''The Real Housewives of New York City'' (abbreviated ''RHONY'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 4, 2008. Developed as the second installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired thirteen ...
'' during its third season. Widely regarded as a franchise fan favorite, she has held a starring role in every season since. She was voted "Best Comedienne" in the fan-chosen Real Housewives Awards for four consecutive years -- from 2015 through 2018 -- and she is the most-followed member of her cast on both
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. In 2021, celebrity video messaging platform
Cameo announced that Morgan was among their top ten highest-earning celebrities the previous year.
In 2017, Morgan made her
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
debut in the play ''
Sex Tips for Straight Women by a Gay Man''.
[ In 2021, she launched a regional tour of improv shows entitled ''Sonja In Your City'', playing sold-out shows in New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Washington DC. She is a frequent guest on ]Andy Cohen
Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer.
Cohen is the host and executive producer of Bravo's late night talk show, '' Watch What Happens Live!'' He also has a pop culture ...
's late night chat show, ''Watch What Happens Live'' and she has made guest appearances on a number of other television series, including ''Difficult People
''Difficult People'' is an American dark comedy streaming television series created by Julie Klausner. Klausner stars alongside Billy Eichner as two struggling and jaded comedians living in New York City; the duo seemingly hate everyone but each ...
'', ''Kocktails with Khloé
''Kocktails with Khloé'' is an American pop culture–themed variety talk show that premiered on the FYI cable channel on January 20, 2016. The series is hosted by reality television personality Khloé Kardashian. In April 2016, FYI cancelled ...
'', and ''Worst Cooks in America
''Worst Cooks in America'' is an American reality television series that premiered on January3, 2010, on Food Network. The show takes 12 to 16 contestants (referred to as "recruits") with very poor cooking skills through a culinary boot camp, t ...
''.
A longtime philanthropist, Morgan has contributed to charities involving children, visual and performing arts, animal rights groups, and LGBTQ+ rights.[ She hosts cabaret and burlesque events, called ''Sonja in the City'', that help raise money for charity.][ She received a Singular Sensation Award in 1990 at the St. Regis Hotel for her work alongside Vanessa Noel and ]Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995).
She also starred in the films ...
.[ In July 2013 she received a ]New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan com ...
Award for charity work.[
]
Personal life
Morgan met John Adams Morgan, a member of the prominent Morgan family
The Morgan family is an American family and banking dynasty, which became prominent in the U.S. and throughout the world in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Members of the family amassed an immense fortune over the generations, primar ...
, in the 1990s while working as a hostess at an Italian restaurant on Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
.[ They were married from 1998 until 2006. They have one daughter, Quincy Morgan.] Morgan's divorce left her in financial ruin. She filed for bankruptcy, paying off creditors for four years after. She sold her house in Ramatuelle
Ramatuelle (; Provençal: ''Ramatuela'') is a commune in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2016, it had a population of 2,077.
History
Ramatuelle lies near St-Tropez, Sainte-Maxime and Ga ...
for $5.7 million, and remortgaged her $3.3 million home in New York City.[ Morgan also paid $6.95 million to Hannibal Pictures Incorporated after an abandoned movie project.][ The American Home Mortgage Servicing received $600,000 from Morgan's estate and the deed to her $5.8 million home in ]Telluride, Colorado
Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. The first ...
.[
As a public figure, Morgan has told stories of the many prominent men she dated as a young single woman in New York City. The list includes tennis player ]John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
, actor Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
, comedian Richard Lewis Richard, Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky or Dick Lewis may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Richard Field Lewis Jr. (1907–1957), American radio network owner
* Dick "Rocko" Lewis (Richard Henry Lewis III, 1908–1966), American entertainer
* Rich ...
, musician Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, and Prince Albert of Monaco
Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005.
Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Rai ...
, among others.
On October 13, 2016, ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' mentioned Morgan in a report on allegations of sexual misconduct made by Lisa Boyne against U.S. President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. Boyne said Morgan invited her to a dinner with Trump, modeling agent John Casablancas
John Casablancas (December 12, 1942 – July 20, 2013) was an American modeling agent and scout who founded Elite Model Management. Casablancas is remembered for his development of the supermodel concept. He is the father of The Strokes frontma ...
, and five or six models. Boyne alleged that Trump made the models walk across the table, looked under their skirts, and described if they were wearing underwear. Morgan confirmed ''The Huffington Post'' that a dinner took place with those participants, did not recall lewd behavior by Trump, and said: "But I have been known to dance on tables."[
In September 2020, Morgan spoke publicly about her experiences with ]cosmetic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
, including her facelift with New York plastic surgeon
Dr. Andrew Jacono
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Sonja
Living people
1963 births
American fashion designers
American female models
American socialites
American stage actresses
American women company founders
American women fashion designers
American women philanthropists
Fashion Institute of Technology alumni
The Real Housewives cast members
Sonja