Debra Lynn Danielsen (born October 20, 1957) is an American reality television personality and musician, known for her appearances as Farrah Abraham's mother in MTV's 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom.
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Debra Danielsen | |
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Born | Debra Lynn Danielsen (1957-10-20) October 20, 1957 (age 64) Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Nebraska Omaha |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2009–present |
Television | Teen Mom |
Spouse | Michael Abraham (div. 2010)David Merz (m. 2017) |
Children | 2, including Farrah |
Danielsen was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in a family of Italian and Danish descent, and has lived in the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area most of her life.[1][2][3] For two years she lived in Seattle, Washington, which was shown on an episode of Teen Mom OG.[citation needed] Her 26-year career in telecommunications included being a call sales representative for AT&T Network Systems and Alcatel Lucent. On January 10, 2002, Debra Danielsen was the Relay Runner for Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay in Omaha, Nebraska representing Lucent Technologies in the 2002 Winter Olympics.[4][better source needed]
Danielsen then took acting and modeling lessons with AMTC and completed her undergraduate degree in business administration at the University of Nebraska Omaha, for which she graduated magna cum laude in May 2010. She then completed an Executive Masters of Business Administration in December 2011 and launched S'Imaginer, Foods Inc. in March 2012. While working on her thesis in Costa Rica, Danielsen was inspired to capture her Italian heritage through heirloom family recipes. She launched a website, momandmefoods.com, which included condiments and wines.
Danielsen debuted on MTV June 11, 2009, in the reality television series which began under 16 & Pregnant which told the stories of the hardships faced by teenage girls, families, and "baby daddies" while in high school. The show was an unexpected hit and MTV picked up the series as Teen Mom and Teen Mom OG (Original Girls).[5][6] Danielsen also can be seen on the VH-1 show Couples Therapy with her daughter, Farrah Abraham and Dr. Jenn Mann in 2013.[citation needed] Dr. Phil interviewed Danielsen on his talk show April 19, 2013, “Teen Mom Farrah Exposed,” concerning her thoughts about her daughter's sex tape and DUI.[7]
Danielsen also appears in the WEtv television series Marriage Boot Camp for the series' tenth season, titled Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Family Edition, alongside her daughter, Farrah, and ex-husband, Michael.[8][9][10] Ratings for the season were among the highest for the series and other series on WEtv during May and June 2017.[citation needed]
Danielsen launched her music career with a MTV special Being Debra, which aired February 2017[11][12] and chronicles the making of her first music video for the song "Debz OG". Debz OG released the singles "Suga Momma" and "22X".[citation needed]
In December 2014, Danielsen released her book Vapor, which recounts her encounter with a catfish. The book is scheduled for re-release in January 2018 by Post Hill Press, which includes new images and updates from 2013 through 2017.