The Real co-host Jeannie Mai found herself as a real-life hot topic when news broke, courtesy of People magazine, that she’s dating rapper, Jeezy. Everything from previous conversations around her love for black men, to her divorce from Freddy Harteis has made headlines. But there’s way more to the television personality than her current and past dating history.
Here are 10 things you never knew about Jeannie Mai.
10. Jeannie Mai is a survivor
At the age of nine, Jeannie Mai shared that she was sexually assaulted over an extended period of time by a family member. After telling her mom about the incident, their relationship took a turn for the worst, and they didn’t speak for eight years. She recalls having a difficult conversation with her mom. As a result of that experience, she recognized how she could impact change.
“My job allows me to travel a lot and I realize there are unfortunate people everywhere,” Jeannie said on her personal website, The Jeannie Mai.
When speaking with Forbes, Mai shared that one of her greatest philanthropic commitments is to “NightLight International“, an organization committed to rescuing women and children from sex trafficking and prostitution rings by providing employment and vocational opportunities. She cites her experience as a survivor of abuse as one of her driving forces to eradicate crimes against children.
She was also named 2019 Pioneer Woman at Los Angeles City Hall for her continued commitment against sex trafficking, Nice work, Jeannie!
9. From celebrity makeup artist to TV host
Mai has a wildly popular YouTube Channel called Hello Hunnay with Jeannie Mai, where nothing is off-limits. One of her favorite topics is, of course, makeup.
She revealed in an interview with MarketWatch that at the age of 18, she started her career as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics. She found herself beating the faces of celebrities, like Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys. The hustle didn’t stop as Jeannie didn’t see any limits on her income. She’d go from work, to strip clubs, to weddings, glamming up all the faces that she could.
8. She’s praying it forward
We’ve already shared a few things about Jeannie Mai that you never knew, but we were pretty surprised by this next tidbit of information.
In 2010, Fox LA, did a feature story that celebrated Jeannie Mai’s commitment to bringing spiritual vibes to Runyon Canyon. Jeannie decided to create and leave a prayer box for visitors on the canyon. She also leaves paper in the box so people can jot down their prayers or pick up a prayer and pray for someone else. The box has received much attention and has become a popular destination for residents of the city as well as tourists.
7. She travels with a survival kit
Jeannie keeps a host of survival items close by to make it through the day. But not in the way you’d think. She shared with US Magazine that she keeps a vial of turmeric with her. She uses it in her tea and as a facial cleanser. You can also find some Vitamin D supplements, eye-lashes, and some setting spray in her possession, too.
Whatever gets you through the day, right? *Shrugs*
6. Jeannie Mai’s arrest record
Jeannie Mai shared that at ages 22 and 24, she did some time in jail, BET.com reveals. While the specifics around the arrests weren’t up for discussion, The Real co-host let it be known that it wasn’t as bad as she expected. From the communal showers to the women who hung with their respective race, she wound up making lifelong friends from her time inside.
5. Did Jeannie Mai change her mind about having kids?
One of the perks of being on your own show is that you get to control the narrative. While Jeannie Mai has made it clear that a deal-breaker for her previous marriage was a disagreement on having children, something has changed for Jeannie.
According to OK Magazine, turning 40 brought about a shift in perspective for the talk show host. It makes you wonder… did she not want kids before, or she simply didn’t want kids with her ex-husband? Things that make you go hmmm…
Either way, she has a right to evolve, change, and make a decision that’s best for her!
4. She suffered from an eating disorder
With the success of The Real came added pressure for Jeannie Mai. Page Six reports that she battled with body image issues for the first four seasons of the daytime talk show.
Jeannie talked about always being around 100 pounds and what that meant to her, but in a 2018 Instagram post, she celebrated a nearly 20-pound weight gain by declaring: “I realize that I’ve been thru so much s**t mentally and emotionally, why the hell should my body be forced to suffer (from my over controlling ways) too?”
We applaud her for making positive changes and making her health a priority!
3. She’s always down for a dance-off
While on a trip to see Jennifer Lopez in Vegas, Vegas Magazine spoke with Jeannie Mai who revealed that comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish challenged her and The Real co-host Adrienne Houghton to a dance-off. In case you were wondering how it ended? Another guy jumped in and saved Jeannie and Adrienne from what we’re sure would’ve been an interesting battle!
2. Looks Don’t Matter, but brains do!
Eurweb dug up an interesting conversation about Jeannie Mai’s sexual journey. While a lot of people probably enjoy the physicality that leads to intimacy, Jeannie isn’t one of those people. Looks aren’t really that important to her.
A self-proclaimed sapiosexual, she says all about the intellect, conversation, and pillow talk. She has stated: “If you kiss this mind, she [her lady part] will follow!”
1. She has blended traditions
Jeannie Mai makes it no secret that her Vietnamese mom is her best friend. Her mom also makes sure to keep Vietnamese food options nearby, in addition to blending them with American cuisine. According to Page Six, one of the ways she makes sure her heritage and traditions are honored is by having Pho next to the turkey during holidays. She’s also big on celebrating with gifts and doesn’t mind receiving luxurious presents, too.
Hmm…kinda makes sense why she’s dating Jeezy, doesn’t it? He’s known to splurge!
Which of these things you never knew about Jeannie Mai surprised you the most?