Kari Ann Peniche

Kari Ann Peniche Williams ( peh-NEE-chay) (born March 20, 1984) is an American actress and entertainer from Fairview, Oregon. She has held the Miss Oregon Teen USA and Miss United States Teen titles. She was stripped of the latter title after appearing nude in the November 2004 issue of Playboy.

She has been the subject of several celebrity gossip stories, including a brief engagement to singer Aaron Carter, a quarrel with singer Mindy McCready, and the leak of a controversial home video involving actors Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart. She is also well known to television audiences for her appearances on the first season of Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew, the third season of Celebrity Rehab, and a brief appearance on the second season of Sober House.

Early life and modeling career

Peniche has two younger brothers. She is of Portuguese and Spanish descent. After their parents divorced, the three siblings lived with their mother, who was an extreme perfectionist (especially about schoolwork). Peniche attended a modeling class at age twelve. After briefly moving the family to Houston, Texas, Peniche's mother remarried and moved them to a home on Blue Lake in Fairview, Oregon. At age 16, Peniche won a six-week contract to model in Korea. She returned for another six-week stint at age 18.

Peniche attended Portland Lutheran High School in Gresham, Oregon, where she was a cheerleader. She graduated in 2002, and later attended Portland State University and took classes through UCLA Extension. In a 2008 interview with Steppin' Out magazine, Peniche claimed that she was sexually abused as a minor, teenage model, and beauty queen; also physically abused by a former boyfriend.