Tara Reid

Tara Donna Reid (; born November 8, 1975) is an American actress. Her film roles established her status as a sex symbol in the late 1990s.

In film, Reid was the lead ensemble role as Vicky Lathum in the American Pie film series (1999–2001; 2012). Her other notable lead film roles include Urban Legend (1998), Body Shots (1999), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Van Wilder (2002), My Boss's Daughter (2003) and Alone in the Dark (2005). She had supporting roles in the films The Big Lebowski (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), and Just Visiting (2001).

In television, Reid had recurring roles as Ashley on the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1995) and Danni Sullivan on the NBC series Scrubs (2003–2005). She had a co-lead role as April Wexler in the Sharknado television film series (2013–2018). Reid hosted her own reality series on E!, titled Taradise (2005–2006).

Early life Reid was born on November 8, 1975, and raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the daughter of Donna Reid (née Russo; 1947–2018) and Thomas Reid (1941–2016), both of whom were teachers and day-care center owners. Her father also worked on Wall Street.

She attended Professional Children's School in Manhattan.

Career

Reid began acting at age six. She appeared in the game show Child's Play and appeared in commercials for Jell-O, McDonald's, Crayola, and Milton Bradley. As a teenager, she was on Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

After moving to Hollywood in 1997, Reid transitioned to movies, landing a role in 1998's The Big Lebowski. Though the film disappointed at the box office, grossing only $17 million in the United States, it became a cult film. Later that same year, she appeared in a larger role in a more financially successful film, Urban Legend, where she portrayed a sexy radio host and which grossed just under $40 million in the United States and led to two sequels, though neither included Reid. In 1999, she appeared in a tiny role in Cruel Intentions. Reid achieved mainstream success when she portrayed the role of the virginal Vickie in American Pie (1999), which grossed over $100 million in the United States. The film also marked her first film to reach number one at the box office. In 2001, she reprised the role in American Pie 2, which opened to $45 million and grossed over $145 million in the United States, almost 50% more than its predecessor. Reid did not return for American Wedding (2003), but did reprise the character in the fourth theatrical film in the series, American Reunion (2012).

Following the success of American Pie 2, Reid starred in several commercial and critical misfires, including Josie and the Pussycats and Van Wilder. She also starred as the youngest daughter of a Texas gynecologist in Robert Altman's Dr. T & the Women, alongside Richard Gere. She returned to the small screen as a recurring character on the NBC sitcom Scrubs, appearing in 11 episodes of season three. Shortly thereafter, she appeared alongside Ashton Kutcher in My Boss's Daughter, for which she was nominated for both Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Screen Couple at the 2004 Golden Raspberry Awards.

In 2005, she co-starred in infamous German filmmaker Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark with Christian Slater. Her mispronunciation of "Newfoundland" became a popular Internet catchphrase. The film was panned by critics and Reid received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. Reid signed on to host the E!'s Wild On Tara Reid (later renamed Taradise), a program that showcased high-society vacations and hot spots. The show premiered on August 10, 2005, but it was cancelled in September, with Ted Harbert, E! Network's president, saying it was "incredibly difficult to produce with someone well-known." thumb leftIn January 2007, Reid filmed a commercial with Daniel Conn for Dodo, an Australian budget telephone and internet service provider. Between 2007 and 2008, she starred in several direct-to-video films, including 7-10 Split/Strike, If I Had Known I Was a Genius (which was released at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival), and Clean Break/Unnatural Causes. She also played the main character in the television film Vipers. In 2010, she landed the role of Bonnie in the thriller film The Fields, which was released in 2011. In March 2011, she filmed a Funny or Die spoof trailer for The Big Lebowski 2.

On August 18, 2011, Reid was the second housemate to enter the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother 8. On September 2, she received the fewest votes and became the third celebrity to be evicted from the house.

In October 2011, Reid appeared in Jedward's music video for "Wow Oh Wow". In 2014, she appeared in their music video for "Ferocious".

In 2013, she appeared in the hit Syfy film Sharknado which spawned five sequels in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Other projects Reid appeared in during the mid-2010s included comedy spoof The Hungover Games, horror film Charlie's Farm, the Bollywood film Tie the Knot, and the television series The Big Big Show with Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Green.

In 2019, Reid guest-starred as herself in an episode of The Boys where she attended a comic convention with Billy Zane.

In 2023, she appeared in 2 episodes of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.

In November 2025, Reid said she was drugged at a Rosemont, Illinois bar, local Police say "surveillance footage shows no evidence of anyone tampering with Tara Reid’s drink at the Rosemont DoubleTree hotel bar," noting a bartender covered her drink as standard procedure.

Other ventures

Reid has appeared on the cover of magazines including CosmoGirl, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Maxim, Playboy, Stuff, and FHM.

In 2007, Reid was invested in three restaurants (Bella, Geisha House, and The Shore) and opened Ketchup, a fast-food restaurant based in Los Angeles.

Reid and Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier designed Mantra, a clothing line that hit high-end department stores in 2009. In 2014, she released a new swimwear line and a perfume, Shark by Tara, inspired by the film franchise Sharknado.

Personal life Reid has never married and has no children, which she says negatively affected her career. She froze her eggs in 2021.

In March 2000, Reid met Carson Daly on the set of Total Request Live and they began dating. They shared an apartment in New York City and Daly proposed on October 29, 2000.

On January 18, 2010, Reid's then-boyfriend, Michael Axtmann, an Internet entrepreneur from Nuremberg, proposed to her at The Little Door restaurant in Los Angeles. The couple had reportedly planned an intimate ceremony for summer 2010. On April 20, it was reported that the wedding had been called off and the relationship had ended.

In November 2010, Reid began dating Danish businessman Michael Lillelund. Reid's spokesman reported that she and Lillelund had married the day before in Greece. Lillelund denied it, saying he had not been in contact with Reid in months.

In August 2011, Reid publicized that she had married Bulgarian financier Zachary Kehayov. In October of that year, she announced that they were not legally married.

In 2015, she dated Aaron Kaufman; he was fired as an executive of Blue Shield of California and sued by the company after he allegedly spent $100,000 of personal expenses, including trips with Reid, on his company credit card.

In 2016, Reid and actor Dean May participated in Marriage Boot Camp, but were rejected when they were revealed not to be in a relationship.

In September 2019, she began dating Nathan Montpetit-Howar, a music producer.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Saved by the Bell: The New Class Sandy Episode: "Squash It" 1995 Days of Our Lives Ashley 5 episodes 1996 California Dreams Sarah Episode: "Graduation Day" 2000 G vs E Luis' Roommate Episode: " Underworld" 2003–2005 Scrubs Danni Sullivan Recurring role (season 3); special guest (season 4); 11 episodes 2004 Quintuplets Ms. Foley Episode: "Teacher's Pet" Knots Emily Television film 2005 Hitched Theresa 2005–2006 TaradiseHerself own Reality series 2007 Wild 'n Out 1 episode 2008 Vipers Nicky Swift Television film 2011 Celebrity Big Brother 8 (UK) Herself Reality series 2013 Fashion Police Guest Lemon La Vida Loca Mockumentary Tosh.0 Season 5 Worst Impressionist's web redemption SharknadoApril Wexler Television film 2014 Sharknado 2: The Second One 2015 Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! 2016 Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Herself Reality series Sharknado: The 4th Awakens April Wexler Television film 2017 Hell's Kitchen Herself Chef's table guest; Episode: "Tequila Shots?" Sharknado 5: Global Swarming April Wexler Television film Then and Now with Andy Cohen Herself 1 episode Trailer Park Shark Billie Jean Television film A Royal Christmas Ball Allison 2018 The Last Sharknado: It's About Time April Wexler 2019 The Boys Herself Episode: "The Innocents"2nd Chance for ChristmasMonica LoveTelevision film 2020 The Wrong Cheerleader Coach Coach Hughes 2023 Ghosts Herself 1 episode Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Herself 2 episodes

Awards and nominations