Marla Maples was married to Donald Trump in the 1990s. The pair share a daughter, Tiffany Trump, but since their divorce, Marla has very much stayed out of the spotlight.
Maples has been seen by her daughter’s side many times, but there haven’t been many occasions when she’s spoken about her former husband. However, she did once, admitting that Donald had set his sights on the White House way earlier than 2016.
The family of Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for decades. It all started with his father, businessman Fred Trump, starting the real estate company, Elizabeth Trump and Son.
When Donald’s brother, Fred Jr, didn’t want a part of it, Donald took charge. When he became president of the company, he started using “The Trump Organization” as a part of the umbrella brand.
Marla Maples – Trump’s ex-wife
Since then, Donald Trump has become a billionaire and a multi-time father. There’ve been several scandals throughout his career, but through them all, together with three different wives, he’s raised five children.
Donald Trump married Ivana Trump for the first time in 1977. However, his second wife, Marla Maples, is the one who hasn’t really been in the spotlight to date, so perhaps people don’t know all that much about her. Suffice it to say, when she and Donald met, it was in a rather controversial way.
Only a couple of years ago, she decided to speak out about Donald Trump’s presidency, revealing several details of their joint plan for the future in the 1990s.
Marla Maples met Donald Trump around the same time that his first marriage was crashing down around him.
Who is Marla Maples?
She was born on October 27, 1963, in Cohutta, Georgia, and described her childhood as being “storybook-perfect”. Maples had a great upbringing and received plenty of attention because of her looks. She was so pretty that in high school, she was elected homecoming queen.
Not only that, but Maples was very much into sports, winning the Hustle Award for her basketball performances and graduating with academic honors.
Marla Maples was an exceedingly smart young lady and began studying for her marketing degree at the University of Georgia in 1981. However, after two and a half years, she decided to quit. Speaking to Variety in 1990, Maples said she was burned out because of her high ambitions.
She was being pressured to be perfect, get top grades, play plenty of sports, look beautiful all the time, and pursue a full-time social life combined with a modeling career.
“I wanted to be on top at each level,” Maples said.
All that certainly seems like a lot to juggle. It might be that Maples made the best decision in quitting school. No matter how flashy things may appear, nothing is worth sacrificing your well-being over simply because you always want to be perfect.
Upon leaving the University of Georgia, Maples decided to go to the one place where she could start over and focus on building a career: New York City.
Move to New York City
She appeared in some commercials and low-budget films, and in 1985, she moved to “The Big Apple” with dreams of becoming an actress.
“There was nothing distinguishing about her except her genuineness,” said an actor-photographer who dated Marla Maples when she first arrived in New York. “She was a sweet girl from Georgia, all southern charm, the antithesis of high-society, megabucks-type people. She probably can’t act, but who cares? She’s pretty and sexy. She invited me to her church.”
Marla took acting classes and dreamed about being in a soap opera. Alongside her friends, she often went to Aspen, but at the same time as she was having fun; work didn’t come easily.
“A psychic told me I’m just a little girl inside this grown-up body,” she said in the 1990 interview with V.F. “That’s what makes me feel uncomfortable—I forget I have this body. I’m just a little girl.”
At the same time, Marla Maples tried to find work in New York City, Donald Trump’s marriage to Ivana Trump was at a tipping point.
Maples said she met Donald Trump for the first time in 1985. They had an instant connection, but she recalls that the timing wasn’t right. They spent a lot of time talking on the telephone, though they didn’t meet in public.
How did Marla Maples meet Donald Trump?
“By ’88, I knew I truly loved this guy,” Maples said in a New York magazine interview.
Marla ran into Donald several times through the years, and eventually Ivana realized that something was up. Maples claimed she was led to believe there was a plan to end Donald’s marriage, but at that point, she decided to lie low and not get in the middle of things.
She tried to stay away, but before long, the newspaper “Page Six” had run her photograph and name.
In the magazine story, Maples recalled a very uncomfortable meeting with Ivana in Colorado, after her name and photograph had appeared in newspapers across New York City.
“When we saw each other in Colorado, Ivana and I, it was just a moment of both of us wanting to know the truth,” Maples said.
“It was good that the truth became known, but that was also when the real pain began. I realized that we had both been deceived. You’re left in a very uncomfortable position – and the world knows about it.”
Just a month later, while watching a boxing match on television, Marla Maples came across a flash about Donald and Ivana divorcing.
Relationship with Donald Trump
She didn’t want to be a part of it and decided to “run away as far as possible”. Papers made up stories about where she was, but ultimately, she couldn’t completely leave Donald, and the two began dating.
“I loved this man. Yes, I was young, but it was my choice. I was romanced, I had Mister Charm all over me, and it was very hard to say no. When that man wants something, he’ll stop at nothing to get it. And I also believed in the good of him,” said Maples.
However, dating Donald Trump also came with certain standards. Maples had to maintain a certain standard since she would be a public figure as Donald Trump’s girlfriend. Her hair and makeup always had to be perfect, and she only wore designer dresses. In the end, it felt like she became a caricature of herself.
In any case, it wasn’t the best of experiences for Maples.
“I think what he loved about me the most was that I wasn’t part of that world. But once we were together publicly, he wanted to change me into that social animal. I look back at old photographs and videotapes, and I go, ‘Who was I trying to be? Who was I doing this for?’”
When did Marla Maples and Donald Trump divorce?
The media was thirsty for news about Donald Trump’s new love; she became an instant celebrity when the relationship was revealed. Just a couple of months after their romance became public, she spoke out about their relationship, saying she wasn’t the reason Donald Trump had left Ivana. She also had no intentions of profiting from her romance.
In 1993, Marla Maples and Donald Trump got married. They welcomed their daughter, Tiffany Trump, the same year, but their marriage sadly didn’t last. In 1999, the couple got divorced.
Speaking to Access Hollywood, Marla explained that they weren’t the best match after all.
“Well, he and I, were so different, as you could probably imagine,” she said. “I think you always hope in a marriage that you can bring the best out in each other. But after many years, we realized we weren’t.”
Marla Maples had to sign a prenup before the marriage with Donald Trump, and it was a tough one.
Marla Maples prenup
According to Vanity Fair, the prenup showed that Trump really wanted to protect the money he had. Sources told the magazine that Maples wanted $25 million, and Trump only agreed to pay her $1 million if they separated within five years.
In addition, she’d receive another $1 million to buy a house. Trump would also would stop making $100,000 child support payments for his daughter Tiffany when she turned 21. If she got a full-time job, enlisted in the military, or joined the Peace Corps before then, the payments would cease altogether.
Following the divorce, Maples pretty much disappeared from the spotlight. She moved to Los Angeles with Tiffany, and created her own wellness brand.
Marla Maples has appeared in several major movies and TV shows such as Dallas, Clueless and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She’s also held several journalistic jobs, including interviewing NBA superstar Michael Jordan for Inside Edition.
In addition, Maples can also sing. She released the album The Endless in 2013, and even went on Dancing with the Stars in 2016.
Naturally, she wasn’t seen around the White House too much during Trump’s presidency, but in 2018, she decided to speak out.
Reveals Donald Trump’s White House plans
In an interview with Today, Maples revealed that Donald Trump had planned to head to the White House much earlier than 2016.
“Oh. gosh. yes, absolutely, it’s something we thought about doing in the ’90s,” Maples said. “But I knew how difficult it would be on the kids. Donnie, Ivanka and Eric were much younger, and it’s a big toll, it can take a big toll on kids. It’s a whole other world, so yeah.”
Marla Maples’ lifestyle is all about being healthy. On Instagram, followers can see her every step as she works out and practices yoga.
Donald Trump made several controversial statements as President of the United States, but his ex-wife isn’t one to judge him.
“I just think life is about being ready for anything, you know, and where are you going to find the positive in all things, and I choose not to judge anybody else,” Maples said.
“I don’t want to be judged, so how can I judge another human being?” she added. “I just want to give the best version of myself I can, and I just say to all my friends, ‘ let’s just lift this world not bring it down. What can we do to lift it?’”
These days, Marla Maples is focused on wellness and healthy living. After relocating from California to New York, she has been working on SoulShine Journeys—a spiritual travel initiative that helps participants reconnect with themselves through reflection, mindfulness, and renewal.
In 2025, she also celebrated a new chapter in her personal life by becoming a grandmother for the first time. Her daughter, Tiffany, and son-in-law, Michael Boulos, welcomed their son, Alexander Trump Boulos, on May 15. Marla has fully embraced her new role, even giving herself the affectionate nickname “Gran Mar Mar.”