Debra Danielsen is an American reality television personality best known for her appearances on MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom.
For the majority of her life, Iowa-born Danielsen worked in telecommunications, including for AT&T Network Systems and Alcatel Lucent. She represented the latter during the Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics. After over two decades working on her career, Danielsen was on the hunt for change; not only did she obtain an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha in business administration, but she went on to complete a masters before launching her own company, S’Imaginer, Foods Inc.
Danielsen gained worldwide recognition after her daughter, Farrah Abraham, was selected to appear on MTV’s new show 16 & Pregnant. Telling the stories of teenage girls faced with the challenge of being pregnant whilst still at high school, the show was a cult hit, resulting in equally popular spin-offs Teen Mom and Teen Mom OG. While Farrah was the star of these shows, Danielsen became a recognisable personality in her own right. She has appeared on VH-1’s Couples Therapy, Marriage Boot Camp, and in Being Debra, her own MTV special.
The release of Being Debra marked the launch of Danielsen music career; the reality show followed the creation of the music video for her first single Debz OG. Danielsen has gone on to release titles Tonite and Side Hustle and has authored Vapor: A True Story of How I Fell Victim to Catfishing, a book recounting Danielsen’s experience with a catfish.
Today, Danielsen continues to run her businesses and boasts over one hundred thousand followers across her social media profiles.