But after talking with her pro-Trump father and meeting “red-hat-wearing supporters,” the mother of two told the energetic crowd at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, she decided to “put the red hat on, too.”
“I’m here tonight to tell you, no matter your political background, that the best chance we have to give our babies a better life is to elect Donald Trump president of the United States,” Rose said.
Her some five-minute speech left many wondering how a woman whose previous claims to fame include organizing a SlutWalk protesting gender inequality ended up rallying for a Republican whose 2016 presidential run she opposed and who has since been found liable for sexual abuse.
A South Philadelphia native, Rose has said that she started stripping at 15 years old to help her family financially. She has been open about her work in the sex industry, but she told the New York Times in 2022 that she has felt unfairly reduced to being sexualized and to “someone’s girlfriend” based on it.
She rose to mainstream fame in 2008, when she appeared in the music video for “Put On” by Young Jeezy. She worked with Ye, then known as Kanye West, on the same set, and went on to date him for about two years.
Rose moved among various sectors of the entertainment world for years, appearing in reality shows such as “Dancing With the Stars,” making music video cameos and releasing a few songs in a short-lived music career.
In 2013, she married rapper Wiz Khalifa, with whom she has a son. They filed for divorce after about a year.
She notably organized a few hundred women to take part in the Amber Rose SlutWalk in Los Angeles in 2015, protesting gender inequality and slut-shaming and promoting sex positivity.
Rose told the Daily Beast of her plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016, saying she was excited by the idea of the country’s first female president. Like several celebrities at the time, she threatened to move to Canada if Trump were elected president, although she later told the Cut that the move was unlikely to happen.
She also briefly dated celebrities such as Machine Gun Kelly and 21 Savage before having a son in 2019 with Alexander “A.E.” Edwards, a music executive who’s now dating Cher.
And in 2020, Rose created an OnlyFans account, likening her page to “a digital strip club” on the “No Jumper” podcast. She also mentioned in podcasts that she has been transparent with her eldest son about her past as a stripper and her OnlyFans work.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that Rose publicly changed her stance on the former president. In May, she posted a picture on Instagram of her posing with Trump and his wife, Melania, with the caption “Trump 2024.” A deluge of polarized comments followed. Some were puzzled by her change of heart, pointing out that Trump has a history of lewd comments about women, and last year was found liable by a civil jury for sexual abusing E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.
While her speech at the Republican National Convention garnered applause, some conservatives have taken to social media to criticize the decision to promote her, noting that, among many other things on her résumé, she has also advocated for abortion rights.
Rose could not immediately be reached for comment.
