SatMay 17

Karrueche Tran

Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress Karrueche Tran was born on May 17, 1988. Since breaking into the fashion industry as a personal shopper and freelance stylist, she has developed a noteworthy acting career. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Johnson in the web series “The Bay,” but her career has involved modeling, hosting, and acting in films. Tran was further launched into the spotlight while dating Chris Brown, but the two split and she has been granted a restraining order against him. Find all the juicy facts about Tran here.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Karrueche Tientrese Tran

Nickname:

Kae, Rooch, Rueche

Birth date:

May 17, 1988

Age:

36

Zodiac Sign:

Taurus

Height:

5' 1"

Relationship Status:

Single

Net Worth:

$3 million

Karrueche's Social Media:

Background

Karrueche Tran was born Karrueche Minters on May 17, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. She attended Fairfax High School but transferred to Birmingham High School from where she graduated in 2006. Tran has always loved the fashion industry and started out her career as a personal shopper. She worked at Nordstrom for three years before breaking out on her own as a freelance stylist for celebrities in Hollywood. This was around the time that she and Chris Brown started their relationship. She gained respect and a name for herself and began modeling for brands in and around Hollywood. She landed her first big modeling job in 2013 for the “Lady Crooks” fashion line, the women’s division of the “Crooks and Castles” summer collection. Tran gained a wider audience when she starred as Vivian Johnson in the web series “The Bay” that year up until 2016. The show was incredibly popular, winning an Emmy Award. Tran herself won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her performance and involvement in the show.

This, however, did not deter Tran from her modeling career as she appeared in the photography book “Love West Coast Girls,” which was compiled and photographed by Mike Miller in 2014. In the same year, Tran pushed herself even further and launched her hosting career through a job on the B.E.T. Awards red carpet and other events during the B.E.T. Weekend, as well as co-hosting the B.E.T. show “106 & Park.” She also received a role in the movie “The Fright Nite Files.” Tran continued with her modeling and was featured in the Spring/Summer lookbook for Le Coq Sportif, a French athletic brand. She appeared on covers of magazines such as “Rolling Out,” “Annex Magazine,” and “Flaunt Magazine,” alongside two feature stories on Elle.com. She landed a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models in 2015, and bagged her first feature film “3-Headed Shark Attack,” a role in the short film “PrXde,” and in the fashion web series “Vanity” as the character Vanessa Ivy. She split with Brown the same year, amidst much controversy.

In 2016, Tran landed the lead in the movie “Only for One Night,” playing a married woman whose sister drugs her husband and sleeps with him. She also collaborated with ColourPop Cosmetics to release her own beauty collection “KaePop.” In 2017, after she departed from “The Bay,” she landed a role in T.N.T’s television series “Claws.” She joined the series “Deputy,” playing the recurring role of Genevieve in 2018. She returned to “The Bay” in 2020, and in 2021, she won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program.

Career timeline

2009
Stepping into the Fashion Industry

Tran begins to make a name for herself in the fashion industry, working as a stylist and personal shopper for Nordstrom.

2013
Modeling and “The Bay”

Tran breaks into the modeling industry, landing herself a big job as the face of “Lady Crooks” women’s summer collection, the same time as she breaks into acting through the web series “The Bay.”

2014
The Move to Hosting

She gets her first gig as a host on the B.E.T. Awards red carpet and the B.E.T. show “106 & Park.”

2015
A Modeling Contract and Feature Film Role

Tran is featured in the Le Coq Sportif Spring/Summer lookbook and appears on the covers of multiple magazines, garnering traction, a modeling contract with the respected Wilhelmina Models, and a role in the feature film “3-Headed Shark Attack.”

2016
A Cosmetics Line, Too

Tran collaborates with ColourPop Cosmetics to release her own beauty collection called “KaePop.”

2021
A Prestigious Award

Tran receives the recognition she deserves when she wins the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program for her role in “The Bay.”

Why We Love Karrueche Tran

  1. She has won multiple awards

    She is the recipient of a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on “The Bay,” the Best Short New Media Award at the Burbank International Film Festival, and the Best Online Soap Award at the Hollyweb Festival. What’s not to love about this talented woman?

  2. She worked hard to succeed

    Tran has epic style, but what we didn’t know is that she was a personal shopper before entering the entertainment business. Tran worked for Nordstrom from 2010 to 2012, offering advice and styling tips to residents of Los Angeles. She then broke out on her own as a freelance stylist for celebrities and even developed her own clothing line called The Kill.

  3. Tyra Banks is her role model

    Tran is not one to shy away from her love for Tyra Banks. She told “Modeliste Magazine” that Banks was a huge inspiration for her, and she has followed in her footsteps into television and fashion.

5 Surprising Facts

  1. A five-year restraining order

    After Tran and Brown parted ways, she tried to keep things cordial with the famous singer, but he started sending her aggressive text messages threatening violence, and Tran was granted a five-year restraining order against him.

  2. B.E.T. suspended her

    At the 2014 M.T.V. Video Music Awards, Tran made a joke about Beyonce and Jay Z’s daughter Blue Ivy, saying “I really did wake up like this, because my parents never comb my hair,” which attracted major backlash from Beyonce’s fan base, and Tran was suspended from being a B.E.T. host.

  3. Dispute with Iyanla Vanzant

    When Iyanla Vanzant interviewed Tran in 2015, Vanzant pressed Tran about her relationship with Brown, upsetting her with accusations that she only dated Brown for his fame.

  4. Tran loves tattoos

    Tran is a big fan of tattoos and has a variety of them, from inspirational quotes to quirky images.

  5. Her name has a deep meaning

    Karrueche means “a generous person, a humanitarian, or a person who wants the world to turn into a better place and is motivated to do so.”

Karrueche Tran FAQs

Is Tran married?

No, Tran is not married. She was, however, in a three-year-long relationship with Victor Cruz.

Is Tran still dating Chris Brown?

No, the pair split up. Following aggressive texts from Brown, Tran even got a restraining order against the rapper.

What is Tran most famous for?

Tran is known mostly for her incredible work in the series “The Bay.” She has won multiple awards for her involvement with the show.

Karrueche Tran’s birthday dates

Year Date Day
2025 May 17 Saturday
2026 May 17 Sunday
2027 May 17 Monday
2028 May 17 Wednesday
2029 May 17 Thursday
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