In the 1980s and '90s, Kathy Ireland was one of the biggest-name supermodels working in fashion. She is perhaps best known for her work with Sports Illustrated—she appeared in 13 swimsuit issues and on the cover of the magazine three times. But at the same time that she was modeling, Ireland was also launching her career as a businessperson and had a partnership with Kmart in which she sold various products with her name on them. Now, she has her own licensing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which has made her very wealthy and has inspired other models to want to follow in her footsteps.
Read on to find out more about Ireland's life today as successful business owner and mother of three.
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She also tried acting for a while.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesIn addition to modeling, Ireland has also played some roles, most frequently in TV. Her first acting job was in the '80s series Charles in Charge, and she went on to appear in Boy Meets World, Melrose Place, Suddenly Susan, and Touched by an Angel, among other shows. She also did some voice acting for the series Fantastic Four: The Animated Series, The Incredible Hulk, and King of the Hill. Her last onscreen role was in the series For Your Love in 2002.
She has a huge licensing company.
Michael Tran/Getty ImagesThrough Ireland's licensing company, she lends her name to a variety of products—from home goods to clothes to jewelry—that are sold in various stores and online. According to Forbes, her name has been on over 17,000 products. And, as of 2016, Ireland's net worth was $360 million. The model founded her company after launching a line of socks with Kmart in 1993.
"The entire time I was working in modeling, I was trying and failing at businesses," Ireland toldTamron Hall in 2020. "I really wanted to quit [modeling] before it quit me."
She's a mother of three.
Ovidiu Hrubaru / ShutterstockIreland has three kids with her husband of 34 years, Greg Olsen: Erik, Lily, and Chloe Olsen. She recently celebrated her youngest child's birthday on social media.
"Our precious daughter is 19 years old today!" she wrote. "Chloe you are an exceptionally extraordinary person. Courageous, compassionate, brilliant and kind. Dad and I are so incredibly proud of and excited for you!"
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She's published several books.
Paul Archuleta/Getty ImagesIreland's published writing includes self-help books, like Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity, and a novel, Fashion Jungle, which was co-written with Rachel Van Dyken and came out in 2020. She pulls from her experience there—Fashion Jungle is about four women who are working models and is inspired by Ireland's time in the industry.
"I started sharing stories, Rachel started crying," she told Fox Business. "I just became angry. It's like, you know what? There’s stories that need to be told. And she was able to weave it into a fun, thrilling, entertaining novel."
