Rachel Uchitel

Rachel Uchitel (/ˈjuːkɪtɛl/; born January 29, 1975)[2] is an American nightclub manager, hostess, and TV correspondent. She first encountered publicity when, following the September 11 attacks, a photo of her holding a picture of her fiancé, who worked in the World Trade Center, was published by the New York Post and circulated worldwide. She made headlines again in 2010 as one of golfer Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses. In 2010, she appeared in the fourth season of the American reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Rachel Uchitel
Born (1975-01-29) January 29, 1975
Anchorage, Alaska
OccupationNightclub manager, hostess, TV correspondent, media personality
Known forPhotographed in 9/11 aftermath
Affair with Tiger Woods
Spouse(s)Steven Ehrenkranz (m. 2004; divorced)
Matt Hahn (m. 2011–2014; 1 child; divorced)[1]

Early life

Uchitel is the granddaughter of Maurice Uchitel (1911–2000), a Ukrainian-born Jewish American restaurant and nightclub owner in the 1950s and 1960s, including the El Morocco club.[3][4]

When Uchitel was 15, her father died, which according to her, required her to mature quickly, and which she claims was one of the incidents in her life that led to her own addictions later.[5]

She graduated from Millbrook School in 1992 and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1996 with a degree in psychology.[6] She spent five years after college as a news producer in New York for Bloomberg Television.[2][7]

Career

Television

Uchitel began her career after college working in television and film, with a five-year stint as a producer in the Bloomberg News television division, a period in which she became "engaged to a man who died in the 9/11 attacks."[8][9] Uchitel has served as a special correspondent on nightlife for Extra.[10]

VIP hosting

In 2005, Uchitel moved to Las Vegas where, in 2005–06, she was a VIP hostess at the Tao in Las Vegas, Nevada,[11][12][13] whose ownership included occasional boyfriend Jason Strauss.[7][8] She said, "In a random career move and a life-changing experience, I found myself living in Las Vegas to launch Tao nightclub and restaurant.... Two years later, I was back in New York to oversee VIP operations for all of their companies and venues, such as Stanton Social, Marquee, Tao Bistro, and Dune.[9] Uchitel ran the VIP section of "some of the most successful clubs in New York."[9] As of 2009, Uchitel was living in Las Vegas, but was self-described as being "too old for being a VIP host anymore".[8]

Other endeavors

In December 2013, Uchitel opened a children's boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The store is named Wyatt Lily, after her 2-year-old daughter, and was named "Best Kids Birthday Presents" in New York magazine's annual Best Of issue in 2015.[14]

Media appearances

Uchitel was a cast member in the fourth season of the VH1 reality television program Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which documents notable persons being treated for substance abuse; in her case, she was treated for addictions to alcohol, opiates, and benzodiazepine drugs.[15] Dr. Drew Pinsky, who normally is not involved with casting for the series,[16] reportedly visited Uchitel personally in order to convince her to be cast on the show, for which she was paid $500,000 to appear, double the amount initially offered to her by producers.[17]

Personal life

Uchitel had been engaged to James Andrew O'Grady, an investment banker, who was killed in the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center.[7][18] A few days later, she appeared on the front page of the New York Post holding a picture of O'Grady, which was republished worldwide.[2][19][20][21] Uchitel and her fiancé's family subsequently debated the disposition of his estate.[18][22]

In 2004 Uchitel married Wall Street trader and childhood friend Steven Ehrenkranz.[7][23] Their marriage lasted four months.[24]

In late 2009, The National Enquirer published a story that alleged that Uchitel had had an affair with Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters,[25] an allegation Uchitel denied to the Associated Press.[26]

In 2010 actor David Boreanaz admitted to having an affair with Uchitel. At the time of the affair, Boreanaz's wife was pregnant. Shortly after Boreanaz's admission of the affair, text messages emerged on the Internet confirming that the affair was sexual in nature.[27]

On October 2, 2011, she married insurance underwriter and former Penn State fullback Matt Hahn.[28] In May 2012, Uchitel gave birth to a daughter.[29] Hahn filed for divorce from Uchitel in 2013.[30] The divorce was finalized in January 2014.[1]

References and Notes
  1. "Rachel Uchitel Back on the Market Divorce FINAL". TMZ. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  2. "Rachel Uchitel: Tiger Woods' Alleged Mistress". Time. December 2, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Born in 1975 to a wealthy family.
  3. Zwecker, Bill (May 7, 2000). "Maurice Uchitel, 88, Owner of El Morocco". The New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  4. Cohen, Stephanie (December 5, 2009). "Dad of slain WTC beau says Rachel's not girl he knew". New York Post. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  5. Uchitel discusses these issues in Episodes 1 and 6 of Celebrity Rehab's fourth season, which premiered on December 1 and December 22, 2010, respectively.
  6. Namuo, Clynton (December 5, 2009). "UNH grad is twist in Tiger's tale". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved December 7, 2009. ("Rachel Uchitel, who graduated from UNH in December 1996 with a degree in psychology…")
  7. "Who Is Rachel Uchitel, Tiger Woods's Alleged Other Woman?". New York. nymag.com. November 30, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  8. Taddeo, Lisa (2010-04-04). "A Look Inside the Life of Rachel Uchitel and Fellow VIP Hosts and Bottle Girls" (online expositional feature). New York: 2. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. Industry Insiders: Rachel Uchitel, VIP Diva, Black Book, November 30, 2009
  10. "Rachel Uchitel lands special correspondent job on NBC's 'Extra'". New York Post. nypost.com. April 12, 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  11. Strip hot spots reap harvest from bottle-service tables Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 8, 2006
  12. Garza, Xazmin (December 22, 2005). "A How-to Manual On What To Wear, Getting In And Getting Noticed (Or Not)". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  13. Cohen, Stefanie (September 10, 2006). "Face of Loss Bets On Love In Vegas". New York Post. Retrieved December 7, 2009. Once a planning editor at Bloomberg Television, Uchitel has now transformed herself into the VIP door hostess at the see-and-be- seen nightclub Tao.
  14. Best Kids Birthday Presents New York magazine March 2015
  15. Rachel Uchitel Signs Up for Celebrity Rehab 4
  16. Rochlin, Margy (November 3, 2008), "Paging Dr. Drew", TV Guide, p. 25
  17. "Rachel Uchitel Goes to 'Rehab'...For a Price". TMZ.com. July 19, 2010.
  18. Dewan, Shaila K. (January 22, 2002). "No Dress, No Vows, and Less Status in Grief". New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  19. Quealy, Gerit (December 12, 2004). "Vows: Rachel Uchitel and Steven Ehrenkranz". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  20. "9/11 - the terror attacks that changed the world". Bild. September 11, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  21. Vryenhoek, Leslie (June 6, 2003). "The danger of mourning strangers". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 7, 2009. ("The image of Rachel Uchitel making an emotional plea as she searches for her fiancé in Manhattan was used in newspapers worldwide.")
  22. "Who Is Rachel Uchitel?: A Brief Biographical Timeline of Tiger Woods' Alleged Mistress". The Week. November 30, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  23. Goldman, Russell (December 1, 2009). "Rachel Uchitel, Tiger Woods' Rumored Girlfriend, 'Felt Very Lost' After 9/11". ABC News. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  24. Zwecker, Bill (December 1, 2009). "'Man-crazy' Uchitel". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  25. Chandler, Rick (June 8, 2010). "Woods declares for Australian Masters...or as we call it, Rachel Uchitel II - Out of Bounds". NBC Sports. nbcsports.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  26. Armour, Nancy (2009-11-30). "Image gurus to Woods: Go public like Letterman". Bleacher Report. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2015. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press.
  27. "David Boreanaz Says Affair Made His Marriage Stronger". The Huffington Post. November 10, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  28. Rachel Uchitel weds boyfriend Matt Hahn
  29. Ravitz, Justin (May 16, 2012). "Rachel Uchitel Welcomes Baby Girl!". Us Weekly.
  30. "Rachel Uchitel Getting Divorced". TMZ.com. June 11, 2013.
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