How old is Tila Tequila? Racism controversy explored as recent photo goes viral on Twitter

Former social media star Tila Tequila trended on social media after a recent photo of her surfaced online (Image via Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)

Former social media star Tila Tequila found herself on the Twitter trending page as a recent photo of her went viral online. A picture shared by user @solodeauxleaux reached more than 40,000 likes, 4000 retweets and 4000 QRTs (quote retweets).

The post compared Tequila’s past appearance with that of her present, and several people mentioned that she looked unrecognizable in her latest picture.

Tila Tequila, who is currently 40 years old, skyrocketed to fame for her presence on MySpace and eventually enjoyed a successful reality TV career. However, she disappeared from social media around 2016, following consecutive controversies related to racism and her vocal support for Nazis.

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Everything to know about Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila, aka Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen, is a Singapore-born social media star, reality TV personality, singer and actress. She was born on October 24, 1981 in Singapore, after her parents moved to the country from Vietnam.

The former influencer grew up with her older brother Daniel and elder sister Terri. Their family moved to the U.S. when Tequila was just one year of age and lived in a gated Buddhist community in Houston, Texas, until she was eight.

The internet personality graduated from Alief Hastings High School in 2000 and moved to California to become a model in 2001. Meanwhile, she also established a strong fanbase on MySpace with nearly two million followers.

The 40-year-old used the platform to launch her music career and released five music videos, two EPs, and five singles over the years. She also achieved success as a Playboy model and became the the first Asian to be featured as the “Cyber Girl of the Week” and “Cyber Girl of the Month” for Playboy.

Tequila also garnered mainstream popularity after appearing on A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila in 2007 and 2008 respectively. She was even featured on shows such as VH1’s Surviving Nugent, NBC’s Identity and The War at Home.

The media personality also hosted the reality show Pants-Off Dance-Off and appeared in films like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Robot Chicken, My Dad Says, and Masterminds.

Tequila also participated in the 16th season of Celebrity Big Brother, but was eliminated on the first day due to her controversies.

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A look into Tila Tequila’s racism controversy

Tila Tequila rose to prominence as a social media star and internet personality, but faced her downfall due to some controversial online behavior. In 2013, she posted a photo of herself on Facebook, standing in front of the Auschwitz concentration camp while wearing a Nazi arm band.

She garnered mass criticism after calling herself "Hitila" and writing a post titled “Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part 1.” Prior to that, she told TMZ that she was “fascinated with Kabbalah" and was converting to Judaism:

“I just feel like the Jewish people have such a beautiful way about them, and I can't wait to officially be Jewish! Shabbat Shalom."

Later, in 2015, Tequila issued an apology for her behavior and said that “depression” and “drugs” were major reasons for her actions:

“I am in no way, shape or form a racist nor antisemitic and absolutely not 100% a Nazi supporter.”

However, she then wished Hitler for his birthday in 2016, writing:

“Happy birthday, mein Fuhror!”

Tequila’s post was also followed by a photoshopped image of herself with Hitler under hashtag #Soulmates. She even shared an image of herself flaunting an SS hat, a Nazi armband and a Hitler mustache.

The social media star posted another picture from the alt-right National Policy Institute conference and posed while doing a Nazi salute with two other Caucasian men. She even updated her Twitter bio to “Alt-reich queen! Literally Hitler!” before being suspended from the platform.

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Twitter reacts to Tila Tequila’s latest photo

Tila Tequila rose to fame in the early 2000s, but had a downfall after several racist controversies (Image via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Several years after Tila Tequila vanished from the spotlight following her string of controversies, her latest photo created a stir on the internet.

Many also took to Twitter to react to the picture and to draw comparisons between her past and present appearance. Some also remembered the star, her success, and her eventual downfall:

Following the suspension of Tequila’s social media accounts, she moved to YouTube to post videos about her views. She currently updates her followers from her YouTube account titled TILA TA-KILL-YA.