Clipped: What happened to Donald Sterling's ex-girlfriend V. Stiviano?

The FX show Clipped debuted on June 5, 2024, and features Cleopatra Coleman in the lead role of V. Stiviano. She was Donald Sterling's mistress and played a key role in the 2014 NBA scandal that caused shockwaves in the sports community.

The series delves into the turbulent connection between Stiviano and Sterling, along with her challenges and reasons. Her life remains enigmatic, with both her online activity and personal life closely observed to date, and more so because of Clipped.

V. Stiviano, Donald Sterling's mistress, has mostly vanished from the public eye. She has maintained a low profile after the scandal involving the leaked audio recordings of their conversations in 2014.

---

How V. Stiviano went from social media sensation to legally troubled on Clipped

In 2014, V. Stiviano, who was previously known for her popularity on social media, faced legal issues when a scandalous recording of her conversation with Donald Sterling was leaked by TMZ. The recording caught Sterling making racist comments about Black people, including NBA icon Magic Johnson, whom Stiviano had previously taken a photo with and shared on Instagram.

Before the scandal, Stiviano was recognized for her activity on social media, where she posted pictures of herself with celebrities and sports figures. On her Instagram, she had almost 150,000 followers and frequently uploaded photos featuring Clippers merchandise.

Nevertheless, her life changed dramatically when she started dating Sterling, the billionaire in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers. The affair, as seen on Clipped, was characterized by extravagant presents, such as a Ferrari, two Bentleys, and a Range Rover valued at more than $500,000.

Shelly, Sterling's spouse, filed a lawsuit against Stiviano, claiming that the gifts were given without her permission and asking for them to be returned along with financial compensation, resulting in a lawsuit.

Meanwhile, the controversy resulted in Sterling receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA, forcing him to divest ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. Steve Ballmer bought the team for $2 billion. Stiviano's post-incident life remains mostly mysterious, as her current location and actions are largely undisclosed.

---

The Clipped scandal: V. Stiviano's life after the NBA controversy

María Vanessa Perez was the birth name of V. Stiviano. Stiviano, born in Los Angeles, California, on October 25, 1982, has a record of minor offenses and frequently uses different fake names.

Following the scandal, Stiviano faced legal issues beyond the lawsuit. Her lawyer, Mac Nehoray, stated that she did not release the audio recording of Donald Sterling making racist comments that resulted in his lifetime ban from the NBA.

Nehoray said in a statement:

"Ms. Stiviano did not release the tape(s) to any news media".

Even though she was part of the scandal, not much is known about Stiviano's life post-incident, as her current location and actions are veiled in secrecy. In 2015, a judge ordered Stiviano to compensate Shelly Sterling with $2.6 million, which was the total value of the extravagant gifts Donald Sterling had given her.

In 2018, she gave her final public interview to TMZ, in which she stood up for Roseanne Barr following her racist remarks, stating that:

"No one has freedom of speech anymore!"

From that time on, the subject of Clipped has remained out of the public eye, with most of her social media accounts kept private.

---

Tune in to Hulu to watch the unfolding of the story of V. Stiviano and Donald Sterling in the FX series Clipped.