What Is Carmen Electra Doing Now?

"I’m happy we finally talked after all this time," she explained.

If you watched ESPN docuseries The Last Dance, chances are you're as intrigued as the rest of the world by Dennis Rodman's relationship with Carmen Electra. It was a connection so electric (pun intended, sorry) that it was enough to merit a mention in the docuseries as one example of Rodman's larger-than-life-persona—but in case you're not familiar, Electra is much more than just Dennis Rodman's ex. A '90s icon, she's a singer who worked with Prince, model, former cast member of BaywatchPlayboy model, MTV host, and current Instagram star. She's spoken candidly about herself and her relationships over the course of her life—including her time with Rodman, which coincided with a dark period in which she felt like she was numb to the grief of losing close family members. After getting a glimpse of the '90s madness that coinciding with the Chicago Bulls basketball dream team, fans have been wondering what Electra's been up to lately. So what do we know? 

Electra is active on social media.

Electra posts a lot of throwbacks, including her brief and iconic role in the 2000 film Scary Movie (she later went on to act in other films in that franchise, too). It looks like her last role was in 2018, in an appearance in the TV show Alone Together; She does still make appearances and made the cover of Runway Magazine in April 2020.

That same month, she turned 48 and shared a throwback to her 46th birthday—because this birthday was spent in quarantine.

As for her dating life, she was married to musician Dave Navarro from 2003 to 2007. She was engaged, but never married, to musician Rob Patterson, and appeared on dating show The Choice. It looks like she also may have briefly dated Westworld actor Clifton Collins Jr. in 2018.

Electra has shared more details about her relationship with Dennis Rodman.

Electra gave on-screen interviews for The Last Dance about the wild time she spent with Rodman during the 1997-8 season—including the crazy Vegas parties that Rodman was known for. She called dating Rodman “definitely an occupational hazard,” but also has said she has no regrets dating him. She gave an extensive interview to the L.A. Times in April, saying, "I saw all these different sides of Dennis. He would always say, ‘No one understands me. No one gets me.’ He was very emotional at times. Then there was the sweet romantic side and the fun, eccentric guy who loved to go out and drink and wear feathered boas." She added, "But on the court, he was a savage.”

The relationship continued to be turbulent—among other things, they got married in November 1998, filed for annulment nine days later, reconciled, then divorced in April 1999. Speaking about the relationship on Oprah in 2014, Electra opened up about how she'd lost her mother to a brain tumor (she also lost her sister to a heart attack a few weeks later)—and how she felt like that probably had a role in her decision-making at the time. "Once again, my life changed, but not in a good way," she says. "I just went into self-destruction."

But the couple stayed in touch, and were arrested in 1999 for misdemeanor battery after an altercation. She spoke about how sometimes Rodman's behavior could be erratic: “There were those moments of ‘Where’s Dennis?’ Other team members would worry...There were times when all of us would go to a few bars and then we all would try to get Dennis to go back to the hotel. He would just run away and leave us. There was nothing we could do.”

She also got very real about some of their shenanigans, including when Rodman had to hide her from Michael Jordan himself and head to practice: “I was hungover and we were naked on the floor,” Electra recalled. “Dennis gets up to answer, and there’s Michael Jordan! I got up and tried to hide. I knew Dennis was in trouble. That was a big deal and a shock to me.”

And then there's this:

“One day when the Bulls had an off day from practicing, Dennis said he had a surprise for me,” Electra told the publication. “He blindfolds me and we get on his motorcycle. When he finally takes my blindfold off, we’re standing at the Bulls practice facility, center court. It was crazy, like two kids in a candy store. We were eating Popsicles from the fridge and pretty much having sex all over the damn place—in the physical therapy room, in the weight room. Obviously on the court...To be honest, I don’t think he’s ever worked out so hard in his life.”

She spoke to Rodman around the time of The Last Dance.

Both Rodman and Electra admitted that they still talk from time to time but not regularly; Rodman said in 2018, "'If the opportunity were to pop up today, and if I saw Carmen, I would probably ask her to marry me again."

Recently, Electra shared a throwback video of her at one of the games:

And a photo after the epic victory thanking The Last Dance for being a part of the show:

On April 29, she also revealed she had recently talked to her ex, saying, "Remembering all the good times & some of the hard times, I’m happy we finally talked after all this time & wish him the best!!!!"


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(Image credit: Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributor

Katherine’s a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle—from “Clueless” to Everlane to news about Lizzo. She’s been a freelancer for 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.