Nikki Cox
The former actress Nikki Cox joined the entertainment industry in 1988, and bowed out in 2010 after gracing our screens for over two decades. Born in Los Angeles, California, USA, on 2nd June 1978, Nikki wanted to become an actress from the young age of four, and worked tirelessly to pursue her dreams, which would culminate in leading roles in “The Norm Show”, “Unhappily Ever After”, and “Nikki”, to name a few.
Career
Although she wouldn’t begin acting professionally until ten years old, Nikki first appeared as a dancer in ballet productions and TV specials at the young age of four. Some of the shows she guest-starred in during the late 1980s include “Baywatch”, “Mama’s Family”, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, and “Indiana”. From 1993 to 1995, she also had a recurring role in “General Hospital”, and the Saturday morning program “California Dreams”.
Nikki’s first prime-time role in the WB sitcom “Unhappily Ever After” saw her portray Tiffany Malloy during five seasons. The show ran from 1995 to 1999 for 100 episodes – Tiffany was Jack and Jennifer Malloy’s outgoing daughter who became a breakout character in season three. Although the show’s storylines were originally centered around Jennifer’s pill-popping mother and Jack’s schizophrenic tendencies, they soon began focusing on Tiffany and her older brother Ryan’s escapades at high school and community college. In the last episode, Tiffany got her happy ending as her father earned enough money to send her to Harvard University.
Following the cancellation of “Unhappily Ever After”, Nikki played a call-girl turned social worker named Taylor Clayton in “The Norm Show”. Taylor was the leading character Norm Henderson’s on-and-off girlfriend, appearing in 27 of the show’s 54 episodes. Norm Henderson, played by Norm Macdonald, was a former NHL hockey player who received a lifetime ban from the league due to his tax evasion and gambling offences. To avoid jailtime, Norm agreed to do community service and work full-time as a social worker for five years.
After that, Nikki played title role in another The WB sitcom, “Nikki”, that aired from 2000 to 2002. However, her most successful co-starring role after “Unhappily Ever After” was in the NBC drama “Las Vegas” as Mary Connell, lasting from 2003 to 2007. Mary worked as the Special Events Director at the casino where most of the scenes were filmed, and was a secretly vulnerable character who had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her father during her childhood. Nikki didn’t appear in the show’s fifth and final season, as Mary was written out after murdering her father and hiding from the law.
In 2006, Nikki became the spokesmodel for Sportbook.com, one of the most popular online gambling websites of the time. Three years later, she voiced Jenna in “Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust”, and appeared in the comedy movie “Lonely Street”, alongside Jay Mohr, Robert Patrick, Lindsay Price and Ernie Hudson.
The reasons behind Nikki’s retirement from the entertainment industry in 2010 remain a mystery. In 2011, she received her last acting credit after doing voiceover work in the TV movie “A Christmas Wedding Tale”. Many fans of the former actress believe that she decided to focus on motherhood and other projects, given that 2011 is the year Nikki gave birth to her son. However, a celebrity plastic surgeon previously suggested that Nikki may have quit acting after a botched botox job left her almost unrecognizable.
Whatever the case, Nikki hasn’t given any interviews in over a decade, preferring to enjoy a lowkey life with her son and loved ones. In 2016, she was nominated in the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album category, as the sole writer for Jay Mohr’s project “Happy. And A Lot”.
Personal Life
While filming for “Unhappily Ever After”, Nikki embarked on her first public relationship with her co-star and on-screen brother, Kevin Connolly. These days, Kevin is a successful director and actor, who was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his work in “Entourage”.
In 2000, Nikki became engaged to Bobcat Goldthwait, a stand-up comedian and director who voiced Mr. Floppy in “Unhappily Ever After”. At the time of her engagement, Nikki was just 22 years old, whereas Bobcat was 38; however, the unlikely couple broke things off before the big day.
In December 2006, Nikki married the comedian and actor Jay Mohr, after meeting him on the set of “Las Vegas”. In December 2008, Jay legally changed his name to Jon Ferguson Cox Mohr after petitioning a Los Angeles court to allow him to add Nikki’s surname to his. The couple welcomed a son named Meredith Daniel in 2011, but have fiercely protected his privacy from the media since first sharing the news with the Washington Press. “We are over the moon, filled with joy, and every other cliché that new parents use,” they gushed in a joint statement.
However, Nikki and Jay’s love story wouldn’t last, as in May 2017, Jay confirmed in an episode of “The Adam Carolla Show” that he and Nikki were in the midst of divorce proceedings. Jay first filed for divorce in 2016, but then for dismissal a few months later. Although we don’t know what happened behind the scenes, Nikki and Jay’s reconciliation didn’t last long, as he filed for divorce a second time and asked for full custody of their son.
The divorce was finalized in August 2018, but many ugly details of Nikki and Jay’s turbulent home life came out during the proceedings. According to Jay, Nikki would lock herself in her room for long periods of time, and had problems with drugs and alcohol that allegedly led to her neglecting their son. The actor also claimed that Nikki had expressed thoughts of self-harm on multiple occasions.
These days, there is no online information regarding Nikki’s current job or her whereabouts. The former actress, who’s rstimated net worth is $5 million, isn’t active on social media, and hasn’t been seen at any high-profile events in over a decade.
