Kelly Monaco

About Kelly Monaco

Kelly Monaco is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who established herself as a prominent figure in entertainment across multiple disciplines. She initially pursued a modeling career, submitting photographs to Playboy in 1996, which led to her selection as Playmate of the Month for April 1997. During the 1990s, she appeared on 18 magazine covers and in 18 photosets before stepping away from modeling in 2010. As of February 2026, she has accumulated 236,000 Instagram followers.

Monaco's television career began in 1997 when she joined the cast of Baywatch, where she played Susan and occasionally served as Carmen Electra's body double due to Electra's inability to swim. This role continued through 1998. She subsequently appeared in several late-1990s films including BASEketball, Idle Hands, and Mumford.

From 1999 to 2003, Monaco performed on the soap opera Port Charles, taking on two distinct characters: Olivia "Livvie" Locke Morley and Tess Ramsey. Her work on Port Charles earned her a 2003 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Following the show's conclusion, she transitioned to General Hospital in October 2003, where she has portrayed Samantha McCall. This performance garnered her another Daytime Emmy nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. That same year, she co-hosted the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmys alongside Tom Bergeron.

Monaco achieved significant recognition as the inaugural winner of Dancing with the Stars in 2005, partnering with professional dancer Alec Mazo. Despite initial critical scrutiny from judges, she maintained composure throughout the competition, even overcoming a wardrobe malfunction during a Latin routine. She returned for the show's 15th season in 2012 with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, finishing third. In 2017, she participated in a trio rumba during the 25th season.

Her accolades include a 2005 Maxim cover feature and placement at number 13 on the magazine's 2006 Hot 100 List. In 2009, she was recognized as Maxim's top sexiest cover model of the decade. That same year, she served as a judge for the Miss USA pageant, selected by Donald Trump and Paula Shugart.

In 2009, Monaco performed in the Las Vegas burlesque production Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, where she starred as Bo Peep alongside Melanie Brown until her contract concluded in June. She also appeared on the E! reality series Dirty