15 Things You Never Knew About Heather Rae Young
Reality real estate shows such as "Selling Sunset" are all the rage. While the competitive real estate market prevents most people from purchasing their dream home, let alone a mansion on Los Angeles' acclaimed Sunset Boulevard, the market has helped some reality stars rise to fame. Many great homes and talented agents have come out of the woodwork in this booming market, including Heather Rae Young.
The 34-year-old from Anaheim, California leads a life full of drama and excitement. Young is smack in the middle of the dramedy that overflows in star-studded SoCal. According to US Weekly, she is about to start filming season 5 of "Selling Sunset." After enjoying tremendous success in the first four seasons of "Selling Sunset," the hugely popular show by Netflix has been extended for a sixth and seventh season. Let's peek at her life and discover what makes Young such a dynamic woman and popular reality star.
She was a Playboy playmate in 2010
The versatile Young was a playmate of the month 12 years ago. According to The Sun, she posed for "Playboy" in February 2010. "It catapulted my career, it changed my life, it was the most defining moment in my life," Young said. Indeed, the reality star has no regrets. Baring it all for the magazine exposed her to the realities of working in front of the camera. The process made her more comfortable with herself. "I don't regret anything I've ever done. I'm proud of my life. Everything I've done has got me to where I am today."
Young's success in real estate is partially due to her time spent modeling. The star sold over $9 million in real estate within her first four months in the industry. "Modeling and acting transitioned me into real estate. I've met a lot of contacts through my modeling/acting career — a lot of wealthy people, celebrities."
Young is an original member of the Selling Sunset cast
According to US Weekly, "Selling Sunset” premiered in March 2019. The binge-worthy show follows the lives of real estate agents who work for the luxurious Oppenheim Group in Los Angeles. "Selling Sunset" is filled with dramatic and comedic moments. It displays a plethora of amazing homes in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and the personal lives of the agents who sell them. Naturally, the reality show also depicts the conflicts between the agents at the brokerage company. The deluxe brokerage group features other famous reality stars, including Chrishell Stause, Christine Quinn, Mary Fitzgerald, Maya Vander, and Brett and Jason Oppenheim.
Young debuted on the show in 2019 and has been a strong character since. She is a savvy real estate agent who knows her stuff and makes sure her personal life doesn't get in the way of her client's needs. Her ability to close multi-million dollar deals and sell expensive mansions with satisfied clients is an elite realtor's dream.
Young married another famous reality star
Bells whistled on October 23, 2021 when Young and fellow reality star Tarek El Moussa, 40, tied the knot. El Moussa, from the hit HGTV real estate shows "Flip or Flop" and "Flipping 101," and Young had a wedding ceremony fit for royalty. The ceremony was in gorgeous Montecito, California, in a locale filled with roses, beauty, and love. Thankfully for their many fans, "Tarek & Heather: The Big I Do" aired to everyone in December of 2021, per HGTV.
However, this wasn't something they took lightly. Indeed, the pair went back and forth for months about the big decision. Young took to her Instagram account to let fans know she and El Moussa had decided to make their wedding planning and actual wedding public. "It took Tarek and I months to decide whether or not we were going to film our wedding and all of the planning, events, etc leading up to it and to be honest with you, we were leaning on the side of not filming it. A wedding is something so intimate to us and we didn't want any hate or anyone weighing in on our love but you are our community and we've taken you through so much in our relationship so we ultimately did want all of you to be a part of it," Young said (via Instagram).
Young had vocal cord surgery
Sadly, Young underwent vocal cord surgery after a sudden turn of events. One minute she was basking in the Cabo San Lucas sun, and the next, Young found herself in a surgical room. It was all documented in Young's Instagram post, where she wrote, "Hard to believe less than 24 hours ago I was soaking in the sun by the water in Cabo, and now I'm laying in bed recovering from vocal cord surgery. Grateful to have such good doctors, amazing husband taking care of me, and all of my sweet friends for sending me flowers!! I appreciate all of the love from all of you during this time."
According to Young, the surgery had been on the horizon for quite awhile as she struggled with vocal stress for many years. Vocal cord paralysis occurs when your larynx and nerve impulses stop working (via The Mayo Clinic). This process causes paralysis of the vocal cord muscles. Vocal cord paralysis can make it difficult to talk and breathe as the vocal cords (sometimes called vocal folds) are not just for producing sound.
Young froze her eggs
According to ET Online, Young chose to freeze her eggs due to a decreased number of eggs and her husband's testicular cancer in the past. During the IVF process, Young encountered a fair share of obstacles. The star received unfortunate information while getting ready to freeze her eggs. She said, "It's definitely been rough. These last two-and-a-half weeks, poking myself every single day with needles, three times a day, the hormones, the emotions ... At first we found out I only had two eggs. Which going through this whole process and only finding out I had two eggs, I was sad. I did cry a little bit and, you know, going into the extraction — we went to the extraction on Tuesday. I came out and I had seven eggs, so that was really exciting for us because we thought we only were gonna get two."
Young told her followers that she hoped documenting her journey with infertility would help inspire other women who share similar experiences (via Instagram).
Young is an awesome stepmother
Now that Young is married to El Moussa, she is a stepmother to his two children, Taylor, 11, and Brayden, 6. El Moussa shares his children with his ex-wife and former co-host of HGTV's "Flip or Flop," Christina Haack. As reported by Cosmopolitan, Young shared an Instagram story that she loves being a step-mom to the two children.
Plus, Young and El Moussa often post photos of their modern family on El Moussa's Instagram account that shows the whole beautiful family together. Young is simply thrilled at the prospect of being a step-mom and relishing all the experiences. Young and El Moussa both seem grateful for their blessings. "This year was pretty surreal. We moved into our new home, got a puppy, got married (!!!!), had the most epic honeymoon, spent amazing quality time together as a family, and had an incredibly successful business year," El Moussa wrote (via Instagram).
Tarek El Moussa was previously married to his Flip or Flop co-host
Tarek El Moussa was previously married to Christina Haack. The duo found great success in flipping houses on HGTV's "Flip or Flop." According to US Weekly, they were married from 2009 to 2018, and they share two children. Haack has gone to marry another real estate agent, as did El Moussa. Indeed, Haack recently married realtor, Josh Hall. She was also previously married to Ant Anstead. Just to make it even juicier, Anstead is now dating Renée Zellweger. Complicated, we know, but we've got it all figured out for you.
While things are now looking up for all the couples, there were times when things weren't so friendly. El Moussa screamed at Haack because she signaled at him to get filming rolling (via TMZ). Production sources said that El Moussa had an "eruption" on the set and went on a now-viral "verbal tirade" at Haack. He allegedly compared his ex-wife to his then-fiancé, saying that Young is "hotter and richer" than Haack. Ouch! Young and El Moussa were engaged in July of 2021.
Christina Haack is happy in her new marriage too
Tarek El Moussa's ex-wife, Christina Haack, also leads a whirlwind life. As reported by People, the former co-host of "Flip or Flop" is now married to realtor Josh Hall from Austin, Texas. Their marriage happened away from the public eye and far from the media's radar. Haack wanted things with Hall to progress without what she called the "tornado" of media attention. It seems she got what she wanted!
Haack is now the host of "Christina on the Coast" and recently responded to shamers who said she married Hall too quickly (via Instagram). She wrote, "I met Josh when I wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight ... I had taken time off social, hired a spiritual coach and smoked a Bufo toad (which basically reset my brain and kicked out years of anxiety in 15 mins). When we met this past spring, the synchronicities hit us so hard and fast they were impossible to ignore."
Fights on Selling Sunset aren't uncommon
"Selling Sunset" is a real estate reality show, so fights are almost guaranteed. According to US Weekly, Young and fellow "Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn are no longer close friends. Young said, "Christine and I have not had a close friendship for over a year now. We congratulate each other for special moments or we've sent a few nice texts back and forth. I've [also] obviously seen her a couple times in the office, here and there. But as far as a friendship, it's just not there right now." In fact, Quinn wasn't part of Young's bridal shower, and some of her fans noticed.
The falling out between the stars began when Quinn compared El Moussa and Young to "The Hills" stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. Of course, Pratt and Montag were big reality stars in their day, thanks to fame from the wildly popular show "The Hills." In case you forgot, "The Hills" aired on MTV for six seasons from May of 2006 until July of 2010 (via IMDb).
Young is a big animal lover
Young partnered with PETA to support their efforts to care for animals. According to PETA, she joins an impressive list of other celebrity friends, including Natalie Portman, Joaquin Phoenix, Madelaine Petsch, Evanna Lynch, Woody Harrelson, Pamela Anderson, Thandie Newton, and Alicia Silverstone. They've all teamed up with PETA or its affiliates to motivate folks to stop eating animals or doing harmful activities like using animals for testing purposes.
PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is the largest animal rights organization in the world. Indeed, its entities have more than nine million supporters and members around the globe. Part of the PETA motto reads, "animals are not ours to eat." PETA is against speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. The organization works through investigative reporting and research, public education, animal rescue, special events, legislation, newsgathering, protest campaigns, and celebrity sponsorship (via PETA). The group also proudly opposes the killing of pests, including rodents, birds, and other animals. PETA actively works to educate the public on the cruelty of these practices.
Young is a proud vegan
Naturally, it comes as no surprise that Young is also a vegan. Indeed, this follows right along the lines of Young's PETA involvement. She has been a vegan for 13 years, and it clearly does wonders for her. According to PETA, Young appeared in a fantastic wedding gown made of cauliflower in a campaign ad to get people to declare "I do!" to yummy, animal-free food. The ad debuted as she and then fiancé, Tarek El Moussa, celebrated a bridal shower hosted for Young by PETA. The marvelous shower for the then bride-to-be was at an animal sanctuary in Chatsworth, California, called the Kindred Spirits Care Farm.
"We are incorporating a lot of vegan food into the wedding. I definitely want a chocolate peanut butter cake, so Tarek and I already did some taste testing. We have not finalized what we're gonna do, but we're definitely gonna do a big vegan cake," Young said before the wedding took place (via PETA).
Young used to date a hockey player
Before El Moussa came on the scene, Young was dating hockey player Nick Ebert. This relationship went down during season 1 of "Selling Sunset." According to the YouTube show "Inside Vue," Ebert and Young met through Ebert's sister while he was in Los Angeles for training camp for the Los Angeles Kings. Ebert is six years younger than Young, but that didn't stop them from having an exciting three-year romance. In fact, Young was often seen jet-setting off to Europe to visit Ebert, who was playing for the Swedish hockey team Örebro HK.
According to Ebert, they broke up because of timing, their age difference, and the distance between them. "We still have a friendly relationship, we keep in touch, we were together for three years," Ebert said. It's sad when long distance relationships end, but luckily for Young, she went on to meet her hubby El Moussa.
Young and El Moussa had instant attraction when they met
Sparks quite literally flew when El Moussa met Young. As reported by People, the happy couple met while their boats were docked next to each other in Newport Beach, California. The duo said it was love at first sight when they met on the Fourth of July in 2019. We imagine this day holds a special significance for the cute couple since it's such a patriotic day in American history. After they met, Young went onto El Moussa's boat, and he asked her out. It was the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Not long after, El Moussa and Young both posted about their budding romance on the same day (via Instagram). "After more than 3 years on my own I'm so PROUD to say that this beautiful, sweet and talented young lady is my girlfriend! I'll be honest and say I never thought I would meet someone special in my life after the last three years," El Moussa said.
Young and El Moussa live an exciting and normal life
The duo is often seen in different locales enjoying life to the fullest, and it doesn't seem like there is a dull moment for this couple. From trips to Newport Beach (where they met) to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and beyond, the pair certainly live it up. However, that doesn't mean they don't enjoy life's simple pleasures. Recently, they shared a "day in our life" with US Weekly. Most days start with the celebrity couple getting up early for hot yoga.
"We wake up, get the kids up and fed and take our puppy, Bugz, out," Heather shared. "The usual morning craziness! When Tarek wakes up, he likes to have a Celsius instead of a coffee, which is a healthier kind of energy drink." By 12:30 p.m., the couple is on-the-move and ready to start their day at their respective jobs. And by 7:30 p.m., the couple is winding down. Yes, early up and early to bed.