Paula Andrea Bongino is a web designer and entrepreneur, based in Palm Beach, Florida. She is married to Dan Bongino, popular American conservative commentator, and assists him in his shows. Paula is 48 years old, and of Columbian origin.
Paula Bongino
Early life and childhood
Paula Martinez, now known as Paula Andrea Bongino, was born in August, 1975, in Cali, Columbia. She relocated to America as a child, with her mother, sister and brother.
Paula had a difficult childhood, with her mother working at an airport to feed her family. Paula’s family lived in a single bedroom home, and could not afford food often. She could often only eat plane peanuts that her mom got from cleaning airplanes.
Paula went to Baruch College, studied Computer Information Systems. She then worked as a web developer at the Securities Industry Association. Paula has Lupus, as revealed by her husband Dan, in an interview.
Family
Paula and Dan Bongino
In 2001, Paula met Dan Bongino on a blind date. At that time, Dan was a US Secret Service Agent, and the date had been set up by a mutual friend. Paula was then associated with the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.
The couple married two years later. Now, they have two daughters- Isabel, born in 2004, and Amelia, born in 2012. Paula also has a dog, Lucy, that is featured in her social media.
Paula and Dan lived in Maryland until 2015, and then relocated to Palm beach, Florida. According to Dan, this move was because Paula wanted to live closer to her mom, since Paula has Lupus.
Both Paula and Dan were raised in divorced environments, which motivated them to raise their kids in a different scenario, and provide them stability. Dan has spoken about his marriage on occasion, calling it hard work.
Paula holds dual citizenship of Columbia and America. She became a US citizen in 2014, along with her mother.
Paula and Dan Bongino with their daughters
Career
While being a career-focused person in her own way, Paula has accompanied Dan in several of his commercial efforts. She served as the creative and technical partner in their business, Bongino Inc.
The couple ran ventures from their home– a security and risk management consultancy, and a web creation enterprise. Apart from this, they also sold products for martial arts practitioners. This included a sock with a sticky sole, called the Grapplesock. Paula worked with Dan by managing its online sales.
All their ventures were shut down in 2016, when Dan decided to run for office. While Dan did not make a successful career in politics, he makes his money with his shows on TV and radio.
Paula is credited with assisting Dan in improving his audience engagement on TV and radio shows. Her net worth is said to be $2 million.
In 2022, a book, The Simply Happy Cookbook, authored by Steve and Kathy Doocy, was published. It featured an empanada egg roll recipe by Paula. To promote the book, Paula appeared on her husband Dan’s show on Fox News, Unfiltered.
Controversy
In June 2023, there were reports of Dan being forcibly removed from an Italian restaurant in Palm Beach, the Cucina Palm Beach. Dan denied it and said it happened to his wife Paula, and not him. Dan claimed it was after a dinner with friends, and Paula was pulled up for standing in the wrong waiting line for restrooms.
The very next month, it was reported that Paula met with an accident riding a horse at her Florida home. Some reports also indicated that Paula died following the accident, but these have been baseless rumors. The couple has spoken nothing about these incidents, and the duo have been occasionally uploading details of their family life on social media. In the past too, there were rumors of her in a car accident.
Social Media
Despite her spouse’s online popularity, Paula does not have a strong social media presence. She rarely uploads status updates and photos of her daughters and husband.
Instagram: @paula_bongino