Background and career
Christina Milian ( MIL-ee-AHN, née Flores; born September 26, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Following a number of minor television and film roles in the late 1990s, Milian made her recording debut on American rapper Ja Rule's 2000 single "Between Me and You", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under Island Records, she released her 2001 debut single "AM to PM", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2002, she performed the theme song ("Call Me, Beep Me!") for the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible. Following a series of delays, her debut studio album, Christina Milian (2002), was released to moderate commercial reception. Her second album, It's About Time (2004), spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-five hit "Dip It Low" (featuring Fabolous). Her third album, So Amazin' (2006), yielded the US top-40 single, "Say I" (featuring Jeezy). Milian experienced particular success in the United Kingdom, where each of her songs released under Island peaked within the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
She parted ways with Island following the release of the last album, and self-released her first extended play, 4U, in 2015. As an actress, her first lead film role was in Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003). She subsequently had lead roles in the films Be Cool (2005) and Pulse (2006), and in the direct-to-DVD film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009). Milian also starred in the ABC Family Original Movie Christmas Cupid (2010). From 2015 to 2016, she starred in the sitcom Grandfathered. She played María LaGuerta in the series Dexter: Original Sin (2024–2025). Milian also co-founded and co-owns Beignet Box, a dessert shop in the Los Angeles area.
Christina Flores was born on September 26, 1981, Jersey City, New Jersey, and is of Cuban descent. Her parents are Don Flores and Carmen Milian. Flores changed her name and adopted her mother's maiden name (Milian) in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. The oldest of three sisters, including Danielle and Elizabeth, she moved with her family to Waldorf, Maryland, soon after her birth. Milian was four years old when she showed an interest in show business, and when her family realized that she was a talented actress, she determined to pursue a career in entertainment. As a child, Milian was "very imaginative and very creative", and watching television and listening to the radio became her life. They inspired her to have fun, and she convinced her parents that she "wanted to be inside the TV", although convincing them took some time. By the time she was nine years old, Milian had begun auditioning with local talent agencies, shot commercials for Wendy's and Honeycomb, and played the lead role in the musical Annie.
Milian's mother supported her daughter's potential and left her husband and moved to Los Angeles with her three daughters when Milian was 13 years old. Her father had to stay in Maryland and divorced her mother soon after the move. When Milian moved to Los Angeles, her first desire was to be an actress. She had always also wanted to be in the record business, but did not know how to obtain a recording contract. During this time, she was a host for Disney Channel's series Movie Surfers, by the name of Tina. After living in Los Angeles for six months, Milian moved into the same apartment complex as songwriter and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who (like Milian) was also born in New Jersey. Jerkins heard about Milian from a boy band with which he was working and once he heard her sing, they began working together. For a year and a half, Milian went into a studio every day and worked with Jerkins, which is how she started meeting people in the record business.
How Christina Milian makes money
Milian also co-founded and co-owns Beignet Box, a dessert shop in the Los Angeles area. Milian was four years old when she showed an interest in show business, and when her family realized that she was a talented actress, she determined to pursue a career in entertainment.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
