Mexia

I mean, I could keep going, to be honest.

Born Vicki Lynn Hogan and raised in Mexia, Texas, she would go from small-town girl to national obsession.

Anna, turn it! Big curves, big hair, and a personality that made her impossible to ignore.

Anna Nicole Smith turned herself into a national phenomenon, but behind the bombshell image was a life that would end in tragedy.

There are some people that were close to her in childhood or in her youth that have spoken about The Anna Nicole Show.

Like, I think most notably the cousin that she lived with when she was living with her aunt in Mexia, Texas.

She did a couple of interviews actually crying, saying that as she was watching The Anna Nicole Show, she really felt like her cousin needed help, like the people around her weren't supporting her mental health.

There was some speculation around this time that Anna Nicole may have been using substances or was misusing her medications.

In 2017, he did sit down with 20/20.

He was speaking about his relationship with Anna Nicole, and then they also did, like, an overview of her life, or I should say what we knew about her life at the time.

Like, they were still saying that she was born in Mexia, Texas.

I mentioned a different 20/20 episode during part one.

And he goes, no, honey, it's Mejia.

No, it's Mexia.

He says, okay, when we get in there, we're going to pull in, and we're going to find out how you pronounce this.

So they pull into town, and they pull into this place, and they open the door, and the lady behind the counter says, hi, can I help you? And he says, do me a favor and look at my wife and tell her the correct pronunciation of where we are.

Anna Nicole was born in Houston.

However, when she became famous, she told people that she was from the town of Mexia, Texas.

Her mother has been very publicly saying that Anna Nicole was definitely born in Houston, and she also kind of jokes in a couple of interviews where she's speaking about the life of Anna Nicole and the persona that she created for herself, saying that Anna Nicole would tell her mother that, like, who cares where she's truly from? Whatever story makes people like her more is the story she's going to tell.

Around the time that Anna Nicole is 16, she's getting rebellious, and her mother sends her to live in Mexia, Texas, with her Aunt Kay.

Mexia is about 400 miles away from Houston.

Her mother kind of describes the decision to send her to Mexia as sending her to the middle of nowhere, sending her somewhere where she couldn't really be rebellious.

When she gets to Mexia, Vickie Lynn Hogan reinvents herself as Nicki Hart.

So this is name number two so far in her story.

It came from a mentor of Russ Vogt's, the Republican senator Phil Graham out of Texas.

Give a great welcome to the man Phil Graham has made famous the world over, Dickie Flat from Mexia, Texas.

[laughs]

Howdy.

Howdy.

I bring you greetings from the city of Mexia, Texas.

[cheering]

Dickie Flat was a, a businessman, a printer Graham had met on his travels through his home state of Texas.

Yes

... town of Mexia, uh, on this-

[laughs]

... on this Wednesday.

But, uh, yeah, no, great to be here as always in my car, in the studio, wherever it may be.

Wherever it may be.

Mexia, Groesbeck.

Yeah, battle of the river, game of the week.

I am 11 years old.

W.B. Mexia, Texas.

I have had a present of a little canary, but it does not sing.

The lady who gave it to me said it had been a beautiful singer, but it became sick.

I am 11 years old.

W.B. Mexia, Texas.

I have had a present of a little canary, but it does not sing.

The lady who gave it to me said it had been a beautiful singer, but it became sick.