TINSLEY MORTIMER
The seemingly perfect Park Avenue princess Tinsley Mortimer grew up in Virginia. Her father, George Riley Mercer Jr., is a real-estate developer and her mother, Dale Mercer, is an interior designer. “The Tinz” has been a staple on the socialite circuit since 2002, when she married her high school sweetheart, Topper Mortimer, the scion of a true old-money dynasty. The couple is in the midst of a high-profile divorce.
Tinsley’s decision to star in the CW’s “High Society” reality show has caused her to lose her elusive socialite status, according to her fellow socialites. Former friend and co-star Devorah Rose, who has an on-screen catfight with the star, slams Tinsley, saying Tinsley thinks “she breathes rarified air… If I were to title her book, it would be ‘I’m Tinsley and You’re Not.’”
Demis Maryannakis / Splash News
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DEVORAH ROSE
The Venezuelan-raised Devorah, who said she has lied about her age since she was 23 and won’t give her real age, is the editor in chief of the society magazine Social Life. She’s popped up on almost every reality show filmed in Manhattan over the past year. She made a cameo on “NYC Prep” and was featured on “The Real Housewives of New York City” in scenes with cast member Bethenny Frankel. She came on Tinsley’s show to spice things up — but she felt thrown under the bus by Tinsley and describes her as a “mean girl that flexes her claws in the dark.”
“I grew up wanting to be a brain surgeon, a heavy-metal rocker and a novelist, but never a socialite.” Here’s what “High Society” antagonist Devorah has to say about the rest of Tinsley’s entourage.
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DABNEY MERCER
Tinsley’s loyal sister. Her claim to fame is having the same flowing locks as her sister. The sisters like to tell people that they are descended from Thomas Jefferson on their mother’s side and from Patrick Henry and James Madison on their father’s side. Dabney’s role on the show was marginalized because she was not very entertaining, sources said.
DEVORAH ON DABNEY: “She’s a sweetheart who is loyal to her sister, but I wish she would break out of Tinsley’s shadow.”
Marion Curtis/Startraksphoto.com
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DALE MERCER
Tinsley’s mom is an interior designer from Virginia. She sent her daughter to Lawrenceville, a chichi boarding school in Princeton, where Tinsley met Topper. Sources said she is supportive and proud of the fame her daughter has achieved.
DEVORAH ON DALE: “ ‘Dynasty’ circa 1986.”
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ALEXANDRA OSIPOW
Tinsley’s best friend. She mainly stays away from the society circuit, but is always whom Tinsley goes to for moral support.
DEVORAH ON ALEXANDRA: “A good girl, very down to earth. Wish she weren’t a part of the Tinsley circus.”
Demis Maryannakis / Splash News
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PAUL JOHNSON-CALDERON
Made a name for himself in the socialite set by dating Tinsley’s half-brother-in-law, Peter Davis. The man-about-town was caught on a security videotape taking handbags from downtown hot spot The Eldridge last year. Later, he was caught in a friend’s apartment building off Union Square breaking sconces. He told Page Six: “It’s not like rock stars don’t vandalize hotel rooms and such all the time . . . I seriously don’t understand the huge deal. I messed up, and I’m dealing with it.”
DEVORAH ON PAUL: “He obviously has an altar at home filled with scented candles, photos of Tinsley and Peter Davis and surrounded by all the purses he has stolen.”
PATRICK MCMULLAN/PatrickMcMullan.com
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JULES KIRBY
“Champagneswilling” party girl famous for hobnobbing with Prince Harry in London. She’s the daughter of Manhattan power lawyer Roger Kirby and former French model/ballet dancer Irene Kirby, who is descended from the billionaire banking Dreyfus family (actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a cousin). Jules was arrested last July in the Hamptons after allegedly ripping down a large American flag off a mansion on Main Street. She was also charged with drinking in public. Apparently says the “N-word” on the show.
DEVORAH ON JULES: “I hate her. She’s a mess, and not a hot one.”
DAVID X PRUTTING/PatrickMcMullan.com
