After graduating from Osbourn Park High School in 1991, Tweeden moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in modeling.

Tweeden modeled for promotional work for Hooters (which included an appearance in the restaurant's 1994 calendar), Venus International, and Frederick's of Hollywood.

[1] In August 1996, Tweeden appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and as part of a fitness model pictorial for that issue.

[2][16][17] On October 30, 2017, California Congresswoman Jackie Speier was interviewed by the McIntyre show about a sexual assault that occurred when she was in her 20s and was a congressional staffer for Representative Leo Ryan.

[19] According to the show's host Doug McIntyre, that led to a conversation with Tweeden about an alleged incident of sexual harassment between her and Minnesota U.S.

[18] Ahead of Tweeden's public statements, a Fox news executive tipped off conservative political consultant Roger Stone.

[18][20] Following the posting of Tweeden's story, far-right[28] radio show host and prominent[a] conspiracy theorist[38] Alex Jones broadcast that Stone had told him, in advance, "Get ready.

She wrote that he "came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.

In a long-form article covering the allegations for The New Yorker, Jane Mayer wrote that, according to Franken, Tweeden's "accusations appropriated jokes from comic routines that they’d performed together".

[18] CNBC's John Harwood defended Franken by pointing out that Tweeden had been filmed on a 2004 USO tour "humping" comedian Robin Williams: "[T]hat pic was obviously a joke, not groping, just like Leeann Tweeden wrapping her leg around Robin Williams and smacking his butt; entertainment for soldiers deployed overseas is raunchy like that.

[48][18] Tweeden met her husband, Chris Dougherty, a pilot for the California Air National Guard, during a USO tour.