Maria Menounos

Host, broadcast journalist and occasional actress Maria Menounos gained notoriety with her work as an entertainment news correspondent and her engaging personality on the red carpet. A former Miss Massachusetts Teen USA, she focused on broadcast journalism while enrolled at Emerson College, during which time she began working as a reporter for the educational satellite news program "Channel One News." Upon graduation, Menounos was recruited by "Entertainment Tonight" (syndicated, 1981- ) in 2002, where she remained until moving to "Access Hollywood" (syndicated, 1996- ) in 2005. Occasional forays into acting included a recurring role on "One Tree Hill" (The WB, 2003-05; The CW, 2006-12), as well as appearances in the features "Fantastic Four" (2005) and "Tropic Thunder" (2008). The following year, she became the first reporter to interview the Obama family together on the "Dateline: Presidential Inauguration Special" (NBC, 2009). Menounos' move to E! News in 2014 made her the face of the cable channel, but an operation to remove a benign brain tumor in 2017 led to her resignation while she recuperated. An audience favorite, Menounos proved herself to be far more than just another pretty face through the impressive breadth of her interests and professional efforts.

Born June 8, 1978 into a Greek-American family, Menounos was raised in Medford, MA. In high school, the teen developed a rabid interest in broadcast journalism. While enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, she produced and provided voice talent for radio shows both on and off campus. By her senior year, she was tapped to join "Channel One News," a news program geared toward school children, where, as an international correspondent, she covered an earthquake in El Salvador and interviewed President George W. Bush. Menounos also appeared in numerous pageants starting in 1995. A year later, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and competed in Miss Teen USA, where she failed to place. However, as fate would have it, when Menounos was asked by "Entertainment Tonight" reporter Bob Goen what she would like to do when she "grew up," her response was: "I want to work with you at E.T., Bob!" Her wish would come true six years later when she joined "Entertainment Tonight" (syndicated, 1981- ) as a on-air correspondent in April 2002. In no time, the self-assured beauty was asked to host "ET on MTV & VH1," a spin-off show which skewed to younger audiences for the sister networks. Her profile continued to rise following a 2003 appearance on Ashton Kutcher's MTV prank show, "Punk'd" (2003-07), where she was involved in an embarrassing red carpet interview. The up-and-comer left "ET" in 2005 to focus on her acting career, though she would soon sign a deal with NBC Universal, landing a correspondent gig on rival program "Access Hollywood" as well as "The Today Show" (NBC 1952- ).

In 2005, Menounos began focusing more on her acting, having already appeared on a 2003 episode of "Without a Trace" (CBS, 2002-09) and a 2004 episode of "One on One" (UPN 2001-05). She made a brief appearance in the comic adaptation film "The Fantastic Four" (2005) playing a nurse flirting with the Human Torch, but her biggest impact was felt on the WB drama "One Tree Hill," where she played the recurring character of Jules throughout the 2005 season. Apart from her acting, Menounos stayed in the public eye with a rumored romance with action star Vin Diesel, and a notable splash at the 2004 Oscars, where she wore a $2.5 million-dollar diamond-encrusted gown, rumored to be one of the most expensive outfits to ever grace a red carpet. Her fresh-faced beauty also landed her an endorsement contract with Pantene Pro-V hair care products as well as a spot on several "hot" lists, including People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2004. She even beat megastars Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron for "Cyber Vixen of the Year" on Spike TV's video game awards. She made her directorial debut with the feature film "Longtime Listener" (2006) starring Wilmer Valderrama, an official selection at the 2006 Tribecca Film Festival.

Still scratching the acting itch on occasion, she played Jamie Kennedy's love interest in the '80s nostalgia comedy "Kickin' It Old Skool" (2007) and made a cameo in the Ben Stiller action-comedy blockbuster "Tropic Thunder" (2008). Along with fellow "Access Hollywood" host Nancy O'Dell, she appeared on the wrestling mega-event "WWF Raw" (USA, 2005- ) in 2009. Taking part in a six-woman diva tag-team match that featured WWF veterans like Kelly Kelly, Rosa Mendes and Alicia Fox, the out-matched Menounos impressed the rabid audience when she slapped the much more imposing Beth Phoenix and helped her team with the bout. In an equally physically demanding endeavor, Menounos joined the cast of celebrity contestants on the 14th season of the reality competition series "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ), partnered with two-time mirror ball champion Derek Hough. Menounos joined the news team at E! Entertainment Television in 2013, co-hosting the chat show "Live from E!" (E! 2013- ) and serving as the anchor of the nightly "E! News" (E! 1991- ), the network's flagship program, beginning in 2015. During this period, Menounos also starred in the reality series "Chasing Maria Menounos" (Bravo 2014) and continued her hosting and interviewing duties with the WWE for events like the annual "WrestleMania." She also appeared in a cameo in the big screen version of Hollywood satire "Entourage" (2015). In July 2017, Maria Menounos revealed that she was leaving E! News, following surgery to remove a benign tumor from her brain the preceding February.