Maria Menounos

Maria Menounos was born on June 8, 1978, in Medford, Massachusetts, to Greek immigrant parents. Her early experiences included working as a janitor alongside her parents at The Channel nightclub. She graduated from Medford High School in 1996 and then attended Emerson College, graduating in 2000. During her time at Emerson, she was involved with Emerson Independent Video and worked as a reporter for Channel One News, where she covered significant events like the El Salvador earthquakes in 2001 and interviewed President George W. Bush. Her career progressed rapidly following college, as she joined Entertainment Tonight as a correspondent in 2002, covering movies, music, and fashion. She later moved to Access Hollywood in 2005. Menounos has also built a presence in acting, appearing in films such as ‘Fantastic Four’ (2005) and ‘Kickin’ It Old Skool’ (2007), and TV series like ‘One Tree Hill’ and ‘Scrubs’. She was also featured as the voice and likeness of Eva Adara in the 2005 video game ‘James Bond 007: From Russia with Love’.

Throughout her career, Maria Menounos has taken on various hosting and producing roles. She co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens, Greece, in 2006. In 2011, she joined Warner Bros.’ Extra as a co-host, a role for which she earned a Daytime Emmy Award. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to co-create and become CEO of AfterBuzz TV, an online entertainment network. In 2014, she signed a multi-year contract with E! Entertainment to host and produce programs, becoming the co-anchor of E! News in 2015. However, she stepped down in 2017 due to a brain tumor diagnosis, highlighting her personal health challenges. Menounos has also published several books, including ‘The Everygirl’s Guide to Life’ and ‘Better Together’.

Beyond her media career, Maria Menounos has been actively involved in professional wrestling as a WWE ambassador since 2013, participating in tag team matches and hosting red-carpet events for the WWE Hall of Fame. Her dedication to charitable causes is notable; she founded “Take Action Hollywood!” to promote social change and worked with organizations like the Red Cross. In 2023, she publicly shared her experience with pancreatic cancer, emphasizing the importance of early detection. Menounos is also a dual citizen of the United States and Greece.