Mrs. Jones Reynolds is currently a co-host of The View, along with Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and executive producer Barbara Walters. The View, recipient of the 2003 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show, is the original forum where real women discuss relevant, everyday issues and share their daily, no-holds-barred opinions and lively, colorful conversations. The program premiered in August, 1997, is broadcast live from New York City and consists of hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment.
Mrs. Jones Reynolds debuted on television in 1991, when she started moonlighting as a studio commentator for Court TV during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. She was quickly lined up as a guest on the Today show and, a few months later, became the NBC legal correspondent for Today and Nightly News, covering the latest developments in the Mike Tyson rape case and the Rodney King police brutality trial. She landed an exclusive interview with Tyson after the imprisoned ex-heavyweight champion had dodged the press for a year, and an exclusive interview with King after the sentencing of the two Los Angeles cops convicted of violating his civil rights. That success led to her own syndicated show, Jones & Jury.
In 1995 Mrs. Jones Reynolds was named a senior correspondent and chief legal analyst for Inside Edition and assigned the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. She was the only news correspondent to obtain an exclusive interview with Mr. Simpson during the civil trial.
Born in Badin, North Carolina, and raised both there and in Trenton, New Jersey, Mrs. Jones Reynolds earned a BA at American University, got her law degree at the University of Houston, passed the New York Bar and went straight to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office. After three years in general trials, she moved to the Homicide Bureau, where her work earned her a promotion to Senior Assistant District Attorney in 1991. She was one of the attorneys D.A. Joe Hynes personally selected to prosecute high profile and community-sensitive cases. Mrs. Jones Reynolds gained attention in court with a number of highly publicized victories. In one case she became the first New York Assistant District Attorney to obtain the maximum sentence for a 13-year-old defendant tried as an adult in the murder of another teenager. In another case she won a 66-year prison term for a serial sex abuser known as the Bicycle Rapist, after other lawyers had failed to get convictions in four other cases.
With the 1997 launch of The View, Mrs. Jones Reynolds expanded her scope to include commentary on the law, self-esteem, race, family, education, religion, the media and other social issues relating to the community at large. In May of 2003 The View received its first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show. In addition, the show has received 18 Daytime Emmy Awards and has been nominated each year for Outstanding Talk Show, and Mrs. Jones Reynolds co-hosts for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
Some of Mrs. Jones Reynolds' television appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, ABC's Less than Perfect, Celebrity Jeopardy, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Tony Danza Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Late Show with David Letterman. In 2000 she was honored to be chosen as a subject of a Lifetime Television Intimate Portrait profile. She had hosted a home shopping television show entitled It's All About You, with Star Jones on cable's ShopNBC, and has developed her own website, starjones.com. In addition, she has been a featured personality for Kohl's, Target and Salon Z of Saks Fifth Avenue, and has graced the cover of numerous magazines, including Newsweek, TV Guide, Essence, Black Enterprise, New York Magazine and USA Weekend.
Mrs. Jones Reynolds was named the host of E! Entertainment Television's highly-rated Live from the Red Carpet for the entire 2004-2005 Award season. As the Chief of Consumer Style (national spokesperson) for Payless ShoeSource, the number-one shoe retailer in the United States, Mrs. Jones Reynolds was the face of Payless ShoeSource and launched her own signature line of shoes, Starlet by Star Jones, sold exclusively at Payless ShoeSource. A popular commercial personality, she has her own line of wigs and has been featured in numerous advertisements as a voice and name you can trust
September 1998 marked the publication of Mrs. Jones Reynolds' first book, You Have to Stand for Something, or You'll Fall for Anything (Bantam), which received widespread critical acclaim and became a bestseller. Her new book, Shine: A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love, will hit bookstores in January 2006.
Mrs. Jones Reynolds is heavily involved with numerous philanthropic organizations, is a frequent contributor to several charitable foundations and serves on the Board of Directors of the East Harlem School at Exodus House, Dress for Success, The G&P Foundation for Cancer Research, God's Love We Deliver and Girls, Inc. In 2002 she launched her own not-for-profit foundation, The Starlet Fund, which makes financial grants to individuals and organizations that are dedicated to the support and encouragement of women, girls and families in need. In 2001 she and her fellow co-hosts were awarded the Safe Horizon Champion Award for their continued efforts to raise awareness on issues of importance to girls and women. In 2002 she was honored by the East Harlem School at Exodus House for her tireless work in improving the educational opportunities for low income children in the East Harlem community, and in 2005 she was the recipient of The Creative Coalition's Spotlight Award for her steadfast dedication to social issues.
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