Star Jones

With her larger-than-life personality and outspoken demeanor, Star Jones Reynolds drew upon both her legal and broadcasting backgrounds to become a formidable force in television, most notably on the highly successful ABC daytime talk show, “The View” (1997- ).

Jones was born March 24, 1962 in Badin, NC, growing up both there and in Trenton, NJ. After graduating from high school at Choate Rosemary Hall, she received her B.A. in undergrad studies at American University before earning her law degree (J.D.) from the University of Houston. Upon passing the New York bar exam, she was hired at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, where she quickly moved up to the position of Senior Assistant District Attorney. Not long after, she was hand-picked by the district attorney’s office to specifically handle high-profile cases that involved sensitive issues. A vigorous prosecutor, she was responsible for the maximum sentence of a 13-year-old boy, convicted as an adult for the murder of another teenager as well as a 66-year sentence for a serial sex criminal known as “the bicycle rapist.”

With the help of her high profile courtroom successes, Jones’ life took a new turn in 1991 when she accepted the position of on-air legal commentator for Court TV during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. She soon started appearing as a guest on NBC’s “The Today Show” (NBC, 1952- ) and signed on as a legal correspondent for both the morning magazine show and NBC’s “Nightly News.” She covered hot-button cases such as the Mike Tyson rape trial, where she landed an exclusive interview with the press-shy boxer, as well as scoring a reaction from Rodney King after the acquittal of Los Angeles police officers accused of unlawfully beating him.

In 1994, she hosted her own syndicated but short-lived show, “Jones & Jury.” Following that, she was named a senior correspondent and chief legal analyst for the syndicated tabloid show, “Inside Edition” (1988- ) where she scored the only interview with O.J. Simpson during his civil trial, following his acquittal in the criminal murder trial of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. It was during this time, that Barbara Walters took notice. The legendary broadcaster was personally picking the women to co-host her new morning talk show, “The View.” Jones legal background and obvious eloquent intelligence fit the bill, in 1997, Jones joined Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, and a rotating youngster chair filled first by Debbie Metanopoulos, then Lisa Ling and finally, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. The immense popularity of the Emmy-award winning show catapulted her to a level of fame that her legal broadcasts did not.

Her “View” notoriety allowed Jones to examine other mediums and interests. In 1998, her first book You Have to Stand for Something, or You’ll Fall for Anything was published. She later wrote her follow-up, Shine: A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love. She appeared as herself on the soap opera “All My Children,” and an episode of the cult hit “Sports Night,” both in 1998, as well as an episode of ABC’s “Spin City” in 2000. She acted in episodes of Lifetime’s “Strong Medicine,” in 2001, Showtime’s “Soul Food” in 2002 and ABC’s “Less Than Perfect” in 2005. She also hosted “Live from the Red Carpet,” on E! Entertainment Television for the 2004-05 awards season.

During her tenure on “The View,” Jones became the target of numerous late night comics (particularly Conan O’Brien) as well as on several occasions, the send-up of the night on “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ). While late night comics stuck mainly to jokes about her weight, “SNL” cast member Tracy Morgan lampooned her as opinionated and self-aggrandizing during numerous spoofs of “The View.” His bit, “Now, I’m a lawyer, see – ” never failed to get a laugh.

This preconceived image, whether right or wrong, was cemented with her marriage to businessman Al Reynolds and all the months leading up to it in November of 2004. Critics complained about Jones spending too much air time focusing on her wedding. Gossip columns speculated that products were pitched on the show in exchange for free wedding services and merchandise. Their lavish, high profile ceremony, itself, drew criticism for its extravagance. Not long after, WE: Women's Entertainment named her the top “Bridezilla” of the year.

The real spotlight during the nuptials, however, was on her dramatic weight loss and change in personal appearance – she rapidly lost an admitted 150 pounds in the time leading up to the event. However, despite dropping 170 pounds over a three year span, she never discussed exactly how she lost the weight. Many speculated it was by gastric bypass surgery. The only surgery Jones admitted to was a breast augmentation surgery that went awry and could have potentially cost the host her life in early 2006.

Jones' future status on The View came into question in the wake of the hiring of Rosie O'Donnell to replace Meredith Vieira. Comics predicted a talk show smackdown, as O'Donnell had made several critical statements about Jones in the past, and Jones was reportedly opposed to "non-traditional" lifestyles. Rumors persisted that Jones would leave “The View” when her contract lapsed in 2006. In the meantime, she was scheduled to appear in the feature film comedy “Relative Strangers,” set for release the same year.