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A Special BV Buzz 6/30--Star talks more about her exit from The View
There was more drama on ABC's 'The View' this week than all of the network's soap operas combined. Unless you've been under a rock, you've heard or read by now about Star Jones Reynolds's departure from the daytime chat fest. The former prosecutor, who began her career in television covering high-profile cases such as William Kennedy Smith's and the O.J. Simpson trial for Court TV, NBC's 'The Today Show' and the syndicated talk show 'Rolonda,' sent shock waves through the entertainment industry by announcing she would not return for 'The View's' tenth season in September, despite countless tabloid reports speculating she would.
"I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm sure who holds the future," the 44-year-old author of the bestseller 'Shine: A Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Journey to Finding Love' told the viewing audience in an emotional goodbye. By the show's end, People magazine serviced a promo of their exclusive interview with the former Payless spokeswoman with the headline that read: "Star Jones tells People: I Was Fired!"
Barbara Walters beckoned the live studio audience to give Jones Reynolds a standing ovation and praised the one-time red carpet host for E! Entertainment after her impromptu surprise announcement. "I have no doubt that you're just going to be so successful. Anyone would be lucky to have you," Walters said at the time. But the semi-retired '20/20' host was singing a different tune later Tuesday when she spoke exclusively to New York Daily News columnist Lloyd Grove.
"I have always told the truth on this program, except in the case of Star... There are very strong reasons why [ABC execs] felt she had lost the audience. I had then decided, along with [executive producer] Bill Geddie, that whatever she wanted to say-that she had a new job, that she was starting a new chapter-we would back her up...there had been an agreement between Star and me that she would make an announcement this Thursday. The agreement was made many weeks ago that she would stay on the program till late July, and whatever reasons she wanted to give, I would back her up and give her a wonderful send-off...I was totally surprised."
I spoke with Jones Reynolds, who has become one of the most scrutinized women on television since Kathie Lee Gifford, moments before she was set to board a plane at New York City's LaGuardia Airport late Wednesday evening. During our near hour-long conversation, Jones Reynolds spoke candidly about her departure from 'The View,' rumors that her marriage to banker Al Reynolds is in trouble; and the never-ending question about her weight loss.
BV Buzz: Is your marriage to Al on the rocks?
Star: My husband is the strongest, most wonderful man I could have ever asked for. I can't emphasize enough that I could not have done any of this or withstood any of the last two months. If you think about it, this has been a very tough couple of months on me. I love my husband and he loves and respects me-period! People can say what they want, but Al and I share what I like to call an unbreakable bond. We have always been deeply committed to one another and our marriage. And through it all, we have tried to carry ourselves with grace and dignity. And I'd be lying to you Jawn if I said the speculation and the tabloid gossip had not gotten to us and doesn't affect us. It's not easy being under such intense scrutiny by the media. All we're trying to do is live our lives as Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. But, be very clear, in carrying yourself with grace and dignity, throughout all of the speculation and innuendo and all of that. We choose to do it that way. To do otherwise would be unseemly. That's a word your grandmother would use. We won't play into that for the sake of others. We just won't.
BV Buzz: Why won't you divulge what particular method you used to lose weight?
Star: Think about it for a minute, I guess I realized that in taking on such a big health consideration-cause that's what being obese and loosing weight is, a health consideration. I had to attack it from the heart, the body and the mind. I had no choice. You have to have the desire first to lose the weight and then you have to get yourself physically in a position to do so. That's why I had to go to my doctors and get their help. Mentally, and that's the biggest thing right now, how can I explain or anyone else be expected to explain something so personal to the world that I am still mentally trying to explain to myself. I have lost half of my body weight. That's a big statement. And it's been done over a three-year process. I have spent as much time eating right, eating less and doing exercise as I have therapeutically examining why I got to this point. I know people want to go on this journey with me, but it's really difficult to take you on the journey until I fully have wrapped myself around where I am. I mean, I've never once lied. Never once! Read the book, pull out the quotes. I have always told everyone that in order to start this weight loss, I absolutely needed a medical intervention. I absolutely needed doctors to step in. Absolutely! Never lied and have always said that. I never understood for the life of me why some people have misinterpreted that or used that as me trying to avoid something. Cause I'm not ashamed! Those doctors saved my life! Their stepping in and helping me take control saved my life! That's not the issue, not at all whatsoever. But I am praying and asking people to give me the time to fully understand what the heck I was going through before I can take you through it.
BV Buzz: People criticize you for showing the scar on your chest. What type of surgery is that from, and is the scar like a badge of honor for you now, kind of like Mary J. Blige's scar under the eye and Queen Latifah's scar on her forehead?
Star: It was a tumor in my chest. They had to crack my chest open in order to remove it. That's why you see that big long scar. It took me many, many years actually. When I was in the hospital I saw the scar for the first time. I can't believe that I am 44 years old and this happened 24 years ago, and I still see it and feel it painfully right now as I tell this story. The doctor wanted to remove the bandages and my mother was supposed to be there with me. She was down I think in the cafeteria after taking a break from sitting by my bedside, and my dad was with me. My dad said 'I'll stay here,' and the doctor said she may want her mom with her during this time because obviously, they knew what the scar looked like. My father said, 'No, no, no, Starlet,' and he and I are very close. So they removed the bandages and gave me a mirror and when I saw that scar down the center of my chest, I fell apart and literally went hysterical. I said, 'Daddy, no man is going to ever want to look at me again. I'm completely scarred for life.' And my father, in an attempt to be loving, he didn't comfort me, my father said, 'Baby, the way you're built, the brothers ain't looking at that scar.' And I remember thinking to myself, one day somebody is going to say, 'Baby I ain't looking at that scar.' And it took me many years to get to that. I used to decorate it with those stick-on jewel charms. I still will wear a necklace that obscures it, 'cause it's not the most attractive thing. But that scar saved my life. That man went in there and cracked my chest and took out a one-pound tumor that was literally choking the life out of me. I know sometimes people go, 'Why she got that scar out? She should wear clothes that are closed up.' The thought that someone once told me that I have nine months to live-that scar is evidence that they were wrong.
BV Buzz: Barbara Walters said ABC decided not to renew because the approval rating was down with viewers. Do you believe that story?
Star: I was told by Barbara and Bill that they were not renewing my contract because my viewer approval ratings have gone down and they needed to make a change. That seemed a little odd to me considering that several of the highest rated episodes of 'The View' for the year that I planned my wedding, which is when they said that my viewer approval ratings went down, several of the top ten were directly related to my wedding planning. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever said this out loud, but the number two show of 'The View' of all time, was the day after Al asked me to be his wife and we announced it on 'The View.' In the whole nine years, it was the number two rated show in the whole nine years. So that seemed a little weird because most of the high rated shows or a significant portion I should say, focused directly on the issues from my life or me leading the featured segment. So to hear that the numbers were reading really differently and they wanted to renew my contract was a surprise. I was never told that my job was in jeopardy prior to being told that my contract was not being renewed. Clearly, they would say we did some focus groups and there are some changes we want to make. I actually remember, it was either late November or early December, waking up one morning and reading in one of the local papers that they were looking to replace Star Jones...Me being me, I walked into "The View" that day and asked Bill Geddie myself, and I asked him a direct question, "Is the network looking to replace me? These rumors, are they true?" And he said to me no. He said, 'No, I've not been told any of this.' That's exactly what he said, 'No, I've not been told any of this.' He assured me it was not true. When they told me that my contract was not going to be renewed, I thought wait a minute, hold up. I came to you and asked! And you'd think they'd come to a person, a committed member of the team, a faithful member of the team, and say yo, your job may be in jeopardy. You've got to make some changes or we're not going to be able to protect you. They never said that. Or, 'Your job IS in jeopardy you've got to look out for yourself because, Star, change is coming.'
BV Buzz: There were rumors of tension between you and Barbara Walters before the announcement came. What was life like leading up to your surprise announcement?
Star: Well, the last two months have been horrible. I guess I could fake it for you but I'm not going to. Now remember, I will draw you a picture. I told you April 21 is when they told me, and Barbara did not call me herself. Barbara called my agent. And after 9 years, she didn't call me. And then, that next Wednesday, I was supposed to get on a plane and go to the Emmy Awards, the Emmy Awards I had earned with my colleagues for a year of work. Then I was told in my office that Rosie O'Donnell was joining 'The View.' And I was told that they were going to use the Emmy Awards that my colleagues and I had earned to make the announcement. And, I was promised that nothing would leak and they would not use it as an opportunity to humiliate me, and if I would go to the Emmys. They begged me to go! As you can imagine, that was very hurtful. By the time I got to the airport, they had leaked that Rosie O'Donnell was coming to 'The View' and that they were going to announce it at the Emmys. On the day of the Emmys, 48 hours later, I had to walk that red carpet my best foot forward and sit in the front row as Barbara Walters walked Rosie O'Donnell out on that stage. And, this was particularly galling because I found out by sitting in that audience that Barbara had made a phone call to Rosie in the same week she'd viciously attacked me in print and on television and invited her to be co-host. The same week. Barbara ran into her at her event the same week Rosie had gone on her blog and on every single evening entertainment program and attacked me. Barbara used that week to call her and invite her to be a part of the show that I helped launch nine years ago, and I found that out sitting in the audience that night. And for Barbara to say she feels betrayed, (laughs), it's the height of hypocrisy. Because I sat there and for two months I came to work every day. It's so disheartening to me. I came to work every day. I held my head up. I operated in grace and dignity. I continued to share my life. I brought photographs of my family. One hundred percent professionalism for two months. And I sat there knowing they had conspired to hurt me professionally and personally. Remember this, I knew since April! But I still came to work.
BV Buzz: Will you watch the new 'View' come September?
Star: I'm going to be very busy come September.
There's more to my in-depth conversation with Jones Reynolds that will be featured in next week's BV Buzz. Then, the television talent speaks frankly about the fallout from her wedding and the accusations that her obsession with freebies strained her relationship with ABC.
Buzzworthy
Actor Leon ('Little Richard'/' The Five Heartbeats') has released a new reggae album called 'The Road Less Traveled' with his band The Peoples. The CD was recorded with DJ Pismo and producer JK and features singer Syleena Johnson on a remake of the Angie Stone cut "Bottles and Cans."
Gospel dynamo and Mariah Carey background vocalist Melonie Daniels will record her first full-length gospel album come all. Daniels will record the CD live in New York and plans to release the album independently, at least for now. In the meantime, Daniels will be featured in the production 'More Than a Song' with vocalists Chris Epps, Natalie Walker and Marvin Scott at the Theatre Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla. on July 14 and 15.
According to comedienne Sheryl Underwood, BET's 'Comic View' may not be returning this fall. "We don't know if 'Comic View' is coming back. I hear its not coming back. I hear I am the last host of 'Comic View' as we know it," said Underwood, who hosted the last season of the BET series. Stay tuned.
Can't Say Names...
Mama said a leopard never changes its spots, and according to members of a veteran R&B collective, that's the case with one of its founding members. Members of said group are feuding over money, something that caused the group to disband years ago. When one member failed to show up for a concert date recently, they still tried to have the manager split the check three ways. The other two members almost got physical with the manager and allegedly locked her in a hotel room until all of the money was paid. To get back at the absentee member, the two singers failed to board their flight for an international concert date and left the pseudo-singer/producer onstage to perform the entire show solo. You know what they say about payback. My money's on Guy
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1913/1967
"I'd rather be hated for what I am than loved for what I'm not."--Kanye West
"Black is the new President."--Tracey Morgan
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