Jeannie Mai
Jeannie Mai-Jenkins (born Jeannie Camtu Mai; January 4, 1979) is an American television host and stylist best known for her work on the makeover show How Do I Look? and the syndicated daytime talk show The Real. As a fashion expert, she is frequently featured on television programs such as Today, Extra TV, Entertainment Tonight, and Insider. She has also appeared as a host for E! as well as a red carpet host for the American Music Awards and as a correspondent for the Miss Universe pageant. She is currently a sideline reporter on Holey Moley on ABC.[1]
Jeannie Mai | |
|---|---|
Mai in 2009 | |
| Born | Jeannie Camtu Mai January 4, 1979 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Television | How Do I Look?, The Real, Holey Moley |
| Spouse(s) | Freddy Harteis (m. 2007; div. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | thejeanniemai |
Early life
Jeannie Mai was born and raised in San Jose, California, to a Chinese Vietnamese father and a Vietnamese mother.[2][3][4] She attended Milpitas High School.[3]
Career
1997–2004
At age 18, Mai launched her career as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics while still living in San Jose.[5] As a trainer, she worked her way from face to face until she was eventually traveling the world to work for celebrities such as Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys.[6] This led her to also serve as a celebrity-makeup stylist for MTV's Total Request Live, KCAL Los Angeles, and Good Day Sacramento.[6][7]
In 2003, Mai began auditioning for local-television networks with self-written scripts to demonstrate her hosting talents. She was hired to co-host the Asian-American magazine-style show Stir, on the International Channel.[7] Later, the San Francisco-based California Music Channel hired her to host her own music countdown. Mai went on to become an entertainment reporter and producer of the WB's The Daily Mixx.[8]
In 2005, Mai landed her first primetime hosting role on Character Fantasy on the USA Network, where she inspired guests each week to live their fantasies.[9] Following this, she moved to Los Angeles to appear on MTV's Granted alongside Frankie Muniz and hosted segments related to fashion and entertainment news on networks such as E!, Lifetime, TLC, and NBC on the lattermost's talk morning program Today.[10][11] She also started appearing as a member of the beauty squad on TLC's 10 Years Younger. In 2008, Mai hosted TLC's Miss America Reality Check. She also starred in the makeover special Dude, Where's Your Style, and became spokesperson of the cosmetics Never Accept Ordinary. The following year, Mai became host of the Style Network's fashion makeover show How Do I Look?.[12] She also served as a correspondent and weekend host on NBC's Extra TV with Mario Lopez. In the digital realm, Mai was the resident contributor to Perez Hilton's fashion site Cocoperez.com.[13] In 2011, Mai began hosting the Miss Universe pageant and was a fashion consultant on the NBC weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser.[8][14] Furthermore, Mai also hosted the stylist competition The Next Style Star from Maker Studios, and was the digital correspondent for NBC's Fashion Star.[15][16] In 2012, she appeared as a guest judge on Asia's Next Top Model, Cycle 1.
2013–present
In 2013, Mai was the host of a live weekly series titled Style Pop on the Style Network.[17] From 2013-2022, Mai served as a co-host of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real, originally alongside Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxton, Loni Love, and Tamera Mowry, which premiered on July 15, 2013.[18][19] Following a trial summer run during 2013 on the Fox Television Stations group, it was picked up to series the following year.[20] In 2018, Mai and her co-hosts won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for their work.[21] In 2015, Mai was host of the reality competition Steampunk'd on GSN. She also was a fashion correspondent on Entertainment Tonight.
In 2016, she brought her show How Do I Look? to Asia's Diva network. The following year, she portrayed Lady Luck on the American game show The Joker's Wild. Mai also became an ambassador for ReimagineMyself.com a program encouraging people living with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) to reimagine life with the chronic disease.[22]
On September 2, 2020, Mai was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars.[23][24] She was forced to exit the show on November 2, 2020, after being diagnosed with epiglottitis, an inflammatory condition that can cause swelling and block airflow to the lungs.[25]
On October 18, 2022, she was announced as host of America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation, which premiered on December 9, 2022.[26]
On January 4, 2023, Mai and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo were announced as hosts for the 71st Miss Universe pageant to be held at New Orleans, Louisiana on January 14.[27][28]
Personal life
Mai is a Christian.[29] She married Freddy Harteis on August 11, 2007;[30] the couple divorced in December 2018.[31]
In November 2018, Mai started dating rapper Jay "Jeezy" Jenkins.[32] The couple married in 2021 in an intimate ceremony at their home in Atlanta, Georgia.[33][34] In January 2022, the couple announced that she had given birth to a daughter.[35][36]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host | The Real (shared with Adrienne Houghton, Tamar Braxton, Loni Love and Tamera Mowry-Housley) | Nominated | [37] |
| 2017 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host | The Real (shared with Braxton, Houghton, Love and Mowry-Housley) | Nominated | [38] |
| 2018 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | The Real (shared with Houghton, Love and Mowry-Housley) | Won | [39] |
| 2018 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host | The Real (shared with Houghton, Love and Mowry-Housley) | Won | [40] |
| 2019 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | The Real (shared with Houghton, Love and Mowry-Housley) | Won | [41] |
| 2019 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host | The Real (shared with Houghton, Love and Mowry-Housley) | Nominated | [42] |
References
- ^ "Jeannie Mai | Holey Moley". American Broadcasting Company.
- ^ "The Real Jeannie Mai". Beverly Hills Vibe. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
Hailing from San Jose, Calif., her father, James Mai, is a hardware engineer; her mother, Olivia Duong, is a manager at a laser center.
- ^ a b Barney, Chuck (February 13, 2020). "San Jose's Jeannie Mai slams jokes about coronavirus and Asians". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
Mai was born and raised in San Jose to a Vietnamese mother and a Vietnamese ChineseChinese father.
- ^ Mai, Jeannie (March 23, 2020). "Jeannie Mai Condemns Coronavirus Racism: 'Hate Will Get You Sick, Even if the Virus Doesn't'". People. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
She is of Vietnamese and Chinese descent.
- ^ Veridiano, Ruby (February 1, 2016). "Jeannie Mai: Embracing My Vietnamese-American Heritage Has 'Made Me Who I Am'". NBC News. Universal Pictures. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Walker, Jodi (June 8, 2014). "Jeannie Mai Is So Much More Than a Miss USA Host". Bustle. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Tennant, Thomas (September 27, 2018). "Do You Know How Jeannie Mai Launched Her Career?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jeannie Mai". TheReal. Warner Brothers Entertainment. January 1, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Recording Artists Evan and Jaron to Host USA Network's Character Road Trip and On-Air Personality and Style Maven Jeannie Mai to Host USA Network's Character Fantasy". The Futon Critic. September 29, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ Weisman, Jon (August 5, 2009). "'Today' to give lifestyle tips". Variety.
- ^ Weprin, Alex (August 5, 2009). "Style Network Repurposing Segments From NBC's 'Today'". Broadcasting & Cable.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 17, 2011). (Press release). TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.,
- ^ Hilton, Perez (February 8, 2011). "Jeannie Mai's Fashion Must Have: Leather Leggings!". PerezHilton.com. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (July 7, 2015). "Miss USA Co-Host Jeannie Mai Drops Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Jeannie Mai to Host The Next Style Star". RMN Stars Global Entertainment. April 1, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Swift, Andy (August 5, 2011). . Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (May 22, 2013). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 31, 2013). "Tamera Mowry & Tamar Braxton Among Hosts Of New Syndicated Talk Show Getting Summer Trial Run On Fox Stations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ "It's Official: 'The Real' Talk Show Begins Four-Week Test Run July 15". Deadline Hollywood. June 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ Block, Alex Ben (October 31, 2013). "'The Real' Gets National Syndication and Cable Pick Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Kiefer, Halle (April 30, 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 Daytime Emmy Award Winners". Vulture. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Browley, Jasmine (November 1, 2017). "Jeannie Mai Keeps it Real About MS and Confidence". Made. Made Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Peter White (September 2, 2020). "Dancing With The Stars: ABC Unveils Season 29 Cast Including Tiger King's Carole Baskin & Rapper Nelly". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Dancing with the Stars Heads Back Into the Ballroom for Its 2020 Season with Some Cha-Cha-Changes and a Brand-New Celebrity Cast" (Press release). ABC. September 2, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ Atad, Corey (November 2, 2020). "Jeannie Mai Forced Off 'Dancing With The Stars' After Being Hospitalized For Rare Condition". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 18, 2022). "Jeannie Mai Jenkins Tapped To Host 'America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation' On Amazon Freevee". Deadline. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Purnell, Kristofer. "Olivia Culpo, Jeannie Mai Jenkins to host Miss Universe 2022; Catriona Gray serving as backstage commentator". Philstar.com. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (January 4, 2023). "Olivia Culpo, Jeannie Mai Jenkins to Host 71st Miss Universe Telecast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ Christine Thomasos (2015). "'The Real' Co-Host Jeannie Mai Shares How a Missions Trip Strengthened Her Relationship With God". Christian Post. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Hatmaker, Julia (June 28, 2011). "Linglestown native becomes reality TV star in 'Hollywood Hunter'". The Patriot-News. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ Naumann, Ryan; Walters, Liz (January 4, 2019). "Jeannie Mai Settles Divorce, Keeps $1.2 Million L.A. Mansion". The Blast. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Real's Jeannie Mai Opens up About Dating Rapper Jeezy: "I Found My Equal"". September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Jeannie Mai and Jeezy Are Engaged! Inside Their 'Quarantine Date Night' Proposal". April 4, 2020.
- ^ Macon, Alexandra (April 2021). "Inside Jeezy and Jeannie Mai's Intimate Wedding Ceremony at Their Home in Atlanta". Vogue. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Jeannie Mai Jenkins Introduces Baby Monaco for the First Time 5 Months After Her Birth".
- ^ Etienne, Vanessa (January 11, 2022). "Jeannie Mai Welcomes First Child with Husband Jeezy a daughter named Monaco Mai Jenkins: 'Baby Jenkins Is Here'". people.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "The 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York City: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 24, 2016. (PDF) from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ (PDF). New York City: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 1, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ "NAACP Image Awards: 'Marshall,' 'Get Out,' 'Girls Trip' Dominate Film Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- ^ . Gold Derby. April 29, 2018. Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ . The Emmys. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- ^ Bueno, Antoinette (March 20, 2019). "2019 Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List!". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
External links
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- Jeannie Mai at IMDb