Kennedy (commentator)
Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (born September 8, 1972),[2] referred to mononymously as Kennedy, is an American libertarian political commentator, radio personality, author, and former MTV VJ. She was the host of MTV's now-defunct daily late-night alternative-rock program Alternative Nation throughout much of the 1990s.[3]
Kennedy | |
|---|---|
Kennedy at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2019 | |
| Born | Lisa Kennedy Montgomery September 8, 1972 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Santa Monica College, transferred to University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation(s) | Political commentator Game show host Television personality |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Dave Lee (m. 2000; div. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
As of January 2015[update], she is the host of Kennedy on the Fox Business Network. Kennedy occasionally hosts Outnumbered on Fox News, and is a frequent panelist on that network's show The Five.[4]
Early life
Lisa Kennedy Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon,[5] a suburb of Portland. Kennedy and her two brothers were raised by her mother.[6] She is of Romanian and Scottish descent.[7][8] She attended Lakeridge High School.[9] She has a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[10][11][12]
Kennedy interned as a DJ at KROQ radio in Los Angeles as a teenager.[13] She was known on KROQ as "the Virgin Kennedy".[14]
Career
She was an early VJ at MTV.[2][3] As "Kennedy", she hosted Alternative Nation from 1992–1997.[15]
In 1999, Kennedy published her book Hey Ladies! Tales and Tips for Curious Girls, in which she incorporated a multitude of personal experiences.[16] That same year, she moved to Seattle to host The Buzz on KQBZ radio; the show was a mix of news, local issues, and comedy.[17] Montgomery left Seattle in 2001 to cohost a morning radio show with Ahmet Zappa on the Comedy World Radio Network, The Future with Ahmet & Kennedy, a similar mix of current events and comedy.[3] She later co-hosted a morning show with Malibu Dan, The Big House.[3]
Beginning June 3, 2002, Kennedy hosted Game Show Network's Friend or Foe?,[18] which ran for two seasons. On April 1, 2003, she guest-hosted the GSN show WinTuition as part of GSN's April Fools prank where hosts swap places, while the original hosts usually appear as cameos, and play as contestants in Lingo for charity. She also hosted GSN's Who Wants to Be Governor of California?,[18] a televised debate among fringe candidates in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election, such as actors Gary Coleman and Mary Carey.
Beginning September 23, 2005, Kennedy appeared as an occasional panelist on VH1's Best Week Ever and MSNBC's Scarborough Country. In October 2005, she became host of Fox Reality's Reality Remix until that series ended in June 2008.
In December 2007, she guest-hosted the evening show several times on Los Angeles talk-radio station KFI,[19] before being hired by the station for a regular Sunday-afternoon show.[20] In April 2008, she joined Bryan Suits as cohost of the Kennedy & Suits Show at that station through September 30, 2009. She hosted Music in the Mornings on KYSR in Los Angeles from 2009 until March 2014.[21]
On January 18, 2011, she began appearing as Anthony Sullivan's assistant on PitchMen, looking for new inventions to promote in infomercials.
Kennedy joined Fox Business Network as a contributor in 2012. She co-hosted The Independents, a current-events and political discussion show, from its debut on December 9, 2013.[4] The show was cancelled in January 2015, but she continued as host of her own program, Kennedy.[22][23] Kennedy was put on hiatus March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] On October 19, 2020, the program ended its seven-month hiatus.[25]
She is also a contributor to Reason.com and Reason.tv, and occasionally serves as guest host for Bill Carroll, John and Ken, and Tim Conway Jr. on KFI. She was a correspondent on the Fox Business talk show Stossel, and made occasional appearances as a panelist and guest host on Fox News' Red Eye. She has also made appearances on other Fox talk shows, such as Outnumbered and The Five.
Politics
Kennedy is registered as unaffiliated.[26] She is a supporter of same-sex marriage,[27][28] and officiated at the wedding of fellow Fox contributor Guy Benson to husband Adam Wise.[29] She also supports privatization of Social Security.[30] She opposes the "war on drugs" and bureaucratic regulation.[31] She is critical of neoconservatism.[32]
At MTV's 1993 Rock 'n' Roll Inaugural Ball for Bill Clinton, she chanted, "Nixon now! Nixon now!" whenever the Clintons went on stage.[33] Along with being a fan of Richard Nixon, she supported Dan Quayle and Bob Dole.[34] She was a speaker at the 1996 Republican National Convention.[35]
She later abandoned social conservatism, saying, "Social conservatism was really bringing me down, and I realized, as time went on, that I wasn't a Bush conservative. I was really a libertarian."[31][36] She was first introduced to libertarianism when Kurt Loder suggested she read Ayn Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology.[37] She actively supported Gary Johnson in both the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.[38]
In March 2012, Reason published an article by Kennedy saying atheism is a religion on par with theistic religions.[39]
Personal life
Kennedy is divorced from former professional snowboarder Dave Lee; the couple has two daughters.[40][41]
Kennedy dated frontman and guitarist John Rzeznik from the band Goo Goo Dolls.[when?][42] The song "Name" was written about her.[43][non-primary source needed]
She has the Romanian flag tattooed on her left ankle,[44][31] and a pink Republican elephant tattooed on her upper left thigh.[35]
In September 2012, during an appearance on Red Eye, Kennedy said she had been diagnosed with celiac disease,[45] leading her to change to a more meat-based diet.
Kennedy is a triathlete.[46]
Publications
- Kennedy (1999). Hey Ladies!: Tales and Tips for Curious Girls (1 ed.). New York City: Main Street Books. ISBN 9780385490948.
- Kennedy (2013). The Kennedy Chronicles: The Golden Age of MTV through Rose-Colored Glasses (1 ed.). New York City, New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-1250017475.
See also
References
- ^ @kennedynation (August 5, 2022). "Bro, I got divorced like 5 years ago" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Fernandez, Maria Elena (July 24, 2013). "I had such a warped self-image': MTV VJ Kennedy dishes on naughty '90s". NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Kennedy Montgomery". The Advocates for Self-Government. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ a b Welch, Matt (December 3, 2013). "Kennedy, Matt Welch, Kmele Foster to Launch New Nightly Fox Business Show Called The Independents". Reason.
- ^ Clark, Taylor (November 10, 2004). . Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ "Romanian American MTV Anchor – When You Have A Big Dream In Life You Have TO Go After It". horainamerica.com. October 23, 2020.
- ^ Mangu-Ward, Katherine (3 September 2017). "Interview: Kennedy". Reason. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ "Kennedy Interviews Jack White". YouTube (iHeartRadio). Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ Walsh, S. M. (2017-01-24). "Lisa Kennedy Montgomery: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Grove, Lloyd (2013-12-09). "Lisa Kennedy Montgomery on Her Path From MTV to Fox Business". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Balluck, Kyle (2017-12-31). "Fox News, CNN to ring in 2018 with new hosts amid bitter cold in NY". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Interview: Kennedy". Reason.com. 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Babayan, Siran (2013-07-30). "Kennedy, the MTV VJ Everyone Loved to Hate, Has a New, Salacious Memoir". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "With an Eye On...: Kennedy commentary on MTV's 'Alternative' rocks the night away". Los Angeles Times. 1994-02-13. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ "MTV turns 30: MTV VJs: Where are they now?". Daily News. New York City. 2011-08-01.
- ^ Kennedy (1999). Hey Ladies!: Tales and Tips for Curious Girls. Main Street Books. ISBN 978-0385490948.
- ^ Rahner, Mark (August 21, 2000). "Over coffee with Kennedy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "FBN TV Personalities". Fox Business. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ "Guest Host on Demand G". KFI. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- ^ "KFI Adds Kennedy". AllAccess.com. February 28, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ Kennedy (March 24, 2014). "A Farewell from Kennedy". KYSR-FM.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (January 15, 2015). "Fox Business to Replace 'The Independents' With 'Kennedy'". Variety.
- ^ Chariton, Jordan (January 15, 2015). "Fox Business Canceling 'The Independents' Hosted by 'Kennedy'". The Wrap.
- ^ Palmeri, Christopher (March 13, 2020). "Fox Business Host Trish Regan on Hiatus After Virus Comments". Bloomberg L.P.
- ^ Ellefson, Lindsey (October 15, 2020). "Fox Business Network Brings Back 'Kennedy' After 7-Month Hiatus (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ "Can Kennedy be convinced to vote Trump? – Kennedy Saves the World". Fox Business. October 24, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ Grove, Lloyd (December 9, 2013). "Lisa Kennedy Montgomery on Her Path From MTV to Fox Business". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Cupp, S. E.; Joshpe, Brett (20 May 2008). Why You're Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths: The Surprising Truth ... Threshold Editions. p. 195. ISBN 9781416563280.
- ^ McDermott, Maeve. "Fox News contributor Guy Benson marries boyfriend, says Megyn Kelly brought them together". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ Cupp, S. E.; Joshpe, Brett (December 2009). Why You're Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths: The Surprising Truth ... p. 236. ISBN 9781416563280.
- ^ a b c Busis, Hillary (December 9, 2013). "Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, ex-VJ, talks libertarianism and Miley". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ Draper, Robert (7 August 2014). "Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
Are you hungry for more liberty?
- ^ Schwab, Nikki (August 8, 2013). "MTV VJ Kennedy recalls being an alt-rock Republican". RedAlertPolitics.com.
- ^ McNamara, Mary (2006-10-29). "Back as host, but it's a whole new reality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ a b . TheAdvocates.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2005.
- ^ Cavanaugh, Tim (Oct 25, 2011). "Reason.tv: Former MTV VJ and Radio Host Kennedy on Medical Marijuana, The Politics of Alt Rock, and How She Went From Conservative to Libertarian". Reason.
- ^ "MTV Libertarians: Kennedy, Kurt Loder Talk Politics & the Golden Age of MTV". Aug 25, 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ Chamberlin, Brett (September 19, 2012). "Yesterday's NYU Libertarian Event Was Sort Of Insane". NYULocal.com.
- ^ Kennedy (March 10, 2012). "Atheism Is a Religion". Reason.
- ^ "Every Third Thursday-Secret-Stash-Snowboard-by-Signal Snowboards". YouTube. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- ^ @kennedynation (August 5, 2022). "Bro, I got divorced like 5 years ago" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Primal MTV veejay Kennedy shares the arduous travails of her fame and chastity". The Buffalo News. 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Kennedy, 1972- (30 July 2013). The Kennedy chronicles : the golden age of MTV through rose-colored glasses (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-250-01747-5. OCLC 811597758.
- ^ Pener, Degen (January 31, 1993). "Egos & IDs; Notes". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ "I'm A Triathlete: Former MTV VJ Kennedy". Triathlon.competitor.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
- ^ "I'm A Triathlete: Former MTV VJ Kennedy – Triathlete". Triathlete.com. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2021-02-03.