Star Jones

Celebrity Lawyer and Co-Host of The View Star Jones, a lawyer and former prosecutor, is known to television viewers for her candor, confidence and uncanny ability to clarify muddy legal and social issues. Her knowledge of the law and talent for television has won her critical acclaim as a news and legal correspondent.

Star Jones is currently a co-host of The View, along with Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, and executive producer Barbara Walters. The View is the original forum where real women discuss relevant, everyday issues and share their daily, no-holds-barred opinions and lively, colorful conversations. It consists of hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment. The View is the strongest performer among total women 18+ in ABC's 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET time period in ten years.

Star Jones debuted on television in 1991 when she started moonlighting as a studio commentator for Court TV during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. Ms. Jones was quickly lined up as a guest on The Today Show; a few months later she 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. Star Jones 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, Star Jones was named a senior correspondent and chief legal analyst for Inside Edition and assigned the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. During the civil trial, Ms. Jones was the only news correspondent to obtain an exclusive interview with Mr. Simpson. Star Jones earned a B.A. 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. She was one the attorneys D.A. Joe Hynes personally selected to prosecute high-profile and community-sensitive cases. Ms. Jones gained attention in court with a number of highly publicized victories. With the 1997 launch of The View, Star Jones expanded her point of view to include commentary on the law, self-esteem, race, family, education, religion, the media, and other social issues relating to the community at large.

The View has earned Emmy nominations each year for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show and for Ms. Jones and her co-hosts as Outstanding Talk Show Host. Some of her television appearances include The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Live With Regis, Later, Celebrity Jeopardy, Charlie Rose, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Larry King Live, Politically Incorrect, Hollywood Squares, Strong Medicine, ABC's Spin City, the ABC Daytime drama Port Charles, and The Late Show with David Letterman.

September 1998 marked the publication of Star Jones' first book, You have to Stand for Something, or You'll Fall for Anything (Bantam), which received widespread critical acclaim and became a best-seller. In 2001 Star Jones and her fellow co-hosts were awarded the Safe Horizon Champion Award for their continued efforts to raise awareness of issues of importance to girls and women and for serving as confident, compassionate role models dedicated to excellence in the battle against violence and victimization.

Ms. Jones 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, God's Love We Deliver and Girls, Inc. In 2002 she launched her own not-for-profit foundation "The Starlet Fund" that will benefit women and girls across our world.