Maria Menounos: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Me

June 25, 2014

Sure, you see me on TV and the red carpet chatting it up with celebs, but there’s a lot more to me than camera-ready makeup and couture gowns (although, those are pretty cool, too). I wouldn’t say I was a regular gal–I’ve definitely been privileged to have so many wonderful experiences, to meet and speak with the world’s most recognizable and influential people. For this I feel tremendously blessed and proud. But though a lot of my life is in the public eye, there’s a lot of myself I don’t let the cameras see. Want to know what I’m really all about? Keep reading for 10 facts about yours truly you didn’t know before.

I’m a South Park addict.
When I was young, I had to wear metal leg braces and steel shoes.
I had my first kiss at age 18.
I’m dying to play Roxie Hart in (the Broadway musical) Chicago.
I adopt elephants through Sheldrickwildlifetrust.org.
My perfect night in includes a beer and loaded potato skins.
I once saved a 5-year-old from choking.
I launched Afterbuzztv.com because I believe webcasting and podcasting are the future.
I used to be a makeup artist.
I have a photographic memory.

Maria Menounos, host of Extra, is featured on the daily show as she reports with Mario Lopez from Extra's home at Universal Studios. Menounos covers all the top entertainment events, celebrity interviews, red carpets and movie premieres with her uncompromising and daring interview style while maintaining her fun-loving persona.

As a journalist, Menounos holds the distinct honor of having conducted the only interview with the entire Obama family. The interview was touted by political experts as one of the defining moments leading to Obama’s victory.

In the literary world, Maria is a New York Times Best Selling Author with her critically acclaimed “EveryGirl's Guide to Life” published in 2011. The A-Z guide gives EveryGirl and EveryWoman expert advice on everything: weight loss, fitness, beauty, health, organization, dating, career and more. Her follow up book, “The EveryGirl's Guide to Diet and Fitness" is slated to be released by Random House this June.

In addition to all this, her new reality show, Chasing Maria Menounos, premiered this March on Oxygen. With this series, Maria has opened the doors of her home to cameras for the first time, allowing viewers to see her modern family lifestyle, the chaos that keeps her so busy, and the fuel that keeps her running. We see Maria confront the obstacles that surround her eclectic career and home life head-on.

| My most memorable celebrity interview was with Johnny Depp — he loves my laugh but at first he thought a machine gun went off. Such a sweet guy and I fully admitted I grew up having a crush on him.