DEBBIE MATENOPOULOS
Name: Despina Matenopoulos
Born: 13 December 1974
Despina "Debbie" Matenopoulos (born December 13, 1974 in Richmond, Virginia) is
an American television personality and actress.
Matenopoulos was born in Richmond, Virginia, of Greek ancestry. Her birth name
is Despina Matenopoulos, named after her grandmother. Despina was later
Americanized to Debbie.
She attended Virginia Commonwealth University for one year before transferring
to the Journalism Department at New York University. While at NYU she also
worked at MTV as an intern. She quickly moved up the ranks, soon becoming story
coordinator for UnFiltered.
In 1997 after a chance meeting with Barbara Walters, Matenopoulos became a co-host
on Walters's new talk show The View. She was parodied on Saturday Night Live and
then invited on as a guest. In 1999, she was abruptly fired from the show and
replaced by Lisa Ling.
In 1999, she joined the TV Guide Channel.
Debbie has played Lisa Swayzak in the 2000 film Endsville, and starred in the
claymation show Celebrity Deathmatch as herself.
In August 2004, Good Day Live brought in Matenopoulous (along with Arthel
Neville) to co-host the nationally syndicated program. On September 29, 2004,
she was hospitalized for an injury that was the result of a stunt she attempted
for a segment of Good Day Live. The segment was focused on firefighter training,
in which she practiced a fall from a three-story building at a Los Angeles fire
station. She landed incorrectly on an airbag and was rushed to the hospital for
a possible head injury. It was a closed head wound and she was temporarily blind.
Despite massive promotion, including a mall-tour featuring Matenopoulous and
Neville, Good Day Live was canceled by its syndicators in March 2005.
In 2004 she was part of the panel of celebrity judges in the TBS Superstation
show He's a Lady.
In January 2006, Matenopoulos joined E!'s coverage of the Golden Globe Awards.
In April 2006, she became one of the three hosts on E!'s weeknight celebrity
gossip and pop culture series, The Daily 10.
On July 25, 2006, over seven years after her last appearance on The View, Debbie
was invited back as a special guest co-host for a day.
Matenopoulos has also been a frequent contributor to VH1 specials, including I
Love the 90s and I Love Toys.
Name: Despina Matenopoulos
Born: 13 December 1974
Despina "Debbie" Matenopoulos (born December 13, 1974 in Richmond, Virginia) is
an American television personality and actress.
Matenopoulos was born in Richmond, Virginia, of Greek ancestry. Her birth name
is Despina Matenopoulos, named after her grandmother. Despina was later
Americanized to Debbie.
She attended Virginia Commonwealth University for one year before transferring
to the Journalism Department at New York University. While at NYU she also
worked at MTV as an intern. She quickly moved up the ranks, soon becoming story
coordinator for UnFiltered.
In 1997 after a chance meeting with Barbara Walters, Matenopoulos became a co-host
on Walters's new talk show The View. She was parodied on Saturday Night Live and
then invited on as a guest. In 1999, she was abruptly fired from the show and
replaced by Lisa Ling.
In 1999, she joined the TV Guide Channel.
Debbie has played Lisa Swayzak in the 2000 film Endsville, and starred in the
claymation show Celebrity Deathmatch as herself.
In August 2004, Good Day Live brought in Matenopoulous (along with Arthel
Neville) to co-host the nationally syndicated program. On September 29, 2004,
she was hospitalized for an injury that was the result of a stunt she attempted
for a segment of Good Day Live. The segment was focused on firefighter training,
in which she practiced a fall from a three-story building at a Los Angeles fire
station. She landed incorrectly on an airbag and was rushed to the hospital for
a possible head injury. It was a closed head wound and she was temporarily blind.
Despite massive promotion, including a mall-tour featuring Matenopoulous and
Neville, Good Day Live was canceled by its syndicators in March 2005.
In 2004 she was part of the panel of celebrity judges in the TBS Superstation
show He's a Lady.
In January 2006, Matenopoulos joined E!'s coverage of the Golden Globe Awards.
In April 2006, she became one of the three hosts on E!'s weeknight celebrity
gossip and pop culture series, The Daily 10.
On July 25, 2006, over seven years after her last appearance on The View, Debbie
was invited back as a special guest co-host for a day.
Matenopoulos has also been a frequent contributor to VH1 specials, including I
Love the 90s and I Love Toys.