Chloe Melas
Chloe Elizabeth Melas[1] is an American journalist currently serving as an entertainment reporter for CNN. She was previously the senior entertainment reporter for Hollywood Life and the host of VH1's morning TV show The Gossip Table.
Education
Melas graduated from Auburn University in 2008 with a degree in radio, television and film.[2]
Journalism career
Melas began her career at CNN as a news assistant. She left in 2009 after meeting editor Bonnie Fuller, helping her launch Hollywood Life. Melas eventually became the site's senior entertainment reporter. In 2010, she hosted her own weekend entertainment segment on New York City's WNYW television station. In 2011, she also became the host of Penske Media Corporation's ENTV, where she filmed spots for ION, Yahoo!, and Vodafone.
In 2013, Melas became one of the hosts of VH1's morning show The Gossip Table.[3][4][5] The show ran for four seasons until it was cancelled in September 2015.[6]
In 2014, Melas joined the New York City television station WPIX as its weekly Hot List contributor,[7] where she discussed the biggest entertainment news of the week every Friday morning.[8][9] Melas has been a contributor on Fox & Friends, HLN, The Wendy Williams Show,[10] The Insider, The Today Show, and elsewhere.
In 2015, Melas became the brand ambassador for women's clothing line Maggy London.[11][12]
Reporting on Morgan Freeman sexual harassment allegations
In 2017, Melas covered a publicity event for the film Going in Style, starring Morgan Freeman. Melas, who was pregnant at the time, said that Freeman made several inappropriate remarks to her. Melas reported the incident to CNN, which then informed Warner Brothers, a division of Time Warner. Time Warner did not take any action on the report because it could not corroborate Melas' account. Melas "heard rumblings about Mr. Freeman's behavior with other women" and decided to pursue leads on the story.[13]
On May 24, 2018, Melas and CNN media and entertainment deputy editor An Phung published an article reporting that eight individuals "said they were victims of what some called harassment and others called inappropriate behavior by Freeman."[14] Freeman responded in a statement the same day, saying, "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent."[14] He added the following day, "I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended."[15] Following continued widespread news coverage, Freeman's attorney wrote to CNN president Jeff Zucker asking for a retraction and an apology. CNN stood by its reporting, saying in a statement the network would "respond forcefully to any attempt by Mr. Freeman or his representatives to intimidate us from covering this important public issue."[16][17] Melas received death threats in the wake of her reporting on Freeman.[18]
Personal life
In late 2012, Melas met New York City restaurateur Brian Mazza.[19] They were married in New York City on October 25, 2014.[20] On July 3, 2017, the couple had a son.[21] They are expecting another son in July 2019. Both children were conceived with the use of in vitro fertilisation due to a diagnosis of poor ovarian reserve and low sperm count.[22]
References
- "My Auburn Story: Chloe Melas". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
- "Alumni Spotlight: Chloe Melas, '08, Senior Entertainment Reporter". Auburn University. n.d. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- "Meet Chloe Melas, Living The Hollywood Life In New York". VH1 News. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- Andreeva, Nellie. "VH1 Launches Morning Block With 'Big Morning Buzz Live' & 'The Gossip Table'". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- "News' Marianne Garvey stars on VH1's 'The Gossip Table'". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- Andreeva, Nellie. "'Big Morning Buzz Live' & 'The Gossip Table' Cancelled In VH1 Morning Shakeup". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- "chloe melas | Search Results | New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV". pix11.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- "Tribune Media | PIX11 Announces Content Partnership with HollywoodLife.com". www.tribunemedia.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- "WPIX Partnering With Bonnie Fuller's Entertainment Site". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- "chloe melas | The Wendy Williams Show". The Wendy Williams Show. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- London, Maggy. "Meet Our New Brand Ambassador Chloe Melas". blog.maggylondon.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- "Maggy London Taps Chloe Melas As International Brand Ambassador". Daily Front Row. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- Deb, Sopan (May 26, 2018). "She Went to Interview Morgan Freeman. Her Story Became Much Bigger". New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- Phung, An; Melas, Chloe (May 24, 2018). "Women accuse Morgan Freeman of inappropriate behavior, harassment". CNN. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Ventura, Charles; McDermott, Maeve (May 26, 2018). "Morgan Freeman on sexual harassment allegations: 'I did not assault women'". USA Today. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 29, 2018). "Morgan Freeman's Attorney Wants Retraction From CNN After Sex Harass Exposé". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- de Moraes, Lisa (May 29, 2018). "CNN Fires Back At Morgan Freeman Demand For Retraction, Stands By Report; His Lawyer Responds – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Brett, Jennifer (June 1, 2018). "CNN: Reporter who accused Morgan Freeman is getting death threats". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- Melas, Chloe (May 22, 2014). "Real Engagement Story: How Entertainment Reporter Chloe Melas Finally Met Her Perfect Match". Brides. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Mackey, Jaimie (January 5, 2015). "Chloe Melas and Brian Mazza New York City Wedding at Capitale". Brides. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- Melas, Chloe [@Chloe_Melas] (July 4, 2017). "What a whirlwind past few days!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018 – via Twitter.
- Juneau, Jen; Mizoguchi, Karen (December 26, 2018). "Baby Boy on the Way for CNN's Chloe Melas After IVF Journey: 'I've Been Through Hell and Back'". People. Retrieved 30 December 2018.