Sharon Carpenter

Sharon Carpenter (born 2 March 1982) is a British broadcast journalist, television host, and producer. She has worked as an on-air personality for a number of top American television networks including CBS, BET, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' REVOLT TV and VH1. Currently, she is the co-founder of Wiretapped, an upcoming pop culture news website, and works as a guest correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider". She can also be seen as a regular panelist on The Wendy Williams Show. Carpenter famously took on a co-starring role in Episode 2 of the second season of FOX's Empire where she played herself.^[1]

She initially rose to fame as an anchor and reporter for Black Entertainment Television (BET) and BET International - the only British TV personality to have represented the brand. Carpenter also received international attention for her news coverage as a correspondent for the BBC program “BBC World News America”.

In 2013, she co-created her first television show, VH1's “The Gossip Game” and appeared on the series as a main cast member. The docu-soap followed the lives and careers of seven female media personalities reporting on the entertainment industry. Her next television series is currently in production.

Carpenter has won four awards from the New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) and a Telly Award. She currently lives in New York City, NY, and serves as an ambassador for GEORGE, a co-brand of the British charity group St. George’s Society of New York.

Early Life and Education

Carpenter was born in England, the daughter and step-daughter of two medical doctors and former professors at Harvard Medical School. In 2000, she moved to New York City to attend Pace University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in business management.

Career

Carpenter began her career in broadcast news as an associate producer for WWOR-TV (my9 News) in New York City before moving on to work as a producer at BET Nightly News. Sharon briefly left BET for her first on-air position as a reporter for the financial news show CBS MarketWatch Weekend.

She returned to BET in 2006 as an on-air correspondent and anchor where she hosted the network’s daily news briefs, news specials and reported on breaking news on 106 & Park, the channel’s highest-rated show. Her most notable accomplishments during this time include her coverage of the 2008 presidential election, providing political commentary and analysis on election night from the headquarters of Senator John McCain. Carpenter also played an integral role in BET’s coverage of the death of Michael Jackson in 2009. She reported on the event live from Los Angeles and anchored the network’s special reports, including the award-winning documentary Forever the King: A Tribute to Michael Jackson.^[2] Sharon spearheaded the launch of BET in the United Kingdom and produced its first news special, Beauty Blackout, about discriminatory standards of beauty.

Carpenter left BET again in 2010 and joined BBC News as a contributing correspondent for BBC World News America. There, she became the first journalist to interview Wyclef Jean for television when he announced his plans to run for president of Haiti in 2010,^[3] a story that garnered international attention. She also worked as an entertainment reporter for the PIX 11 Morning News on New York’s Tribute station WPIX.

In 2012, Sharon joined GlobalGrind, a pop culture website owned by hip-hop media mogul Russell Simmons. The website focuses on news, fashion, music, and politics from a young perspective. Carpenter was hired to enhance and expand the site’s video content. Her stories have received up to 3000 hits per minute.^[4]

Sharon Carpenter became an on-air personality for Diddy's multi-genre, multi-platform music network, REVOLT TV in 2013 where she participated in the launch of the cable channel, hosting live news and entertainment programming.

She is currently the co-president, founder and host of Wiretapped, an upcoming celebrity news website and live video platform. The broadcast journalist also makes regular appearances on the syndicated daytime talk series The Wendy Williams Show.

Empire Appearance

Carpenter had a co-starring role on episode 2 of FOX's prime-time hit show Empire ("Without A Country") which aired on September 30, 2015.^[5] She played herself and the host of the fictional talk show Spilling The Tea with Sharon Carpenter.^[6] In her acting debut, Carpenter sat down with Jamal Lyon for a one-on-one interview on his personal and professional life. During their discussion, Jamal speaks publicly on his relationship with his boyfriend, Michael, for the first time. Later in the scene Cookie Lyon bursts in and interrupts the interview. Carpenter became a trending topic on Twitter during the airing of the episode ^[7]

The Gossip Game

Sharon Carpenter is the co-creator of and was a main cast member on the VH1 reality TV show, The Gossip Game. The show followed the careers and personal lives of seven female media professionals working in the urban entertainment industry as radio personalities, journalists, and bloggers. The seven cast members are Vivian Billings, Sharon Carpenter, K. Foxx, JasFly, Kimberly Osorio, Candice Williams, and Angela Yee. The docu-series focused on the competitive nature of the entertainment industry, as well as the particular difficulties female media professionals face when working in a male-dominated field.^[8]

Carpenter developed the concept for the show with television producer Tone Boots. The show was produced by VH1 in conjunction with Magilla Entertainment, Mona Scott-Young, and District Media.^[4]

References

External links

• Official Site
• Sharon Carpenter on IMDb
• Wyclef Jean interview with Sharon Carpenter, BBC World News America
• The Starr Report, The New York Post, April 20, 2009 * "Mind Boggling with Broadcast Journalist, Sharon Carpenter"
• Zimbio.com
• List of BET VJs