Q100’s Jenn Hobby co-hosting ‘Live With Regis & Kelly’ today
Q100’s Jenn Hobby subbed out for Kelly Ripa this morning on “Live with Regis & Kelly,” one of four radio hosts who won a national contest to be on national TV.
She made no notable snafus and didn’t seem nervous. As a guest host, she wisely let Regis Philbin take the lead, especially during the celebrity interview segments.
Wearing a modest dark blue dress with a black belt, Hobby gave her radio family major props by name. They even aired the moment last week when she found out she made it on Regis.
“We talk about our personal lives,” she said. “We are invested in each other.”
She said she first met Bert Weiss back in 2002, a year before he hired her to replace Lindsay Brien. (She didn’t say it, but she started her radio career at the now-defunct 95.5/The Beat.)
She also told Regis how she met her fiance Grant Rivera, a principal, who was in the audience. Regis asked Grant about how American students are lagging behind others. Grant joked how his students are smarter than he is, adding, “We have to help them stay focused learning that there’s life after high school. It’s a great school.” This seemed like a rather odd place to delve into America’s education system so Regis moved on.
Jenn said she first met Grant when his school’s band came into the studio after getting invited to be part of Pres. Obama’s inauguration. “Their little geeky band members came in, and then their geeky band director came in, and then the gorgeous principal,” she said. “Well, hello! How are you? Nice to meet you!” [UPDATE: Some folks below in the comment section were offended by her use of "geeky." We'll see what she has to say Monday on the Bert Show. I'll update this then.]
She said it was a year before they had their first date.
After promos and ads, it was time for the celebrity segments.
Hayden Christensen was notably forgettable promoting a movie. She kissed his cheek when he entered so Regis later joked, “The principal didn’t like it. You might have to spend some extra time in school!”
Melissa Joan Hart, an actress promoting her ABC Family show, was livelier. She married a musician. (Jenn once married a musician, too, but that ended in divorce. She artfully chose not to mention that.) She did reference an Atlanta connection: she ran into Joey Lawrence shooting a film called “My Fake Fiance” here two years ago and that led to the sitcom they’re doing now called, of course, “Melissa & Joey.”
Hobby, a self-described foodie, wanted to do a cooking segment. She ended up hosting a “Firehouse Cook-Off” but didn’t actually get to do any cooking.
Q100’s Bert Show aired pretty much the entire hour with the show members inserting their comments. “She is really a natural,” a caller said. The audio will be up on the Bert Show website.
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131 comments Add your comment
Teacher' Pet
August 22nd, 2010
9:30 am
I agree with the teacher. They are the ones who have to deal with the fallout from idiots like Jenn Hobby. Maybe all the geeks should come up with a name for Jenn? That would just be fun.
jarvis
August 22nd, 2010
9:37 am
I love the blog moral police.
“That comment went too far.”
Amanda
August 22nd, 2010
12:59 pm
Being called a “geek” is not as bad as “little, geeky” (band members) and “geeky” band director. Just a nuance. She looked like she was having fun on the show. Good for her.
Ashley
August 22nd, 2010
1:09 pm
Naysayers: it’s just so easy for you to say whatever hurtful things you want on here to Jenn because she made one minuscule mistake because of nerves. (Haven’t we all?) First we have the person pretending to be Ryan Newell, bringing up her past divorce. Next, we have people speculating about the kind of relationship she has with Grant Rivera and proclaiming to “know” that she’s not good enough for him. Then there’s the shallow people who want to hate on her because of her choice of dress, the wart on her face, her hand gestures, her small eyes, etc.
Seriously? You call Jenn Hobby shallow. Yet all of these comments prove that you are the shallow, petty, and pathetic ones. I love how most of you couldn’t even put up your real names to own up to your hateful comments. Keep hiding behind your computer screens and throwing stones, little sheep. You’ll never learn.
Stephanie
August 22nd, 2010
2:10 pm
I understand that a lot of pressure was on her since she was on national TV, but I think all of us (including Regis) got that uncomfortable feeling when Jenn said those comments. I think she was trying to get a laugh from the audience, and unfortunately, it was at the expense of students and a band director. I thought it was very immature. I’m interested to hear what she has to say on Monday.
Jeff2
August 22nd, 2010
2:20 pm
Stephanie, she’ll say this:
“I like really don’t think of the word “geeky” (she’ll say geeks – less offensive) in a bad way at all or whatever! I heard from several band members, and they weren’t at all offended or whatever, you know what I mean? I even like talked to the band director, and he was like fine with it.”
Insider
August 22nd, 2010
2:52 pm
How much do you want to bet that the band director or the school has already been contacted by the station, or Jenn, or her principal fiancé, in an effort to do damage control. Of course they’ll play it down as a nothing comment, and of course they will say they “heard” from the band director and he (she?) is cool with it. Jenn will be Miss Wonderful again. And soon she will have her new husband, Mr. Hobby to dote over her and pick up the dogs and cats she hits with her car. Airhead. BTW, who thinks Jenn’s grandma really blogged? Were the capital letters supposed to convince us? Please. Onto Bert’s movie role: The Nose in 3D.
kacey
August 22nd, 2010
8:05 pm
I am over this. I am Jenn’s cousin. Do you have nothing better to do than then make nasty comments? If you do not know Jenn personally then you should not be saying anything about her. You know nothing about her or what really goes on in her personal life. How dare you say that nasty comment about hitting animals. You can sit back and speculate on what you think you know and make nasty comments about her dress and how she looks but it only makes you look petty. jenn is not a malicious person, her geeky comment was not meant to hurt anyone….. get over it! and yes, that REALLY was OUR grandmother who blogged. We have a great, tight- knit family who supports each other! We hope that you are that lucky!
The Real Issue
August 22nd, 2010
9:10 pm
We are all missing the real issue. Jenn is marrying a high school principal. Every morning students at this school listen as Jenn talks about her and the fiance’s life ( no matter what the subject matter is). Students hear the life of their principal being paraded around the airwaves each morning. I am not bashing anyone, just stating the facts. Aren’t we suppose to keep our personal lives PERSONAL. It might have been different if the principal had not been sitting in the audience. However, he was there and he was proud. I am not harping on the one incident. I am concerned about the whole picture. How effective can you be as a principal if your personal life is open for everyone to see. Isn’t that why most people have their Facebook information locked to the outside world? Either you want to be a big time “newsmaker” with your fiance or you want to concentrate on the future decision makers of this world…our students.
Disappointed
August 22nd, 2010
9:35 pm
In total agreement with the above “real issue” post. If I were a parent of a student that attends the school mentioned, I would be concerned. Ms. Hobby should be aware of the importance of a principal’s image to the community. I don’t know the principal but I’m sure he is careful how he lives his life and how he presents himself. They both should think long and hard about future public appearances together, as his career will be the one to implode, not hers.
hello
August 22nd, 2010
10:05 pm
Another one of the radio co-hosts on Live! wouldn’t disclose anything about her boyfriend. Melissa Carter (very wisely) uses a fake name for her girlfriend. Why did Hobby want to use Grant’s real name and his school on TBS? Especially when she’s been talking about sleeping with him, that he spends every night at her place because her neighborhood is “hip” and his is not, etc.
Her point about little geeky band members and the geeky band director was: “And THEN, the principal walked in, and I said, ‘Hello! How are YOU?!!!” Clearly, she was contrasting geeky (usually socially inept and below average in attractiveness) with the ultra-cool and handsome principal.
Anyway, I agree that it’s unfortunate that his students & their parents are listening to very intimate details about their principal, including his snarky, sarcastic “Not your most admirable quality” comment to Jenn’s friend and how his romantic proposal wasn’t that great because Jenn admitted that she was pouty and mad about having to go to a museum (for HIS job that day).
I feel bad that her grandmother is reading this blog, but who in the family even told her to come to this site? . .
hello
August 22nd, 2010
10:29 pm
PS I enjoy listening to Jenn on the radio, along with Melissa, Jeff, and Bert. Just wondering about the Grant thing.
james
August 22nd, 2010
11:52 pm
Regis mentioned cougars, and Jenn asked what that is. Hayden listed actors in the movie, clearly avoiding naming Chris Brown but Jenn said with excitement and a big smile, “And Chris Brown TOO, right?” (Chris doesn’t have a lot of marquee value nowadays.) When Regis mentioned it was 4:15 in Hawaii, Jenn asked, “In the MORNING?” Big sigh.
Amy
August 23rd, 2010
8:47 am
@Firstresponder – you are absolutely right. I am a Bert Show Fan and proud of it. However, the people posting negative comments on here are just looking to start something and the rest of us here don’t want to read it. No one was holding a gun to your head that made you watch Regis on Friday, or makes you listen to the Bert Show. So I will say it again. If you don’t like the Bert Show, then flip the station.
Give me a break
August 23rd, 2010
11:01 am
I thought she was nervous but still did a good job considering. I am 24 and thought her dress was amazing, if she wore some hoochie get-up you would be complaing about that too. Last but not least I was in orchestra (worst than band) and her geek comment did not phase me a bit. Great Job Jenn and I love the Bert Show!!!
yankee girl
August 23rd, 2010
12:51 pm
She did a fair job, not great, however listening to her this morning made me ill. She literally said “I knew then, that I had the studio audience eating out of my hand”. Jenn, you are full of yourself, and Kelly Ripa has nothing to worry about with you, not now, not ever.
james
August 23rd, 2010
1:01 pm
@Give me a break: Who suggested that she wear a hoochie get-up? The suggestion was something fun and interesting. All 4 wore conservative dresses. Jayde Donovan and Shannon Murphy have knock-out figures!
Bert Show Fan
August 23rd, 2010
1:33 pm
I love The Bert Show and thought Jenn looked great and did a great job. The geek slip was a little cringe worthy, but I knew she would address it and apologize on Monday. My only critique of her was that she she have looked at the camera more, that it. But for your first time on National TV, I think she nailed it.
However, I do sometimes agree with the people who are saying she should not discuss so much about her fiance, especially the sleeping over and the being snide to her friends. His students put him on a pedestal and thats where he needs to be if he is in charge of a bunch of high school students. Just maybe something for Jenn to think about it.
BUT GREAT JOB JENN!!!!!!!
IS IT ME
August 24th, 2010
8:47 am
or does no one like Wendy? Heard her talkin about how she hung out with a boy over the weekend and didn’t want to be a psycho and text him to much. Really Wendy?
Christine
August 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
I missed out on the end of the “Jenn Hobby on-air You’re So Wonderful and did and AMAZNIG Job on TV” segment yesterday and am wondering if the “geeky” thing was ever addressed and how did she talk her way out of that? Did she actually EVER apologize?
Too bad everyone wasn’t a cutsie little popular rah-rah in school like Jenn. If they were, she’d have no one to look down upon and call names even as an adult.
Teacher
August 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
Thank you to the bloggers who have commented on “the real issues.” If teachers are expected to maintain totally privacy on Facebook so that students cannot see any personal information, how is it acceptable for a principal’s private life to be aired on the radio every morning? It is certainly disconcerting that a high school principal’s fiance’ makes derogatory comments to band students and their very hard-working director. It would have been much more positive had she mentioned the band’s representation of Georgia in the inaugural parade. A principal needs to be “focused” on serving as an instructional leader in his or her school- not seeking 15 minutes of fame that only serves to further the negative stereotypes of public schools!
I-675 and I-285
August 25th, 2010
4:58 am
Yes, Christine, Jenn apologized several times, and she sounded very sincere. Truly. As expected, Bert aired callers, all who proclaimed they were not at all offended, and one parent from South Cobb High School proclaimed “Not ONE person from the school took ANY offense to the comments.” Listeners are gearing up for Day 3 of hearing how beautiful Jenn looked, how the choice of dress and accessories were perfect, that Jenn is better than Kelly, what a natural she is, that there was absolutely no room for improvement, etc., etc. Running theme on TBS is that Jenn is going national & won’t be on TBS much longer.
I-675 and I-285
August 25th, 2010
5:51 am
Correction: Day 4
Jerry Brown
August 25th, 2010
5:57 am
Happy Birthday Regis, you are a breath of fresh air to TV each and every day
Anastasia
August 25th, 2010
6:21 am
To “IS IT ME” ~~ no, it’s not just you. Many listeners have posted that they like TBS personalities, EXCEPT for Wendy. She is incredibly annoying with her teen-age voice and dumb comments. However, Hobby has loved Wendy since she was an intern, and Jeff believes that since she works so hard, she should be on the air. Jeff and Wendy are also close personal friends. Making sense why we have to listen to her now?
Discussed
August 25th, 2010
9:29 pm
NO NO NO I-675 and I-285. First of all, that caller was not a parent from South Cobb High School, but a parent from her fiance’ school. She is a cobb county board member and his very close friend and allied, and I am sure that she would be very discussed if somebody called her children “geeky”. It seems that every body is acting very unprofessional and is completely acceptable. I feel sorry for our children.
Steph Wright
August 26th, 2010
9:04 pm
I find Jenn very annoying. She comes across as a “holier than thou” type of person. She seems to have a super big ego as well. Can’t believe a stylist picked that dress for her – UGH!
Flame Thrower
August 27th, 2010
10:28 pm
The caller was a school board member who is infatuated with Rivera, jenn’s fiancé(in case you missed one of the thousand times she said it on air. Apparently the school board is starting to become annoyed with Rivera. Let’s hope Jenn makes it to the big time because her fiancé is headed toward unemployment, ironically, because of her. Nice job Jenn! BTW, Dr. Rivera, the wagons are circling! Better dust off the old resume. Rumor has it that your superiors are none too happy with you.
yankee girl
August 29th, 2010
12:09 am
Do you think they would let any negative callers be aired, get real. Seriously “Queen Jenn” is average at best, let us all move on. To Principal Grant, be careful. she will use you in a heartbeat to get what she wants.
Susan
August 31st, 2010
12:45 am
Jenn’s comments were more revealing than anything. How could she not be thinking about Grant and what would happen to him if she called his kids geeks? Plus, what is up with her being on television talking about the news? I thought Jenn was the entertainment person and Melissa Carter is the news director. I thought Melissa used to work at CNN. Is Jenn openly trying to take Melissa’s job? I think Melissa is the only intellectual voice on FM morning radio.
ugg
August 31st, 2010
10:08 pm
I liked the way she involvedchi flat irons everything together