Jerry Penacoli (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and entertainment reporter, and served as a host with the US syndicated magazine show ''
Extra'' for 20 years.
Reporting career
Before going national, Penacoli served as a newscaster and talk show host in several markets starting in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, then
WTVJ
WTVJ (channel 6) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV (ch ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, where Jerry served as host of ''
PM Magazine'' in the early 1980s, and then
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
[ He was an evening news anchor for the Philadelphia TV station ]KYW-TV
KYW-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside CW affiliate WPSG (channel 57 ...
(an NBC affiliate at the time), from the mid-1980s until he moved to New York City in 1990, and also did double duty during his final two years at KYW as host of their local talk show ''People Are Talking''.[Jerry Penacoli: Correspondent]
'' Extra''. Accessed November 19, 2008. He later relocated to Hollywood in 1992.
Penacoli worked on the tabloid show '' Hard Copy'' from 1996 to 1999. He also served as the first male host of Lifetime's "Attitudes" with Linda Dano. Prior to Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
, his broadcasting career included stints at E! Entertainment
E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUnive ...
television, where he hosted the entertainment network's live coverage of premieres and events, and Paramount Television
The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...
. He also co-hosted ''Richard Simmons' Dream Maker'' with Richard Simmons and Kat Carney in Fall 1999. As of February 4, 2013, Penacoli has served as co-host on the syndicated morning television program ''Daytime'' out of Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, which is seen in more than 130 U.S. markets.
Acting career
His credits include several daytime soaps as principal characters and guest-starring roles on numerous sitcoms and dramas as well as film roles, including ''Woman on Top
Woman on top is any sex position in which the woman is on top of her sexual partner during sexual activity. The position most commonly associated with the woman on top is often called the cowgirl or riding position, which derives its name from ...
'' with Penélope Cruz and ''Galaxy Quest
''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the fi ...
'' with Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver.[
Penacoli was a special guest as the host of The Scoop in an episode of Williams Street's '']Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often sat ...
''.
Personal life
Penacoli was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey. He attended grade school at St. Joan of Arc grade school in Marlton and high school at Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, New Jersey. Penacoli resides in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and is an artist in his spare time. In 2011, Penacoli revealed on Extra that he was diagnosed with stage three melanoma, resulting in surgery and protracted hospitalization. He was also diagnosed with early-stage thyroid cancer at that time. Penacoli later announced to viewers that he had been declared cancer-free. In 2016, Jerry successfully underwent open heart surgery.- WFLA TV - Jerry Returns to Daytime
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Penacoli, Jerry
1956 births
Living people
Male actors from New Jersey
Male actors from Pennsylvania
American male film actors
American male journalists
American male television actors
Holy Cross Academy (New Jersey) alumni
People from Evesham Township, New Jersey
Actors from Scranton, Pennsylvania
American television personalities
Male television personalities
Journalists from Pennsylvania