Joanne Rebecca Guilfoyle (born 29 May 1971), known professionally as Jo Beth Taylor, is an Australian television presenter, actress and singer most well known for hosting three weekly programs at the same time in the 1990s on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

: '' Australia's Funniest Home Video Show'' (1993–1997), ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

'' (1995–1997) and '' What's Up Doc?'' (1996–1997), before taking a hiatus from television for more than two years. Upon her return, Taylor hosted '' StarStruck'' (2000), which was to be her last regular role until ''

Dirty Jobs ''Dirty Jobs'' is an American television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the job's current employees. The sh ...

'' (2007). During the 1990s, Taylor also had a music career with the release of an album and four singles, and had starring stage roles in musical theatre. In recent years, Taylor has appeared on reality television programs ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' (2010) and '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' (2016).

Career

1984–1992

Taylor began singing at the age of 5 and performing professionally when she started her career on the television program ''Perth's Young Entertainers'' at the age of 13 in 1984. At the age of 15 she released a music video ''Running For Our Lives'' and in 1988 joined a band named ''Street Cafe'' and played regularly around Perth. Taylor moved to Melbourne in 1989 and recorded a demo tape, which found its way into the hands of

Molly Meldrum Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM (born 29 January 1943) is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent co-ordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the former popular mus ...

, who signed her to

Melodian Melodian Records was an Australian independent record label founded in 1988 by record producer and music journalist Ian Meldrum with Michael Gudinski and Amanda Pelman. The name ''Melodian'' is a combination of 'melody' and Meldrum and Ian. Bac ...

Records. When Taylor signed her record contract Meldrum suggested she change her name to Jo Beth as Joanne "wasn't good". In 1990, Taylor toured with Indecent Obsession as the support act for

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

. After becoming friends, Gibson invited Taylor to go to New York City, where she then lived for a year. During this time Gibson wrote and produced five tracks on Taylor's debut album ''99 Reasons''. While in New York Taylor also worked with Jelly Benetez who produced five tracks on her album. Taylor moved back to Australia and released her first single "99 Reasons" in 1991. The song hit the Australian Top 40, peaking at No. 31 and spending 9 weeks in the Top 50. Taylor's debut album was also titled ''99 Reasons'', however it failed to reach the top 100. "You Don't Own Me" was released as the second and final single from the album and was not a commercial success, charting at No. 137 on the

ARIA Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. Taylor was nominated for Best New Talent at the

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music The music of Australia has ...

in 1992.

1993–1997

A new track titled "A Prayer For Jane", penned by Steve Kipner who worked with

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

, was released as a single in 1993. Taylor wrote the song about a friend who had taken their own life. The song reached No. 61 on the Australian Charts. In February 1993, Taylor took over the hosting role of the top-rating

program '' Australia's Funniest Home Video Show''. This made Taylor not only the sole woman to be hosting a prime-time show in Australia, but at just 22 years old she was also the youngest person. Taylor also sang the shows opening theme song, titled "The Funny Things You Do". Throughout 1995 and 1996 Taylor also starred in the stage shows ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' and ''The New Rocky Horror Show''. In 1995, whilst still hosting on ''Funniest Home Videos'' Taylor earned the role of co-host on the long running variety program ''

'' following the departure of

Ernie Carroll Ernest Carroll (26 May 1929 – 30 March 2022) was an Australian puppeteer, entertainer, radio and television personality, comic writer, television producer and comic strip writer, most recognised for his role as the sidekick opposite Daryl Som ...

Ossie Ostrich Oswald Q. Ostrich, better known simply as Ossie Ostrich, is an Australian television puppet character in the form of a pink ostrich, created, performed and voiced by Ernie Carroll who appeared firstly on the ''Tarax Show'', and then opposite Daryl ...

. On a number of occasions Taylor would host the entire show by herself, when

Daryl Somers Daryl Paul Somers (né Schulz; 6 August 1951) is an Australian television personality and musician, and a triple Gold Logie award-winner. He rose to national fame as the host and executive producer of the long-running comedy-variety program '' ...

was away. Taylor would regularly perform music on the program. She was with the team when they celebrated their 25th Anniversary of the show at

Disneyworld The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, t ...

. 1996 saw Taylor make a brief return to music with the release of "I Love My Dog", a single for the '' 101 Dalmatians Movie'' soundtrack; reaching No. 95 on the

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

chart. During this time, Taylor hosted a number of specials for the

, including the ''Vision for a Better World'' Telethon and the ''40 Years of Television'' special which was filmed on the set of Taylor's sometime day job, '' What's Up Doc?''. In mid-1997 Taylor's time as host on ''Funniest Home Videos'' and co-host on ''Hey Hey'' came to an abrupt end when she failed to show for work, later explaining she suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. As she finished both programs without warning, emergency replacements were called in, with '' Getaway'' presenter

Catriona Rowntree Catriona Rowntree (born 19 July 1971) is an Australian television presenter. Rowntree is currently a presenter on the Nine Network's '' Getaway'' program. Career Rowntree studied journalism at Macleay College in Sydney, after working as a r ...

temporarily replacing her on '' Funniest Home Videos'', before Kim Kilby was brought in as a permanent host, whilst

Livinia Nixon Livinia Helen Nixon (19 March 1975) is an Australian television presenter and actress. Nixon is the chief weather presenter for ''Nine News Melbourne''.Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

''.

1999–2010

After more than two years off-screen, Taylor made her return television appearance on ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and sta ...

'' in August 1999, singing "

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...

". Taylor joined the cast of the Australian stage production, ''Happy Days: The Arena Mega Musical'' in October 1999. Taylor played Laura, a character created for the stage show, who was in cahoots with

Jon Stevens Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known for his work with Noiseworks and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Biography 1980–1986: career beginnings and ''Jezebel'' Stevens was born in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, and is ...

' Frank (also an original character) to put the famous diner out of business. The music selected for the ''Happy Days'' production was almost entirely from the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

. Taylor's songs included "Stand By Me", "You Don't Own Me" and "Smell Him". Taylor returned to '' Australia's Funniest Home Video Show'' as a guest in late 1999 for the shows 10th Anniversary special. She performed the program's theme song, "The Funny Things You Do", and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's version of " Happy Birthday". Taylor also returned as a guest and performer for the final episode of ''

'''s original run in November 1999. In 2000, Taylor hosted '' Starstruck'', a Saturday night talent quest show, in what was her final regular television role for more than seven years. Taylor appeared as a guest on '' Greeks on the Roof'' in 2003 and on '' Australia Unites: Reach Out to Asia'' in 2005, a joint venture by the

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

, and Ten networks to raise money for the

Boxing Day Tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

. In 2005 Taylor was announced as co-host of Nine's new lifestyle program ''Scotty's Place'' (later renamed '' Our Place''), but was replaced before the first episode. In 2006, Taylor joined

Noosa The Shire of Noosa is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it was ...

's radio station Zinc 96.1 FM morning crew with

Jamie Dunn Jamie Dunn (born 12 August 1950) is an Australian television and radio personality, puppeteer, comedian, and voice artist. Starting his entertainment career as a singer, Dunn moved into television, working the puppet Agro on ''Agro's Cartoon C ...

and Agro for six months. Taylor co-hosted an Australian version of ''

'' on the

with Ben Dark between October and November 2007 and made an appearance on ''

Mornings With Kerri-Anne ''Kerri-Anne'' was an Australian morning television program shown on the Nine Network, hosted by Kerri-Anne Kennerley. It was broadcast on weekdays at 9am for two hours. The final episode of the series was on 25 November 2011. It was replaced b ...

'' in 2009 during a travel infomercial segment. Taylor returned for the second ''

'' reunion show on 7 October 2009. Taylor was amongst the line up of celebrities competing in the tenth season of ''

'' on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

. She was eliminated in the fourth week. On 13 November 2010 episode of ''

'' she returned to the show as a contestant during one of the game segments. She returned again on 27 November 2010 to judge Red Faces on the series finale.

2016–present

Taylor returned to screens again after a six-year absence as a contestant on season two of '' I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in January 2016. She entered the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n jungle on Day 1 and chose

World Vision Australia World Vision Australia (WVA) is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the ''World Vision International Partnership'' led by World Vision International. WVA is Australia's largest o ...

as her charity. She later appeared as a co-host on ''

Studio 10 ''Studio 10'' is an Australian morning talk show on Network 10. The show airs between 8:30am and noon on weekdays and a highlights show airs between 9:30am and noon on weekends. ''Studio 10'' is broadcast live from Network 10 Studios in Pyrm ...

'' and a contestant on '' All Star Family Feud'' on 1 August 2016.

Personal life

After disappearing from television in mid-1997, Taylor moved to San Diego, California, and remained out of the public eye for more than two years. She returned to Australia in August 1999 and revealed in an interview with Ray Martin that her disappearance was due to a nervous breakdown. In 2016, during an episode of '' I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', Taylor confirmed her abrupt disappearance in 1997 was due to being exhausted and stressed due to work pressures, along with the negative effect a falsely rumoured sex tape was having on herself and her family. Taylor described that time of her life as extremely difficult and explained that her mental instability and weaknesses were not talked about back then, but that she is not ashamed. Taylor travelled to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

in 1996 as an ambassador for

to meet her sponsor child and film a documentary. Taylor's first marriage was to guitarist Jamie Jardine from 1992 until 1997. In 1995, they purchased a historic 500-hectare property on the northern NSW coast. Taylor's second marriage was to tennis player

Thomas Muster Thomas Muster (born 2 October 1967) is an Austrian former world No. 1 tennis player. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, he won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was called "The King of Clay". In addition, he won eig ...

. Taylor and Muster married in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 2000 and had one child, Christian (born 2001). Their wedding photos and story appeared in ''

Woman's Day ''Woman's Day'' is an American women's monthly magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines. The magazine was fir ...

'' magazine. Taylor and Muster separated in 2002 and divorced in 2005. In 2019, Taylor moved back to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

after living in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

with her son since 2005. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 2010 and is studying as a yoga teacher trainee.

Filmography

Television

Stage

Discography

Albums

Singles

chart peaks: *Top 50 peaks: *Top 100 peaks to December 2010: *''99 Reasons'' (album): *"You Don't Own Me": , - !scope="row", "99 Reasons" , rowspan="2", 1991 , align="center", 31 , rowspan="2", ''99 Reasons'' , - !scope="row", "You Don't Own Me" , align="center", 137 , - !scope="row", "A Prayer for Jane" , 1993 , align="center", 61 , Non-album single , - !scope="row", "I Love My Dog" , 1996 , align="center", 95 , '' 101 Dalmatians Soundtrack''

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. , , - ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, "99 Reasons" ,

ARIA Award for Best New Talent The ARIA Music Award for Best New Talent was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was presented from 1987 through to 1998. The award for Best New Talent was first presented in 1987. Crowded House won the award with their single "D ...

, , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jo Beth 1971 births Living people Australian women pop singers Australian television presenters Actresses from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Carine Senior High School 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series) participants Australian women television presenters Musicians from Perth, Western Australia