Jo Frost
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Joanne Frost (born 27 June 1970) is an English television personality, nanny, and author. She is best known for the reality television programme '' Supernanny UK'', in which she was the central figure. The show first aired in the United Kingdom in 2004 and she has branched off into several other reality shows in the United Kingdom, United States and the Netherlands. '' Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost'' addressed issues such as addiction and abuse. ''Family Matters'' is a
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
. She has written six books on
child care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...
.


Early life

Frost grew up with one brother in Southwest London. Her father was an English builder and her mother, born in
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
, was an interior decorator. Frost had a happy, physically active childhood. Because her father was interested in history, she frequently visited a number of castles and museums as a child. Frost's mother died of
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
when Frost was 24.


Career


Nanny

Frost worked as a nanny for over 30 years, beginning in 1989, when she was 18 years of age. She was employed in the United Kingdom and the United States and Frost's clients included celebrities such as John Lloyd, a television producer.


Television

Frost was hired for the Channel 4's ''
Supernanny ''Supernanny'' is a British reality television programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime, potty training, etc. The show features professional nanny Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a family wh ...
'' television show that launched in the United Kingdom in 2004. In each episode she visited a family and implemented consistent disciplinary, behavioral, and entertainment techniques to improve troubled families' lives. In their book ''Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment, Children and Adolescents'', Michel Hersen and David Reitman state, "With considerable skill, ''Super Nanny'' Jo Frost implements standard, evidence-based contingency management procedures, as well as heavy evidence of creating alternative positive activity structures." The show has had its critics, and not all child-care experts agree with her approach. Some people find that the children's right to privacy has been violated and that children are embarrassed when put on the "naughty step".
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...
media and cultural-studies lecturer Tracey Jensen believes that the format results in the mother being "shamed before she is transformed". The show, viewed by six million people in its first year, was an "instant success." Shows were created in 48 countries by 2014 that were tailored after ''Supernanny''. The UK show ran six seasons. The United States version aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. Like the UK version, the American
Supernanny ''Supernanny'' is a British reality television programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime, potty training, etc. The show features professional nanny Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a family wh ...
was also a success and garnered Frost invitations to ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'', ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'', and ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...
''. In 2011, Frost quit ''Supernanny'', and Deborah Tillman, who ran a group of play schools, was hired as her replacement for the United States show. ''Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance'' aired in the UK for Channel 4 beginning in 2010. It had an issue-based format, with limited home visits. '' Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost'' premiered 28 May 2013, on
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
in the United States with a 90-minute episode. ''Supernanny'' focused on discipline issues, but ''Family S.O.S.'' tackled serious, complex issues, such as blended families, addiction, abuse, and marital problems in family's homes. TV critic Hank Stuever commented, "For all its noise and uncomfy moments, ''Family S.O.S.'' is relatively genuine stuff, especially for the current incarnation of TLC. Viewers who know Frost's previous work will have no trouble believing that she cares about the outcome and sincerely wants to help these families patch things up." Frost was one of the executive producers for the show. Beginning 18 April 2014, she hosted the talk show ''
Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...
'' for
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. Prior to the show, families underwent taped interviews about the nature of their difficulties, to be addressed during the talk show. The show relied on Frost's intuition and experience to resolve difficult situations, sometimes dealing with parents more directly than she may have done in other shows. Over time, Frost has softened her image, including stopping her common gesture of pointing her finger at people, and stopped wearing severe suits, both of which had been iconic during her time on ''Supernanny''. Twofour Broadcast planned in July 2014 for a new UK show with Frost that would "help to restore harmony and balance to their family life" over the course of a family retreat. It was announced in January 2015 that Frost's production company, Nanny Jo Productions, partnered with Strix Television to produce ''Nanny on Tour''. Based in the Netherlands, Frost will travel across the country helping families. An American version debuted on
Up TV UP TV (stylized as UPtv; formerly GMC TV and originally Gospel Music Channel) is an American basic cable television network that was founded to have a focus on gospel music. It has expanded into family-friendly original movies, series, and special ...
on 28 January 2016 for a 10-week run. Lifetime announced, on 27 March 2019, that a twenty-episode season of ''Supernanny'' would return on their network. It premiered on 1 January 2020, eight years after the ABC version finished. On 16 September 2020,
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 ...
announced Frost would front their new show ''The Parent Jury'' in Australia.


Advocacy

Frost is an advocate for the
United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that supports the United Nations and its activities. It was established in 1998 with a $1 billion gift to the United Nations by philanthropist Ted Turner, ...
's Shot@Life movement, which aims to decrease vaccine-preventable childhood diseases and deaths. In March 2015, she visited legislators at
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
to show her support for the movement. Frost operates a blog to promote vaccination of children and is one of the celebrities that has shown her support for #Givingtuesday, the International Day of Giving.


Personal life

In 1994, her mother died of cancer. Frost, who regularly travels for work, lived with her father when she was not taping or meeting other career obligations. As of 2014, she is living with her husband, location coordinator Darrin Jackson, in
Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...
. She speaks on parental and familial issues. Frost also is an active supporter for those who live with
anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the follow ...
and life-threatening allergies, and is the 2014 ambassador for FARE (Food, Allergy, Research and Education) and an activist for children of neglect and poverty.


Works


Programmes

* * * * * * * * * ''The Parent Jury''. Australia. 2021


Books

* * * * * *


See also

*
Sharon Carr Sharon Louise Carr (born 1981), also known as "The Devil's Daughter", is a British woman who is Britain's youngest female murderer. In June 1992, aged only 12, she murdered 18-year-old Katie Rackliff after picking her out at random as she walke ...
– Britain's youngest female murderer, whom Frost has presented documentaries on


References


External links

* *
Supernanny: The official website of the TV show on ABC

Supernanny: The official website of the TV show on Style Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Jo 1970 births Living people British people of Gibraltarian descent Participants in American reality television series Television personalities from London Nannies English domestic workers English expatriates in the United States 21st-century English women writers Women television personalities