Courtney Hazlett
Encyclopedia
Courtney Brooke Hazlett is a columnist and Celebrity Correspondent for todayshow.com, the official site for NBC's The Today Show. She is the author of "The Scoop" blog and column, featured on the todayshow.com, msnbc.com
, and Newsvine
websites. Hazlett also provides on-air commentary for The Today Show and MSNBC
programs.
, and earned a M.S. in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
in 2005.
magazine at one point. While at OK! Magazine, she began appearing as a guest correspondent on CNN
and MSNBC, where she became a mainstay on the Joe Scarborough
-hosted programs Scarborough Country
and Morning Joe
.
In October 2007, Hazlett left OK! to take over "The Scoop" column on msnbc.com, replacing Jeannette Walls
. The column features entertainment-news items, culled from original reporting and other media sources. It also features reviews and plugs for movies, TV shows, and other media productions that Hazlett considers noteworthy. Her first column was published on October 29, 2007.
On April 25, 2010, the column was formally moved to todayshow.com, although it still continues to appear on the MSNBC website. On August 12, 2010, it was converted from a daily-column format to a weekday blog, with multiple entries per day.
Hazlett frequently appears on MSNBC and The Today Show as an entertainment correspondent. She is currently a regular on Tamron Hall
's 2PM hour on MSNBC Live
. A L'Oréal
-sponsored segment discussing her latest "The Scoop" column was a regular feature on MSNBC's Morning Joe from October 2007 through July 2009, when the program abruptly discontinued it. No official explanation was given for Hazlett being dropped from the show, and L'Oréal's sponsored ad spots continued for several weeks afterward.
Hazlett was the substitute host for The Ron Reagan
Show on Air America Radio
during the week of June 1, 2009. She also occasionally appeared on the program to discuss entertainment news.
On September 8, 2011 Hazlett publicly announced that she was expecting a baby. She did not name the father, however according to her Facebook
page, she is in a relationship with Steven Marrs, president of Momentum Entertainment Group.
in which Hazlett misrepresented Vogue
magazine editor Anna Wintour
's "Letter from the Editor" column in the magazine's February 2008 issue. The column discussed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's decision to pull out of a scheduled photo shoot for the magazine. Wintour criticized the Washington Post for contributing to an atmosphere that derided any display of femininity by Clinton, which was what led Clinton to withdraw. However, Hazlett deleted two key sentences from the column while she read from it on the air, giving the erroneous impression that Wintour was attacking Clinton instead of the newspaper. At the segment's close, Hazlett ironically said, "I'm not going to dis Anna Wintour." Despite public complaints from Media Matters for America
and The Daily Howler
, no correction or apology was ever issued.
On May 1, 2008, Hazlett's "The Scoop" column for April 30 was removed from the msnbc.com Web site, with an official retraction notice issued. The column suggested without basis that disgraced memoirist James Frey
had lied in a Vanity Fair
article about an encounter with author Norman Mailer
. It also erroneously stated that Frey lied in the article about seeing an advance version of TheSmokingGun.com report that ultimately ruined his reputation. Complaints from Frey's publicists led to the column being withdrawn.
During Hazlett's appearance on the June 6, 2008 edition of Morning Joe, she reported on a public confrontation at the Cannes Film Festival
between filmmakers Spike Lee
and Clint Eastwood
. She characterized the behavior of Lee, who is African-American, as "uppity," a term that that many feel carries racist connotations. Hazlett apologized to Lee and MSNBC viewers in a written statement later that day.
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, and Newsvine
Newsvine
Newsvine is a community-powered, collaborative journalism news website, owned by msnbc.com, which draws content from its users and syndicated content from mainstream sources such as The Associated Press...
websites. Hazlett also provides on-air commentary for The Today Show and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
programs.
Early life
Hazlett, a native of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, is a 1995 graduate of Franklin Regional High School. She received a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1999 from Tulane UniversityTulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, and earned a M.S. in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
in 2005.
Career
After graduating from Tulane, Hazlett held editorial positions at Boating magazine and Yachting magazine, where she rose to the position of senior editor. After enrolling in Columbia's graduate journalism program, she was employed as a reporter at TheSmokingGun.com, People Magazine, and OK! Magazine. She was also employed by Golf WorldGolf World
Golf World is a weekly magazine covering the game of golf published by Condé Nast Publications. It celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2007, and is therefore the oldest golf publication in the United States...
magazine at one point. While at OK! Magazine, she began appearing as a guest correspondent on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and MSNBC, where she became a mainstay on the Joe Scarborough
Joe Scarborough
Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
-hosted programs Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....
and Morning Joe
Morning Joe
Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
.
In October 2007, Hazlett left OK! to take over "The Scoop" column on msnbc.com, replacing Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls is a writer and journalist widely known as former gossip columnist for MSNBC.com — and author of The Glass Castle, a memoir of the nomadic family life of her childhood, which stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for 100 weeks.-Early life and education:Walls was born...
. The column features entertainment-news items, culled from original reporting and other media sources. It also features reviews and plugs for movies, TV shows, and other media productions that Hazlett considers noteworthy. Her first column was published on October 29, 2007.
On April 25, 2010, the column was formally moved to todayshow.com, although it still continues to appear on the MSNBC website. On August 12, 2010, it was converted from a daily-column format to a weekday blog, with multiple entries per day.
Hazlett frequently appears on MSNBC and The Today Show as an entertainment correspondent. She is currently a regular on Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall is a day-side anchor for MSNBC and host of the program NewsNation with Tamron Hall.-Early career:...
's 2PM hour on MSNBC Live
MSNBC Live
msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
. A L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
-sponsored segment discussing her latest "The Scoop" column was a regular feature on MSNBC's Morning Joe from October 2007 through July 2009, when the program abruptly discontinued it. No official explanation was given for Hazlett being dropped from the show, and L'Oréal's sponsored ad spots continued for several weeks afterward.
Hazlett was the substitute host for The Ron Reagan
Ron Reagan
Ronald Prescott "Ron" Reagan sometimes known as Ronald Reagan, Jr., is a former talk radio host and chief political analyst for KIRO radio in Seattle until his show was canceled on August 8, 2007...
Show on Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
during the week of June 1, 2009. She also occasionally appeared on the program to discuss entertainment news.
On September 8, 2011 Hazlett publicly announced that she was expecting a baby. She did not name the father, however according to her Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, she is in a relationship with Steven Marrs, president of Momentum Entertainment Group.
Controversies
The January 21, 2008 edition of Morning Joe featured a segment with Hazlett and program co-host Willie GeistWillie Geist
William "Willie" Geist is host of MSNBC's Way Too Early with Willie Geist, a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and contributor to several NBC News programs. Geist also hosts a satirical video blog on MSNBC.com called Zeitgeist...
in which Hazlett misrepresented Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
magazine editor Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour, OBE is the British-born editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. With her trademark pageboy bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for...
's "Letter from the Editor" column in the magazine's February 2008 issue. The column discussed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's decision to pull out of a scheduled photo shoot for the magazine. Wintour criticized the Washington Post for contributing to an atmosphere that derided any display of femininity by Clinton, which was what led Clinton to withdraw. However, Hazlett deleted two key sentences from the column while she read from it on the air, giving the erroneous impression that Wintour was attacking Clinton instead of the newspaper. At the segment's close, Hazlett ironically said, "I'm not going to dis Anna Wintour." Despite public complaints from Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America is a politically progressive media watchdog group which says it is "dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Set up as a 501 non-profit organization, MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and...
and The Daily Howler
The Daily Howler
The Daily Howler is an American political blog written by Bob Somerby. It was perhaps the first major political blog, started in 1998. The style is by turns earnest and sarcastic. Somerby criticizes what he considers the media's frequently biased or lazy coverage...
, no correction or apology was ever issued.
On May 1, 2008, Hazlett's "The Scoop" column for April 30 was removed from the msnbc.com Web site, with an official retraction notice issued. The column suggested without basis that disgraced memoirist James Frey
James Frey
James Christopher Frey is an American writer. His books A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard , as well as Bright Shiny Morning , were bestsellers...
had lied in a Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
article about an encounter with author Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
. It also erroneously stated that Frey lied in the article about seeing an advance version of TheSmokingGun.com report that ultimately ruined his reputation. Complaints from Frey's publicists led to the column being withdrawn.
During Hazlett's appearance on the June 6, 2008 edition of Morning Joe, she reported on a public confrontation at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
between filmmakers Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
and Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. She characterized the behavior of Lee, who is African-American, as "uppity," a term that that many feel carries racist connotations. Hazlett apologized to Lee and MSNBC viewers in a written statement later that day.