Lara Spencer

Last updated
Lara Spencer
Lara Spencer May 2014.jpg
Spencer in 2014
Born
Lara Christine Von Seelen

(1969-06-19) June 19, 1969 (age 55)
Garden City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater Pennsylvania State University
Occupation(s)Television host, television producer
Spouses
David Haffenreffer
​
​
(m. 2000;div. 2015)​
​
(m. 2018)​
Children2

Lara Christine Von Seelen [1] (known professionally as Lara Spencer; born June 19, 1969) [2] is an American television journalist. She is best known for being the co-anchor for ABC's Good Morning America . [3] She is also a correspondent for Nightline and ABC News. She was the host of the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine The Insider from 2004 to 2011 and was a regular contributor to CBS's The Early Show . [4] She was the national correspondent for Good Morning America and spent several years as a lifestyle reporter for WABC-TV. She hosted Antiques Roadshow on PBS for the 2004 and 2005 seasons [5] and Antiques Roadshow FYI, a spin-off of Antiques Roadshow, during 2005. She hosts the show Flea Market Flip on both HGTV and the Great American Country channel. In April 2018, she announced she would be only appearing on GMA three days a week to focus on her television producing. [6]

Contents

Biography

Spencer in 2009 LaraSpencerAAFeb09.jpg
Spencer in 2009

Spencer grew up in the New York suburb of Garden City, Long Island, [2] the daughter of Richard Ernest and Carolyn von Seelen. She graduated from Garden City High School in 1987. [7] She attended Pennsylvania State University on an athletic scholarship [7] for springboard and platform diving and was a nationally ranked competitive diver. She was named an All American Athlete in 1991, [8] her senior year, and graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism. [9] [10]

Following college, Spencer went into the NBC page program, where she would volunteer to work with other reporters in order to gain experience. From there, she landed a position at the CBS affiliate WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee as a multimedia journalist shooting and producing her own stories. A year later, she joined News 12 Long Island. Two years later, she began to anchor overnight news updates for WABC-TV. [11] While there, she convened over coverage of the TWA Flight 800 crash, bringing her to the attention of national news executives. [11] [12] She then joined ABC's Good Morning America in 1999 as a national correspondent. [3]

Spencer married former CNNfn journalist David Haffenreffer on September 30, 2000, at St. Andrew's Dune Church in an Episcopal ceremony. [1] They lived in the Riverside [13] section of Greenwich, Connecticut. The couple divorced in June 2015. [14]

In 2014, Spencer was named grand marshal at Penn State's homecoming. [8]

In 2017, she hosted the limited series People Icons. [15]

Spencer announced in January 2018 [16] that she was engaged to New York tech entrepreneur Richard McVey. Spencer first met McVey after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of MarketAxess, a publicly traded financial technology company. On September 1, 2018, Spencer and McVey married in an outdoor ceremony in Vail, Colorado. [17]

In 2018, People announced Spencer’s plans to leave her job as one of the co-anchors on Good Morning America to focus on her production company, DuffKat Media, and work on Good Morning America from behind the scenes in a lesser capacity. [18]

In 2019, Spencer was the guest picker on College GameDay for the Michigan vs. Penn State game. [19]

Television producer

Spencer was the creator and executive producer of the prime time game show, It's Worth What? , hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, which aired during the summer of 2011 on NBC. [20] She created and produced two television shows based on her passions for interior designing, a one-hour special titled I Brake for Yard Sales that originally aired in April 2012 on HGTV and a flea market-themed series currently airing on Great American Country called Flea Market Flip. [21]

Other work

Spencer's first book, I Brake for Yard Sales, a guide on how to create high-end looking rooms using secondhand finds, was published and released in April 2012. [22]

She replaced Brooke Burke-Charvet and co-hosted the 87th Miss America pageant at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey with Chris Harrison on September 15, 2013. [23] She and Harrison co-hosted Miss America 2015 on September 14, 2014. [24]

Spencer's second book, titled Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures, a guide on designing rooms and homes, was published and released on September 16, 2014. [25]

Controversy

In August 2019, Spencer's comments about six-year-old Prince George of Cambridge enjoying ballet classes (among other hobbies) were interpreted by some as offensive, causing public backlash. [26] [27] Spencer issued an Instagram apology, saying, "I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions" [28] [29] and apologized on Good Morning America during an interview with three professional male dancers. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Good Morning America</i> American morning news television show

Good Morning America is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. The Sunday edition was canceled in 1999; weekend editions returned on both Saturdays and Sundays on September 4, 2004. The weekday and Saturday programs airs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in all United States timezones. The Sunday editions are an hour long and are transmitted to ABC's stations live at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, although stations in some media markets air them at different times. Viewers in the Pacific Time Zone receive an updated feed with a specialized opening and updated live reports. A third hour of the weekday broadcast aired from 2007 to 2008, exclusively on ABC News Now.

<i>The Insider</i> (TV program) American syndicated newsmagazine

The Insider is an American syndicated newsmagazine television program that was distributed by CBS Television Distribution. The program premiered in first-run syndication on September 13, 2004 and ended on September 9, 2017, as a spin-off of Entertainment Tonight, which originated the concept as a segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information on stories and topics of interest from throughout the entertainment industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Lunden</span> American television journalist

Joan Lunden is an American journalist, an author, and a television host. Lunden was the co-host of ABC's Good Morning America from 1980 to 1997, and has authored over ten books. She has appeared on the Biography program and Biography Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Roberts (newscaster)</span> American television broadcaster (born 1960)

Robin Roberts is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC's Good Morning America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Elliott</span> American television journalist

Josh Elliott is an American television journalist who most recently worked for CBS News. He has previously worked as the news anchor for ABC's Good Morning America, a sports anchor for NBC Sports and Today, and was a co-anchor for the live telecast of ESPN's morning edition of SportsCenter.

Grace Lee is a South Korean-born Filipino film distributor, businesswoman, former television host and former radio disc jockey. She is one of a few Korean expatriates to appear prominently in Philippine television, other notable expatriates are Sandara Park, Ryan Bang and Sam Oh. In 2015, she left the country to go back home to her native country and serve there. She can speak Tagalog and English in addition to her native Korean.

Arnold Clavio, also known as Igan, is a Filipino radio and television newscaster, journalist, and television host. He currently co-anchors GMA Network's late-night newscast Saksi, the morning show Unang Hirit, and a morning radio show called One on One: Walang Personalan on DZBB with Connie Sison. He also writes a column entitled Hirit Na! for the tabloid newspaper Abante. He was the director of Solid Ground School in Plaridel, Bulacan in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juju Chang</span> American television journalist

Hyunju "Juju" Chang is an American television journalist for ABC News, and is currently an anchor of Nightline. She has previously worked as a special correspondent and fill-in anchor for Nightline, and was also the news anchor for ABC News' morning news program Good Morning America from 2009 to 2011.

Good Morning America Weekend is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It is the Saturday and Sunday edition of Good Morning America, with the regular Monday through Friday edition currently being hosted by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopolous, Michael Strahan and ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsten Haglund</span> American beauty pageant contestant

Kirsten Iora Müller-Daubermann is a public speaker, eating disorder awareness activist, commentator, and president of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation. She served as Miss America 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Haines</span> American television host and journalist

Sara Hilary Haines is an American television host and journalist. She is known as one of the co-hosts of the ABC daytime talk shows The View and Strahan, Sara and Keke and the host of the game show The Chase. For her work on the first two series, she received Daytime Emmy Award nominations. She has also worked as a correspondent on Today, ABC News, and Good Morning America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bianna Golodryga</span> American journalist (born 1978)

Bianna Vitalievna Golodryga is a Moldovan-born American news anchor and journalist. She currently co-anchors with Zain Asher the CNN global news show, One World with Zain and Bianna, airing weekdays. She previously served as a senior global affairs analyst at CNN, and was previously the news and finance anchor at Yahoo! News. Golodryga was also previously co-anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America and a co-host of CBS This Morning.

<i>Antiques Roadshow</i> (American TV program) American television program

Antiques Roadshow is an American television program broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television stations. The program features local antiques owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. Provenance, history, and value of the items are discussed. Based on the original British Antiques Roadshow, which premiered in 1979, the American version first aired in 1997. When taping locations are decided, they are announced on the program's website raising the profile of various small to mid-size cities, such as Billings, Montana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Bismarck, North Dakota; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Rapid City, South Dakota. Antiques Roadshow has been nominated 16 times for a Primetime Emmy.

Egypt Sherrod is an American radio and television personality, as well as real estate broker and designer. She is best known as host of HGTV's Flipping Virgins and its long running show, Property Virgins. She is CEO & Managing Broker of the Atlanta-based residential brokerage Indigo Road Realty, and is also principal designer at Indigo Road Design Group and Indigo Road Home Furnishings.

Flea Market Flip is reality television series that aired on HGTV and Great American Country. It premiered on September 28, 2012, and is hosted by Lara Spencer. Spencer, who also serves as executive producer, has written multiple books on the subject of "flipping" furniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Faris</span> American television correspondent

Paula Faris is an American journalist and television correspondent, formerly of ABC News. She is known for her tenure as co-anchor of Good Morning America Weekend from 2014 to 2018 and as co-host of The View from 2015 to 2018. Prior to this, Faris co-anchored World News Now and America This Morning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Ruhle</span> American journalist (born 1975)

Stephanie Ruhle Hubbard is an American television journalist who is the host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle and the NBC News Senior Business analyst. Previously, Ruhle was managing editor and news anchor for Bloomberg Television and editor-at-large for Bloomberg News. Ruhle co-hosted the Bloomberg Television show Bloomberg GO and was one of three Bloomberg reporters who broke the story identifying the trader behind the 2012 JPMorgan Chase trading loss.

<i>GMA3: What You Need to Know</i> US television series

GMA3: What You Need to Know is an American daytime news program broadcast by ABC. Anchored by Jennifer Ashton, DeMarco Morgan, and Eva Pilgrim, it is an afternoon spin-off of ABC's national morning show Good Morning America.

Richard Mitchell McVey is an American entrepreneur who is chairman and chief executive officer of MarketAxess, which operates an electronic trading platform for corporate bonds and other fixed-income products. McVey has led MarketAxess since he founded the company in April 2000.

A Very Brady Renovation is an American reality television miniseries airing on HGTV. It showcases the renovation of the Studio City, California house that was used for many of the exterior shots in the 1969–1974 American sitcom The Brady Bunch. The house was purchased by HGTV in 2018 for $3.5 million. The renovation was completed in May 2019 and the miniseries premiered on September 9, with the surviving Brady Bunch cast appearing in the program.

References

  1. 1 2 "WEDDINGS; Lara Spencer, David Haffenreffer". The New York Times . October 1, 2000. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Lara Spencer". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Sherwood, Ben (2011-03-17). "Lara Spencer, Insider Co-Anchor, Joins Good Morning America". abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (2011-03-17). "Lara Spencer Leaving 'The Insider' for 'Good Morning America' - The Hollywood Reporter". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "2012-13 Penn State Women's Swimming and Diving Yearbook". 8 January 2013. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  6. ↑ "Lara Spencer Is Stepping Away From Role at "Good Morning America"". Good Housekeeping. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  7. 1 2 Ricapito, Maria (December 15, 2014). "How I Got Here: 'Good Morning America' Cohost Lara Spencer Explains Her Career Path". Marie Claire . Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Lara Spencer to be grand marshal at Homecoming 2014" (Press release). news.psu.edu. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Lara Spencer Biography". laraspencer.net. 2013. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ Blaschak, Kate (1996-01-31). "Coach scores Brownie points". The Digital Collegian. Archived from the original on 20 March 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  11. 1 2 Needleman, Sarah E. (2009-09-29). "Lara Spencer and 'The Insider'". The Wall Street Journal . New York: Dow Jones. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Jill (February 2012). "Firmly Anchored". greenwichmag.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Costagregni, Susie, "Antares party raises funds for Greenwich YMCA", headline for "The dish with susie" column in The Advocate (Stamford) of Stamford, Connecticut, May 13, 2007, page 2
  14. ↑ "GMA's Lara Spencer Finalizes Divorce". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
  15. ↑ Corinthios, Aurelie (14 February 2017). "From Will and Kate to Sexiest Man Alive: Lara Spencer to Host New Series Inspired by Iconic PEOPLE Covers" . Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "'Good Morning America' host Lara Spencer engaged to Rick McVey". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  17. ↑ "Lara Spencer is Married! Good Morning America Co-Host Ties the Knot in Vail". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  18. ↑ "Lara Spencer Is Cutting Back Good Morning America Role to Focus on Lifestyle Brand: Source". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  19. ↑ "Lee Corso's headgear pick for Michigan vs. Penn State with Lara Spencer - College GameDay". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  20. ↑ "'It's Worth What?': NBC Sets Premiere Date". The Hollywood Reporter. June 8, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  21. ↑ "'Flea Market Flip': Lara Spencer on her new HGTV show and her top 4 treasure-hunting tips". Entertainment Weekly. September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  22. ↑ Spencer, Lara (2011). I Brake for Yard Sales. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. ISBN   978-1-58479-922-1. OCLC   700735587.
  23. ↑ "Chris Harrison, Lara Spencer to Host Miss America 2014". ABC News. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  24. ↑ Kuperinsky, Amy (August 14, 2014). "Miss America 2015: Judges include N.J.'s Gary Vaynerchuk". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  25. ↑ Spencer, Lara; Feezor, Amy; Adler, Jonathan; Ubiña, ChiChi (2014). Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang. ISBN   978-1-61769-095-2. OCLC   858845655.
  26. ↑ A. O. L. Staff (23 August 2019). "'GMA' anchor Lara Spencer accused of 'bullying' Prince George for liking ballet: 'Despicable'". AOL.com. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  27. ↑ Ohmer, S. "Defending Dance". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  28. ↑ Swift, Andy (August 23, 2019). "Lara Spencer Apologizes for Mocking Prince George's Ballet Lessons on GMA". Yahoo Entertainment.
  29. ↑ Todisco, Eric (August 23, 2019). "Lara Spencer Apologizes for 'Insensitive Comment' About Prince George's Ballet Lessons on GMA". People.
  30. ↑ France, Lisa Respers; Garvey, Marianne (August 26, 2019). "Lara Spencer, 'Good Morning America' co-anchor, apologizes for mocking Prince George's interest in ballet". CNN. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
Media offices
Preceded by Miss America co-host with Chris Harrison
2013–2014		Succeeded by
Brooke Burke
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.