Paolo Presta

Last updated
Paolo Presta
Born
United States
Occupation(s)Talk show host, actor
Known for A Spoonful of Paolo
SpousePatrick Thomassie

Paolo Presta is an American talk show host and actor known for hosting the online talk show A Spoonful of Paolo which was the winner of a 2012 and 2022 Webby Award. [1] [2]

Contents

Life and career

Presta was born into a Catholic Italian family, one of seven siblings and the son of an Italian immigrant. [3]

In 2004, talk show host Oprah Winfrey during a "Wildest Dreams" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show got Presta, then an aspiring actor, a speaking role on the sitcom Will & Grace . Winfrey and her television crew showed up at his family's Chicago grocery store where Presta was working in response to multiple emails and letters Presta had sent Winfrey. [3]

Presta moved to Los Angeles to film his role on Will & Grace [3] and went on to work on the television series The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Talk and later hosting his own online talk show A Spoonful of Paolo. [4]

Years later in 2013, Winfrey reconnected with Presta on an episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now? [4]

In 2017, Patrick Thomassie, Presta's husband, and himself moved back to Chicago. [3]

On March 14, 2024 at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards Presta and female impersonator Chilli Pepper presented the GLAAD Vanguard Award to Oprah Winfrey. [5]

Winfrey appeared on a November 11, 2024 episode of A Spoonful of Presta as a guest. The episode debuted on the twentieth anniversary of the day Winfrey surprised Presta at his family's grocery store in 2004. [3]

References

  1. "A Spoonful of Paolo". Webby Awards. 2012.
  2. "A Spoonful Of Paolo 10 Year Anniversary". Webby Awards. 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hogan, Kate (October 21, 2024). "Oprah's 'You Get a Car!' Dream Season Aired 20 Years Ago; How It Changed One Man's Life Forever (Exclusive)". People .
  4. 1 2 James, Diego (10 April 2013). "How Oprah Changed a Gay Guy's Life". Out .
  5. Lenge, Yolanda (September 12, 2024). "Remembering Chilli Pepper: Icon and Trailblazer". GLAAD.