Whitney Reynolds (born April 3, 1986) is an American television talk show host, renowned for bringing a message of HOPE to audiences of The Whitney Reynolds Show, a nationally syndicated topic-based talk show that airs on PBS stations across the United States as well as via major providers such as Amazon, Tubi, YouTube and Roku.
She is a media personality, podcast host, author, executive producer, and philanthropist. She has been faithfully dedicated to the city of Chicago since the day she arrived and her first talk show aired locally on NBC. She continues to host and dedicate specials and Emmy® Award nominated PSAs to her home city in front of a live audience for WGN and is committed to bringing positive change via the Whitney Reynolds Show produced at the CineCity Studios.
With over a decade of being aired in major markets, as of 2021 the Whitney Reynolds Show became nationally syndicated on PBS through National Educational Telecommunications Association.
Education
Originally from Durant, Oklahoma, Reynolds attended Durant High School from the year 2000–2004. She was engaged in wide-ranging activities from being a cheerleader and executive president to anchoring her high school TV channel.[1] In tenth grade, she went to New York City for research, where she had a meeting that would set the course of her adult life.
At Good Morning America, she met an alumnus of Baylor University, the school where she would go on to obtain her undergraduate degree in Communications. As with her high school experience, at Baylor, too, she was energetic and ever-present both in the realm of academia and in extracurricular communities such as Pi Beta Phi, YMCA Camp Counselor, and Habitat for Humanity.
She also worked at Baylor Athletics as a Video Assistant and Bears Radio Announcer.
Reynolds makes it a point to visit and gives back to her hometown whenever she can even making it a stop in her 2016 book tour and has been back to Baylor University to give keynotes to faculty and her sorority, a distinguished alumnus featured in their Art & Science Magazine in which she is aptly described as “one of the most driven students that’s ever been around.”[2]
Early television career
Whitney Reynolds interviewing for the Weekends with Whitney.
Whitney’s early trip to New York city resulted in connections that would secure her a career-starting internship with the television show Good Morning America post-college. While there, she worked in the research department, assisted in the studio, even entertaining the audience when the situation so demanded. The encouragement she received in her early career is a vital part of why she pays it forward even in the present, bringing up interns and giving them opportunities to learn and thrive in the industry.
Upon completion of the Good Morning America internship, at the age of 21, Reynolds worked as a reporter and producer at KTEN News, an NBC station outside of Dallas, Texas.
Within three months, Reynolds became an anchor of their morning news show and with her popularity were able to increase the segment by a half hour - from 1.5 to 2 hours every day. After just over a year at KTEN television, she left to pursue new opportunities.[3]
Unemployed, during a recession, those new opportunities hinged on not just finding, but making the opportunity she needed after her move to Chicago, even working for a brief time at Nine West Shoes while searching for other opportunities in television. She eventually picked up a job at WREX where she would film, edit, and report news on a daily story. During that time her online talk show gained traction and garnered the interest of NBC, who bought what would then become Weekends with Whitney.
NBC ran the new show for about a year taking Whitney around Chicago trying new restaurants, tasting wine, and even skydiving. While she had no trouble connecting with audiences and her finger was clearly on the pulse of what would bring out their enthusiasm, there was something about “around-the-town" pieces that was not as compelling or as timely as more serious topics and multiple perspectives. In large part, her heart was swayed by experiences gained over the course of her upbringing.
The Whitney Reynolds Show
As a child, Whitney would fashion a makeshift microphone in her living room, interviewing friends and family instead of playing with dolls or reading books. She wanted to be in the spotlight sharing stories from a very young age. During her adolescence, her family's difficult personal journey steered her in the direction of sharing the more delicate stories of voices that must be heard. As she noted in her Ted Talk, “What was once a simple walk down the street with my family, now turned to judgmental eyes not just on my parents, but also on me.”[4] Her childhood dream, her adolescent experience and her connection with her audience were ultimately realized in the talk show that was born in 2011 - The Whitney Reynolds Show. The show discusses a single topic from multiple perspectives. Topics include but are not limited to military veterans, survived hardships, illnesses and stories of hope. Some notable guests to discuss relevant issues on the show include Chelsea Handler, Michael Phelps, Magic Johnson, & Temple Grandin.
Within the first year, the show captivated NBC, and Reynolds had the opportunity to move the show onto their station. In 2012, Reynolds moved The Whitney Reynolds Show to the PBS Network to broadcast in Chicago's Lakeshore PBS,[5] The Quad Cities' WQPT and Peoria's WTVP[6] bringing the show to an audience of 3.5 million viewers across the region.
As the success of the show kept building, in 2015, The Whitney Reynolds Show got nominated for its first Emmy in the category: Outstanding Interview and Discussion Special Programming.[7] Whitney has the honor of presenting at the award ceremony.
Season 9 of The Whitney Reynolds Show premiered in Fall of 2018. The show expanded its market on July 7, 2019, with the addition of WILL Champaign-Urbana. Not only did the show expand its market, But The Whitney Reynolds Show also expanded the crew and their roles.[8] As of January 2021, the show expanded to be offered to PBS stations nationwide through the National Educational Telecommunications Association distribution service.[9] Along with that, its presence on streaming media platforms such as Amazon, the PBS Video App, Apple TV+, Tubi, Binge Networks and others, has seen enormous success spreading the mission and message of HOPE.
After the show reached nationwide status,The Whitney Reynolds Show kicked off its second season broadcast nationally during October 2021.
For Season 4, The Whitney Reynolds Show is now available on a variety of streaming services including Apple TV+, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, and the Binge Networks.
As of March 2023, The Whitney Reynolds Show is recorded at CineCity Studios in Chicago in front of a live audience.[10]
Whitney's Women
Reynolds is the founder and executive of the radio segment Whitney's Women which airs on "The Weekly Show" on 103.5 KISS FM, 95.5 BIG, 93.9 MYfm and iHeart Radio.[11] She also has a column for Whitney's Women in Chicago Woman Magazine which features Chicago women that give back to the community.[12]
In 2016, she took this concept to print and is available in every issue of Chicago Woman Magazine.
Due to the praise of Whitney's Women, Reynolds was recognized as a Humanitarian Honoree at the FAHF Awards for this segment.
The Pop and Positivity Podcast
On March 6, 2021, Reynolds began co-hosting The Pop and Positivity Podcast [13] based on love and passion for positivity. The podcast features celebrity guests such as Ava Max, Afrojack, Bella Thorne, Jax, and Mark Wahlberg.[14]
The podcast covers a variety of topics that are personal to each guest featured on the podcast, such as being in the public eye.[15] The intent of the podcast is to allow listeners to understand how being a celebrity and creating positivity go hand in hand.
Beyond the Interviews: A 52 Week Guide of Inspiration
On September 18, 2022, Reynolds hosted the 54th Annual Public Media Awards. The Public Media Awards Gala was presented by the National Educational Telecommunications Association honoring the achievements of public media.[17]
Whitney Reynolds hosting the 54th Annual Public Media Awards.
Reynolds was guest speaker for the 2022 Women of Influence event put on by Peoria Magazine. The event was held on December 6, 2022, in Peoria, Illinois.[18]
Also in December, 2022, Reynolds was a featured guest on Daytime Chicago for the WGN Holiday Special discussing “Whitney’s Wish List: The 2022 Curated Holiday Gift Guide”. The guide was featured on her website, whitneyreynolds.com.[19]
The Wishlist returned in December 2022 and 2023.
Whitney Reynolds giving a TED Talk at the TEDxWrigleyville event at Wrigley Field.
In 2023, she hosted her first TED (conference) Talk that was independently organized by the Chicago community for TEDxWrigleyville event. The talk was titled, HOPE: A New Acronym for Ethical Storytelling. Through the acronym of "HOPE", Reynolds uses these principles as guideposts for her storytelling prowess. 'H' for Help (will the story be able to help heal or inspire), 'O' stands for On Time (why does the story need to be told now), 'P' for Piece of Mind (how does the story being told make you feel), and finally, 'E' stands for Exposure (what kinds of ideas are being exposed to public consciousness if they story gets told). The Ted Talk was held at the legendary Wrigley Field in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois.[20]
Philanthropy
Reynolds consistently participates in charity events for multiple causes.[11]
She was deemed a Humanitarian Nominee for We Dream in Color, a charity that puts on events in collaboration with other organizations for fundraising for select causes.[21] Also, Reynolds was the keynote speaker for the 2019 Legacy and Legends gathering for members of the Five Junior League.[22]
In 2022, Reynolds attended the 45th anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana gala to support access to arts education by providing tuition-free arts training programs for current, future, and former students at the Chicago High School for the Arts. The event raised over $500,000 in one night.[23]
In 2023, Reynolds was a featured co-chair and member of the Service Club of Chicago. She helped host the annual Spring Hat Luncheon. The event was in support of the nonprofit’s Philanthropic Grant Program, which awarded grants to other charities to help them expand facilities, improve equipment, and initiate new programs.[24]
Through Whitney’s Women she has given voice to and supported non-profits, showcasing and emceeing events such as Runway Latinx (RLx), a three-day closing event for Hispanic Heritage Month that is hosted by and benefitting Pivoting in Heels.
Her studio is situated in a West Lawndale, a community where she is actively involved in making a difference in schools and surrounding neighborhoods.
Over the years, Reynolds has helped in fundraising over 2 million dollars for local and global charities through her philanthropic efforts.[25]
Awards & Honors
Reynolds along with her television show has garnered several awards throughout its ongoing run.
She was recognized as a Humanitarian Honoree at the FAHF Awards and Female Leader of The Year at the "I'm Possible Conference" for the contributions her show gives to society.
In 2015, The Whitney Reynolds Show got nominated for its first Emmy in the category: Outstanding Interview and Discussion Special Programming.[11]
In November 2019, Reynolds won a Bronze Stevie Award for Video of the Year for the first episode of the ninth episode of The Whitney Reynolds Show titled "Self Image".[26][27]
On May 27, 2020, The Whitney Reynolds Show earned a bronze at the Telly Awards. The winning episode, "Overcoming Racism", focused on racism in the United States.[28]
During the 2022 Award Season, The Whitney Reynolds Show earned Gold People’s Telly in the General Regional TV Category for the episode titled “Survivors”. For the Television General Public Interest/Awareness category, the show earned a Bronze Telly for the episode “Did You Know”.[29]
In 2023, Whitney Reynolds was Emmy nominated for the first time as an executive producer in the Outstanding Achievement for Public Service Announcement - Single Spot/Campaign category for the PSA "The Healing Circle and the Effect".[30]
Reynolds was also included in the 2023 class of Crain's Chicago Business 40 under 40 for her contributions and accomplishments to the entertainment industry.[31]
In 2023 the Whitney Reynolds show was awarded a BRONZE STEVIE® WINNER award for Achievement in Equal Pay, paving ‘A Different Way for Equal Pay.’[32]
Personal life
In 2012, Reynolds met her now husband, David Heiner, at a Caribou Coffee in Lakeview, Chicago.[33] They met the day before Whitney pitched her show to PBS. The couple dated for less than six months and they were engaged.[33]
On November 2, 2013, Reynolds and Heiner wed shared the moment with her community of viewers in a two hour broadcast TV special that aired locally.
In 2016, Reynolds gave birth to twins.[34][35] Reynolds and her family currently reside in Chicago.[34]Whitney and her family have been featured in national campaigns over the years. Her twins have worked with brands such as Gerber, VTech, Mazda, and Sundance Spa.
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