On-Air Personality Maria Menounos, ESPN ‘First Take’ Personality Stephen A. Smith, and Entertainment Reporter and Sportscaster Ben Lyons Set to Host
“Live From Hollywood: After the Awards” is making sure Hollywood’s biggest night doesn’t end too soon. The one-hour live broadcast from outside the Governors Ball will highlight the best moments of the evening, from the red carpet to the main show, set to kick off at 10:00 p.m. PST/11:35 p.m. EST on ABC. Renowned television personality Maria Menounos, famed ESPN “First Take” personality and “Sports Center with Stephen A. Smith” host Stephen A. Smith, and celebrated entertainment reporter and sportscaster Ben Lyons will chat with the night’s big winners and analyze the most iconic moments, capturing all of the excitement with your favorite stars.
Maria Menounos is an Emmy® Award-winning journalist, TV personality, motivational speaker, New York Times bestselling author, host of the Noovie cinema pre-show and founder/CEO of the AfterBuzz TV networks. She has gained numerous achievements throughout her career in the news and entertainment industry. One of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful, Menounos holds the distinct honor of having conducted the only sit-down interview with the entire Obama family – an interview ABC News heralded as a deciding factor in President Obama’s historic victory. Currently, Menounos hosts the Noovie cinema pre-show seen daily in 70% of America’s movie theaters. As one of the only female CEOs in the world of tech, she heads the AfterBuzz TV digital broadcast network, which produces more than 150 hours of weekly programming for more than 120 countries worldwide. Menounos’ AfterBuzz TV mentorship program has helped launch hundreds of Hollywood careers, including Eboni K. Williams, WWE superstars Sonia Deville and Cathy Kelly, and “Entertainment Tonight”’s Courtney Tezano, Deidre Behart and Jason Carter. Her “Better Together with Maria Menounos” podcast remains one of the top-rated health shows on Apple Podcasts.
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN sports television personality, motivational speaker, sports radio host, sports journalist and actor. He has been called the most powerful talent in the business just a year ago and he followed it up with his best year as a professional as the host of “First Take.” It had its highest-rated year since it launched nearly a decade ago after making the move to ESPN. His journey, which started at the Winston-Salem journal, continued with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Greensboro News & Record, the New York Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Along the way, he also made stops at CNN/SI and Fox Sports before arriving at ESPN in 2003. Stephen A. Smith said, “My name has always been synonymous with sports and this is a career-crossover move that I have been waiting for, Stephen A. Smith co-hosting ‘Live From Hollywood: After the Awards.’”
Ben Lyons is a Los Angeles-based on-air host and producer working at the intersection of film, sports and culture. He has covered every major film festival, sporting event and awards show, including the Academy Awards®—this year for the 14th time. He has covered the Oscars® for Oscar.com, ABC News, E!, IMDb and Yahoo! Movies. While hosting “The Oscars: All Access,” the show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media within an Unscripted Program. Currently, Lyons can be heard on ESPN-Los Angeles radio and as the co-host of “The Festival Rules” podcast series for ActionPark Media. He is a contributor to NBA-TV and Turner Sports, and is the co-founder of RebelCode, a production and distribution company focused on cinematic, artistic sports storytelling.
“Live From Hollywood: After the Awards” will be executive produced by Michael Antinoro, David Chamberlin and Marilyn Seabury of Film 45; and directed by Ryan Pollito. Film 45’s recent projects include Rihanna’s “Savage x Fenty Fashion Show” special, NFL Honors and “STEVE” on Watch.
