Debbie Matenopoulos is best known for hosting The Daily 10 on E! Entertainment but at the age of 21 she was co-host of daytime show The View from which she was famously fired.Since then Debbie, the double Emmy nominee, has believed in doing things her way and dancing to her own tune and this has made her one of the most recognisable showbiz reporters in America.Whilst dashing around London doing some shopping Debbie took time out to speak to me.

Why did you decide to pursue journalism as a career?
You know I think it's because I'm naturally inquisitive and when I talk to people I'm really interested in what they do and why they do it and I think it was just a normal, it just seemed so natural for me to do something like that. And I wasn't sure it started with me just wanting to do music journalism I never intended to end up on The View I just wanted to hang out with bands and interview them and then I was working at MTV and it was like what the hell, how did that happen I went to audition, my first audition ever because I met someone at a party the night before a party the Beastie Boys were having and some casting director was there and he said would you come and audition for this Barbara Walters thing and I thought are you out of your mind I had pink hair at the time.So I went to this thing and they asked me to come back in two weeks and do a proper audition and I said absolutely sure. I thought I was just going to have this amazing cocktail story so I went back to MTV and told them oh my god you are never going to believe I met Barbara Walters and it was amazing and I thought it would be a story that I would tell for years. The next thing you know I'm on the show and unbeknowns to me my life changes overnight and I didn't realise just how, just how powerful that little televison box in your living room can be and how it can changes people's perception, views and ideas on everything anfd especially in Hollywood, New York and the entertainment industry perception is reality unfortunately. So here I am this 21 year old kid and all I can tell you is how to get to the club and which are the best clubs every night of the week and I'm sitting next to the most renowned journalist in history, female journalist in history.So it was definately a crash course in journalism also in this business they don't teach you there's no class at MIU that's life 101 you just have to go with it.

I was there for two years and it was really the most amazing experience of my life it was just the whole thing was surreal I just couldn't believe I was sitting there I used to pinch myself I was shocked I had a job at all, my god, I was working called PA and I didn't have enough money for the subway I had to eat spaghetti o's almost every day and then suddenly I'm on the show.

You famously got fired from The View what was that like for you, did it change your perspective on your career, did you decide that you didn't want to do this anymore?

Oh god it was hell. Well at the beginning I did it was tough I was 21 I didn't know my ass from my elbow. What did I know? Well nothing but also when your 21 you think you know everything right, or at least I did at 21 it was like I've got it figured out, I'm an independent woman but you know I know less everyday I wake up now and I'm not sure how that happened so I mean I'm still trying to figure it out.

And when that happens to you at 23 years old out of nowhere I was 21 and on the show then suddenly the rug is pulled out from under you so yeah it was tough. It gave me alot of perspective and also it teaches you alot about human nature and alot about the way that peole function it sort of made me wary of power and the oddity of being in the public eye fame for some reson is currency and it's not a good way to be.

Do you find it hard being in the public eye?

Not so much now I did then being so young I was very impressionable and I just tried to do what they told me because I didn't have any experience doing anything except working at MTV so whatever they told me to do I did. And that sort of shot me in the foot until I decided forget this I'm going to be true to myself not to producers whatever this is what you should think this is what you should say, well what about what I think what about what I say.

So as soon as I started being more true to me things started to fall into place but then it was difficult you know it is a business it's showbusiness not showfriends this isn't about making friends, well it is in a way you have to be very careful who your friends are I thought alot of people were my friends and they weren't. Suddenly when I was fired I was standing there with two friends left and before I had 2000 surrounding me.

That was really difficult but I'm glad it happened I wouldn't change anything not one step of the way would I change because it made me who I am today. At one point or another people get kicked and no matter what business you are in it's the universe putting you in your place for a second you know so I'm glad I got kicked as hard as I did that young because it really prepared me for the rest some people go their whole careers they are forty years old and then suddenly they get screwed and they are like woooah this has never happened before and they have to figure it out way later in life it happened to me when I was twenty three and I'm a better person for it.

You are now on Daily 10

I could not have asked for a better match I mean I love that show, I love E! It reminds me of when I first started when I was seventeen at MTV. The people are so young and so hungry and this company is willing to give people who are young and creative a shot much easier than having to go through all the red tape if you are sitting on a network if you know what I mean where it's much more business than it is fun. It's my dream job.

Are there limits to what questions you would ask when interviewing someone?

Erm yeah I think there are times when you just have to be careful about stuff you know I mean when you are talking about personal issues like a death in the family or a really personal divorce you know it's like come on. What I would do I tease to a point but also I don't bite the hand that feeds me you know there's a line that no one wants to cross. And if you are asking questions that are a bit personal in a fun way in a way that are cheeky and they know that you are having fun then no one is going to be worried about doing interviews with you, I have interviewed so many different people and the reason is of course is get it they probably think maybe she's going to make fun and be silly but not hateful ever I have been so destroyed in the press before I would never want to do that to someone else you have got to feel good.

Who is your best and worst interview?

Erm wow let me think I can tell you who my worst interview was my god Tommy Lee Jones for some reason but apparently he is nortorious for this everyone I have this too have gone oh god yeah he is bad with everyone for some reason. He is a major literati always wants to discuss Shakespeare and Chaucer and I'm like hey buddy you are here to promote a film you know what I mean. You go back to the studio and say yeah we talked about literature. He can be difficult because he doesn't want to be there he is like why am I here doing all these interviews with all these journalists coming in.

Probably the best it's such a toss up Snoop Dog was really good but that is also because I'm a good friend of his so when you are friends with someone then they are easy to do because they are going to tell you everything. Billy Bob Thornton is always good who did I interview recently that was so amazing?

It's hard to keep track of all my damn interviews, you know who was really good? Jessica Alba she is one of the cooles girls you will ever meet she is a girl you wanna go out and have a beer with and she is so not that sexpot thing she is just like whatever she's a guys girl and a girls girl very much a tom boy who doesn't buy into the whole Hollywood thing. In fact she really tries to shy away from it she doesn't really want to talk about her boyfriend in the past but becuse I know her we did an interview and she talked about him and she always said I don't talk about that in the press and I want to respect that but also on the other side of the coin she's my friend and I'm only going to push her to a certain level I'm just going to say how is it going because I have to be able to walk that fine line, when I get back to the studio my bosses would say listen dodo she's your friend why didn't you ask?

It's tricky like I went and interviewed Barbra Walter, which was so odd, when she got her star on the Walk of Fame she invited me to be her guest whatever you know of course I'm going to be your guest but on the other hand I work for E! so I'm going to bring my camera. So I said I'm going to feel it out for a second and if it works out great.

So flipping it on her was really intersting I asked her all the tough questions that she would ask somebody else and it's interesting to see somebody sort of reacts when they are on the other side of it.

What was it like being nominated for an Emmy?

Erm I was nominated twice. The first time I was nominated it was exciting because I had only been on the show a year so I thought oh my god especially for the simple fact that I had been getting slammed in the press, slammed because I was a kid I was 21 and you know alot of times stuff that would come out of my mouth was crazy. And it was also because I was a kid and they would ask me questions and I was like oh my god last night I was at the coolest party, and they would be talking about politics. But I think it was entertaining becuse people though oh she's shaking it up you know the youngest person, still am. in the history of daytime television to ever have been a permanent co-host. They had never hired someone who was twenty one and there's a reason for that advertisers really don't care what twenty one year olds think unfortunately. So the first year was a bit shocking it made me feel better after I had read all that crap about myself in the press.

The second year kind of gave me validation a bit because I was so down in the dumps, I had just been fired and two weeks later I'm nominated for an Emmy and I thought how interesting I'm nominated for an Emmy for the show I'd just been fired from. So it sort of made me feel, you know, I'm not all that bad, maybe I was at the beginning but at least I have learnt along the way. It gave me a little more strength then I would have it sort of helped me get back on my feet, feel better about myself becasue it can really destroy your mental sense of self.

So I put on the dress and I went to Bevvy's and it was a little wierd because I had to sit beside all of them but I thought you know what I'm nominated so I should go.

Still it's almost unbelivable I still don't believe any of the stuff that happened coz all I did was put one foot in front of the other and do what I love I really just sought out to do the things that I enjoyed doing and I think if anything people should follow that for a path and if you like doing it do it and everthing else will fall into place. I'm not saying it's not going to be bumpy it leads to you doing what you love and you are doing it the way you want and by somebody else's terms.

Catch Debbie on the ‘Daily 10’ every Tuesday-Saturday at 8.30am & 4.30pm only on E! Entertainment Television (sky: 152/ Virgin Media: 173)

Helen Earnshaw

View My Blog