Alex McLeod
Encyclopedia
Alexandra Ann McLeod is an American
television host and entertainment news correspondent best known for being the original host of TLC
’s hit cable show, Trading Spaces
. She initially got her start as a comedic actress and became a household name by hosting the first forty episodes of the reality based home improvement series that launched the makeover show phenomenon.
, in the United States. In Texas, her father was a politician
and real estate developer and her mother a teacher
. As a young girl she spent a lot of time on the campaign trail with her father, a former Texas state legislator.
McLeod attended the prestigious Kinkaid High School in Houston. Later, she attended The University of Texas at Austin where she received a degree in Communications. While in college on summer break, McLeod got her first broadcasting job as a news intern at KPRC-NBC in Houston. She began acting at UCLA where she took acting and film history classes.
(The Big Breakfast
, Passport To Paradise) engaging in interviews with A-list film stars, reporting movie news from Los Angeles, and performing in comedy sketches satirizing the entertainment industry. In 1999 McLeod went on to perform comedy sketches for the cable show IZ which aired late night and on the internet, the web site formerly named IZ.com.
. After viewing a sketch entitled, Will Model for Food, TLC offered her the job as host of their flagship show, Trading Spaces
. McLeod signed on for forty episodes. The show was a hit and McLeod shared in a daytime Emmy nomination with her Producers after one season on air in the Outstanding Special Class Series category. TLC Executive Producer Stephen Schwartz called Alex his “hands-down choice for host.”
Linda Stasi of The New York Post described McLeod as the "perfect" host and Daniel McGinn of Newsweek
compared McLeod to Classic Coke, truly an "original." When she made the decision to leave the show in the summer of 2001, McLeod told Newsweek she chose to “lay down her own paintbrush” and leave her Alex-cam and the demanding road schedule behind.
After leaving "Trading Spaces" in 2002 McLeod performed in back to back reality TV projects making the move into major network television with a hosting role on Fox
's controversial first season of Joe Millionaire
shot on location in France
's Loire Valley
. On the first Joe Millionaire, single women competed for the affection of a would-be millionaire who in reality was a manual laborer making only $19,000 annually. The show was wildly successful with over 40 million viewers in the US tuning in to the season one finale.
Next, McLeod became the co-host of A&E Network
s Best of Both Worlds alongside Phil Koeghan (The Amazing Race
). In this two part reality travel special, McLeod agreed to "rough it" on an economy tour of Hawaii
and then to experience the reward of a luxury tour through Hong Kong
.
In 2003 McLeod landed a guest co-host spot for two episodes on ABC
's all-female talk show, The View as a candidate to fill outgoing host, Lisa Ling
’s chair. McLeod's appearance was also used again in another episode of The View featuring “Strong Women.”
McLeod guest hosted on 20th Century Fox
's nationally syndicated morning show, Good Day Live. She appeared on the Sci Fi Channel
as a correspondent for The Belzer Connection, a two part special on conspiracies based on comedian/actor Richard Belzer
’s book, entitled UFOs, JFK, and Elvis. She has appeared as a celebrity guest on Soap Talk
on Soapnet
and was a celebrity guest panelist on The Test on FX. She has been featured in publications such as Newsweek
, and Entertainment Weekly
.
Often McLeod returns to her roots as an entertainment news correspondent. From 2003 to 2004, McLeod covered numerous movie premieres as a red-carpet correspondent for Starz Movie News. She also hosted The Weekend, a weekend of academy award winning movies celebrating Oscar winners past and present. Both aired on the Starz family of channels. McLeod was also a spokeswoman for a Starz/DirectTV weekend promotional campaign.
In 2008, McLeod worked as a red-carpet correspondent for the TV Guide Network’s Hollywood 411 daily entertainment news show.
Since 2001 McLeod has worked as a fundraiser for a number of charity events benefiting UNICEF and she has given motivational speeches in K-12 schools to encourage America's children to help children at risk in developing nations as part of UNICEF's annual "Trick or Treat" campaign. In 2004 the Southern California chapter of UNICEF gave Alex a President's Volunteer Award issued by The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in recognition of her "commitment to the strengthening of the nation and making a difference through volunteer service".
McLeod has lent her home-improvement skills to several Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity Blitz Builds including a Power Women, Power Tools Build hosted by First Lady of California, Maria Shriver
. McLeod's Trading Spaces
background also came in handy in 2005 when she partnered with Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church to create a sizeable charity decorating/furniture drive for 15 Katrina families seeking refuge in her hometown of Galveston. McLeod spent several weeks with the recipients and personally delivered the items with Moody Memorial church volunteers.
In 2007, McLeod participated in the Los Angeles Habitat for Humanity-Jimmy Carter Work Project as a volunteer builder and co-host of a reception honoring 39th President Jimmy Carter
and his wife, Rosalynn.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television host and entertainment news correspondent best known for being the original host of TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
’s hit cable show, Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
. She initially got her start as a comedic actress and became a household name by hosting the first forty episodes of the reality based home improvement series that launched the makeover show phenomenon.
Early life
McLeod was born and raised in Galveston, TexasGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, in the United States. In Texas, her father was a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and real estate developer and her mother a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. As a young girl she spent a lot of time on the campaign trail with her father, a former Texas state legislator.
McLeod attended the prestigious Kinkaid High School in Houston. Later, she attended The University of Texas at Austin where she received a degree in Communications. While in college on summer break, McLeod got her first broadcasting job as a news intern at KPRC-NBC in Houston. She began acting at UCLA where she took acting and film history classes.
Television career
McLeod began her career in Hollywood performing in numerous national commercial spots and sitcoms (Married With Children, Nightstand, and Partners) McLeod’s first real break came as the cheeky Hollywood correspondent of the irreverent and popular film review series, Moviewatch, which aired on Channel Four in the United Kingdom. From 1996 to 1998 McLeod spent two seasons as the sidekick to British TV personality and comedian, Johnny VaughanJohnny Vaughan
Jonathan Randall Vaughan is an English broadcaster and journalist. Vaughan has become well known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He co-presented Capital Breakfast alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011...
(The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
, Passport To Paradise) engaging in interviews with A-list film stars, reporting movie news from Los Angeles, and performing in comedy sketches satirizing the entertainment industry. In 1999 McLeod went on to perform comedy sketches for the cable show IZ which aired late night and on the internet, the web site formerly named IZ.com.
Mainstream success
In 2000, McLeod's demo reel caught the eye of a TLC network executive, during the casting for the first season of Trading SpacesTrading Spaces
Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
. After viewing a sketch entitled, Will Model for Food, TLC offered her the job as host of their flagship show, Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
. McLeod signed on for forty episodes. The show was a hit and McLeod shared in a daytime Emmy nomination with her Producers after one season on air in the Outstanding Special Class Series category. TLC Executive Producer Stephen Schwartz called Alex his “hands-down choice for host.”
Linda Stasi of The New York Post described McLeod as the "perfect" host and Daniel McGinn of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
compared McLeod to Classic Coke, truly an "original." When she made the decision to leave the show in the summer of 2001, McLeod told Newsweek she chose to “lay down her own paintbrush” and leave her Alex-cam and the demanding road schedule behind.
After leaving "Trading Spaces" in 2002 McLeod performed in back to back reality TV projects making the move into major network television with a hosting role on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's controversial first season of Joe Millionaire
Joe Millionaire
Joe Millionaire is an American reality television show that was broadcast on Fox beginning in January 2003. It was broadcast in the UK that same year...
shot on location in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
. On the first Joe Millionaire, single women competed for the affection of a would-be millionaire who in reality was a manual laborer making only $19,000 annually. The show was wildly successful with over 40 million viewers in the US tuning in to the season one finale.
Next, McLeod became the co-host of A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
s Best of Both Worlds alongside Phil Koeghan (The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
). In this two part reality travel special, McLeod agreed to "rough it" on an economy tour of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and then to experience the reward of a luxury tour through Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
In 2003 McLeod landed a guest co-host spot for two episodes on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's all-female talk show, The View as a candidate to fill outgoing host, Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling
Lisa J. Ling is a Chinese American journalist, best known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View , host of National Geographic Explorer, reporter on Channel One News, and special correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN. She is the older sister of journalist Laura Ling.-Early...
’s chair. McLeod's appearance was also used again in another episode of The View featuring “Strong Women.”
McLeod guest hosted on 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
's nationally syndicated morning show, Good Day Live. She appeared on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
as a correspondent for The Belzer Connection, a two part special on conspiracies based on comedian/actor Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
’s book, entitled UFOs, JFK, and Elvis. She has appeared as a celebrity guest on Soap Talk
Soap Talk
Soap Talk was a television talk show on SOAPnet hosted by Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway. It debuted in 2002 and ended in 2006. The reason for the show's cancellation was due to SOAPnet expanding their programming away from a soap opera-related focus to expand their network's ratings and declining...
on Soapnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and was a celebrity guest panelist on The Test on FX. She has been featured in publications such as Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
.
Often McLeod returns to her roots as an entertainment news correspondent. From 2003 to 2004, McLeod covered numerous movie premieres as a red-carpet correspondent for Starz Movie News. She also hosted The Weekend, a weekend of academy award winning movies celebrating Oscar winners past and present. Both aired on the Starz family of channels. McLeod was also a spokeswoman for a Starz/DirectTV weekend promotional campaign.
In 2008, McLeod worked as a red-carpet correspondent for the TV Guide Network’s Hollywood 411 daily entertainment news show.
Philanthropy
McLeod is involved with a number of charities in Southern California (UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity and GRID Alternatives) and she has said giving back to her community has been what she considers one of her greatest accomplishments.Since 2001 McLeod has worked as a fundraiser for a number of charity events benefiting UNICEF and she has given motivational speeches in K-12 schools to encourage America's children to help children at risk in developing nations as part of UNICEF's annual "Trick or Treat" campaign. In 2004 the Southern California chapter of UNICEF gave Alex a President's Volunteer Award issued by The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in recognition of her "commitment to the strengthening of the nation and making a difference through volunteer service".
McLeod has lent her home-improvement skills to several Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity Blitz Builds including a Power Women, Power Tools Build hosted by First Lady of California, Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver
Maria Owings Shriver is an American journalist and author of six best-selling books. She has received a Peabody Award, and was co-anchor for NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. As executive producer of The Alzheimer's Project, Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of...
. McLeod's Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
background also came in handy in 2005 when she partnered with Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church to create a sizeable charity decorating/furniture drive for 15 Katrina families seeking refuge in her hometown of Galveston. McLeod spent several weeks with the recipients and personally delivered the items with Moody Memorial church volunteers.
In 2007, McLeod participated in the Los Angeles Habitat for Humanity-Jimmy Carter Work Project as a volunteer builder and co-host of a reception honoring 39th President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and his wife, Rosalynn.