By: Melissa Howard (University of Delaware)
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We all remember our middle school days when we ran home from school to watch MTV’s TRL. Carson Daly was every adolescent girl’s crush and had pictures of him hanging on their walls next to Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter. Our hearts broke in 2002 when Carson left the show. Then the show went downhill from there. We tried continue watching through our high school years but, our loyalty could only last so long. We did not return until November 16, 2008 for the series finally. Now, MTV is creating a new video countdown show, The Seven, but where are our favorite TRL VJs now?
Carson Daly
When a person sees the letters VJ, the first thing to come to mind is Carson Daly, who hosted TRL from 1998 to 2002. Since he left the show, Carson has been hosting NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly on week nights. He also owns a record label and production company, which produced the New Years special Carson hosts for NBC.
In his personal life, Carson and his long time girlfriend, Siri Pinter, had a son named Jackson James. In addition, Carson has become a breast cancer activist after his mother survived Breast Cancer.
Dave Holmes
The lovable man in the crowd of screaming teens in Time Square, Dave Holmes, came in second on Wanna Be a VJ; however, MTV hired him to do celebrity interviews. He quickly became a fan favorite. After Dave left MTV in 2001, he hosted a bunch of other TV shows/specials, including FX’s DVD on TV, Court TV’s Saturday Night Solution and CBS’s Fire Me…Please. He currently hosts TV Guide Network’s Celebrity Says!
In 2002 Out magazine article, Dave said he was an openly gay man dating Ben Wise, a singer song writer.
Jesse Camp
The homeless looking man who beat Dave Holmes on Wanna Be a VJ, Jesse Camp, co-hosted TRL for a year. Jesse kind of fell of the face of the world after his MTV fame. He reportedly worked at a pet store in LA called Centinela Feed & Supply in 2006. As of 2008, he started working for a non-profit, “Telefund”, which raises money for liberal and progressive organizations.
