Welcome Back Star Jones!


After her infamous departure from The View, Star Jones returns to talk television with a show focused on today’s headlines from pop culture, entertainment, celebrity, crime and justice. Jones says the focus of her show (which airs on Court TV Monday-Friday at 3pm ET) is based on what viewers want. “The moment I lose sight of what the viewer wants is the moment I stop doing real television. I want to bring real talk back to daytime television. Not screaming at you. Not talking at you. I’m not engaging in a monologue; I’m engaging in a dialogue.”

In an exclusive dialogue with Jones we learned the following:

As executive editor of Court TV Daytime, she’s running the show.

Star Jones: “I get to bring an editorial perspective to the show. That’s what’s important to me. That’s something that I consider to be missing on my former show. When Gail [Steinberg, who is executive producer] and I sit down with our team and we start to talk about how a show is going to gel, the decisions on how that happens, what photographs are used, what language we use, what guests we book, that is the executive editor’s job because it should have my vision, my sensitivity; but also I bear responsibility to make sure that it speaks to everyone in America.”

Diversity is a good thing to bring to a show.

“My job is to get someone who doesn’t agree with me and someone who looks like your neighbor down the street and not be the typical talking head. To add diversity to the table and not just diversity in my skin color or my gender, but the fact that I’m a Christian, born in the South, raised in a housing project, who knows that you can go to the Wal-Mart on Black Friday and you can get an $89 VCR, because that’s part of my life … I think those are the unique things that I bring to the show.”

There are positive things that came from being fired from “The View.”

“Being fired in such a public way … people get fired every day, [so] it gave me a connection to other people. … Celebrity is so intoxicating at some times that you lose your connection. It was very humbling and it also taught me that vulnerability is OK.”

You shouldn’t put bullets in people’s guns.

“I think in some ways I gave the media the ammunition to portray me the way they did. I think they’ve used some of the bullets that I’ve provided. If you don’t want to get shot at, don’t put bullets in people’s guns. I’ve learned that about myself.”

Life is pretty good for Star right now.

“I’m healthier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Happier than I’ve ever been. I’m facing the daunting challenge and thrilling opportunity of a lifetime. Not very many people get a second chance, and I don’t look at this lightly.”