Co-host
Veteran news journalist Giselle
Fernandez serves as co-host of
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, the new
daily half-hour entertainment news magazine from New World
Entertainment and NBC. From the war in Bosnia to Fidel Castro's Cuba,
Fernandez has circled the globe to interview world leaders and report on
news of international significance. Her cutting edge reports and coverage
of global events has earned her a reputation as an accomplished journalist
and garnered her five Emmy Awards.
Fernandez joined ACCESS HOLLYWOOD from her position as anchor of NBC's weekend edition of Today. While at NBC, she also anchored the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News and handled special and foreign assignments for the network. Prior to that, she served at CBS News substituting for Paula Zahn on CBS This Morning, Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News and Connie Chung on the CBS Weekend News. She also served as a regular contributor to the "Eye On America" segment on the CBS Evening News and contributed to CBS Sunday Morning, Face The Nation and 48 Hours. As a seasoned journalist, Fernandez brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to television news to ACCESS HOLLYWOOD.
Commenting on her new position with ACCESS HOLLYWOOD and her switch from hard news to entertainment, Fernandez says, "It was a difficult decision to leave New York and the energy of network news, but I was ready for a career change and having grown up in a very artistic family, I decided it would be exciting to explore another dimension of reporting that would allow me a little more creativity." Continues Fernandez, "The arts say so much about our culture and who we are as a people and I look forward to setting a new, more credible and classy standard as a reporter in this arena, which over the past few years has become mired in tabloid sensationalism."
Born in Mexico, Fernandez grew up in Southern California as the daughter of a Jewish mother and renowned Mexican flamenco dancer father (show appeared in many films), which has inspired her to refer to herself as the original "Kosher Burrito." She developed her passion for journalism when touring as a child through Mexico with her mother, who was researching a doctoral thesis in Mexican folklore. The experience of exploring Mexican pueblos to gather mystical stories inspired Fernandez to pursue a career that would expose her to that same quest for information and excitement every day. "It is an enormous privilege to do what I do for a living," comments Fernandez. "Traveling the world to interview fascinating people and going behind closed doors for access to world leaders has allowed me a front row seat as history unfolds...and now I get a front seat in Hollywood."
A journalism major at California's Sacramento State University, Fernandez pursued and landed her first on-air job in Pueblo, Colorado right out of college. Like many journalists, her various on-air positions have moved her across the country, from Los Angeles to Chicago and Miami.
While at Miami's WCIX-TV, her coverage of events such as the Cuban immigration crisis, unrest in Haiti and the U.S. invasion of Panama garnered Fernandez recognition as a respected, hard-working journalist and ultimately brought her to the attention of Cuba's Fidel Castro. In a stunning coup, Fernandez secured an interview with Castro -- his first English language interview in two decades. Other world events she has reported on include the U.S. military effort in Somalia, the Bosnian war (for which she was based in Sarajevo), international terrorism, Hurricane Andrew in Florida and the World Trade Center bombing trial. One of the most dramatic events Fernandez reported on came with the Persian Gulf War and her live coverage of a scud missile attack, which earned her an Emmy Award.
An avid athlete, Fernandez enjoys spending her free time hiking and running. She plans to run her first marathon this year and this past summer, she explored 120 miles of Utah...on foot. She has recently relocated to Los Angeles for her new position with ACCESS HOLLYWOOD.
