Star Jones, born on March 24, 1962 in Badin, North Carolina, is an American lawyer and television personality. She is known as one of the co-hosts of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View. She was show’s first African-American co-host.

After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Star Jones went on to earn her B.A. degree from The Administration of Justice at American University, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

Star Jones’ television career jumpstarted in 1991. She was recruited by Court TV as a commentator for the William Kennedy Smith rape trial and spent many years as a legal correspondent for NBC’s Today and the NBC Nightly News. By 1994, she left NBC to host her own show called Jones and Jury. A year after her show was cancelled, she quickly signed up as a chief legal analyst on Inside Edition. She was assigned to lead the coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial and was the only reporter who interviewed Simpson during his trial.

After nine seasons as co-host of The View, Star Jones reported that she would be leaving the show. On March 7, 2007, she revealed that she would be returning to TruTV (formerly Court TV) as the new executive editor of their daytime programming. She hosted a live weekday talk show based on the law and pop culture. She ended her tenure at TruTv last January 31, 2008, when the network made changes in their programming selection.

Star Jones has made several television appearances including her stint as the host of E!’s red carpet events where she interviewed celebrities, producers, directors and other big name personalities. She also appeared on the final season of Law and Order, where she played the role of a legal prosecutor.