Sharon Carpenter
Sharon Carpenter is a US-based TV host, pop culture expert and award-winning broadcast journalist of British and Indian descent. She frequently appears on E! News as a guest correspondent, conducting celebrity interviews and reporting from star-studded red carpets. Sharon is also an ABC News and GMA3 royals contributor and delivers breaking updates on the British royal family on CNN. In addition, she is the host of the monthly PBS series Today In Chess.
In the world of social media, Sharon produces and presents her own award-winning Instagram Live celebrity interview series, Let’s Go Live! Guests have included Chris Rock, Claire Holt, Shaggy, Serayah and LL Cool J. The talk show, which she created during the pandemic, has earned her both a Telly Award and a Webby Awards Honor.
Recently, Sharon has become the expert of choice featured on countless hard-hitting documentaries ranging from Netflix’s film on fugitive and Hollywood hot shot Jho Low, Man On The Run, to Investigation Discovery’s A History Of Violence to TV One’s Unsung: Women Take The Mic.
Hailing from Watford and later Guildford, England, Sharon moved to New York City to attend Pace University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BBA degree in business management. From hard news to pop culture, she has since worked on-air and as a producer for some of the best-known networks in the U.S. including CBS, BBC America, BET, VH1 and REVOLT TV.
Sharon was a presenter on HQ Trivia, the massively viral quiz-show app, where she hosted games for as many as 2 million concurrent live players. She quickly became a fan favorite when she joined HQ U.S. in 2017 and later went on to launch the U.K. version in 2018 as the ‘face’ of the show. Affectionately dubbed ‘Shazza’ by audience members, she has been lauded by the press as an ‘icon’ and ‘cult figure.’ In 2020, she was named one of the ‘most influential’ people in London by the Evening Standard on its ‘Progress 1000’ list.
Sharon was a frequent contributor on the highly popular The Wendy Williams Show until it was discontinued in 2022. From 2019 to 2021 she was the anchor of People Magazine’s weekly series The Royal Report -- covering the latest scoop on the royal family. She has worked as a guest correspondent for top-rated entertainment magazine, Entertainment Tonight as well as its sister show, The Insider.
However, Sharon’s talents expand beyond the unscripted world. She made her televised acting debut in 2016, appearing as herself on the FOX prime-time smash Empire and quickly became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. A few years earlier, she nabbed the principal role of a reporter in Wifey – a VH1 & BET pilot. She was also a co-star on the BBC1 comedy Bumps in 2021 and is involved with a major movie project set for release in 2025.
Sharon has interviewed some of the biggest celebrities in the world including Beyonce, Jay Z, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Pattinson, Emma Stone, Will Smith, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Meryl Streep.
While she focuses on pop-culture, distilling the latest in both mainstream entertainment and cutting-edge trends, she has also been known for her hard news coverage including international issues, politics and financial news. When rap icon Wyclef Jean announced his plans to run for president of Haiti, she scored his first television interview for BBC World News America which ran on BBC News outlets across the globe. In her live coverage of President Obama’s historic election win, she provided expert analysis from Senator John McCain’s headquarters for BET. Sharon also played the lead role in the network’s coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, reporting live from Los Angeles and anchoring award-winning specials. During the Coronation of King Charles in 2023, she traveled to London to provide commentary for CNN, CNN International, GMA3 and E! News.
Behind-the-scenes, Sharon works as a media entrepreneur, creating and developing her own show concepts, including VH1’s hit occu-soap, The Gossip Game. In 2018, she ventured into the business of fashion for the first time, launching her own collection with women’s contemporary-wear brand, Ego Soleil - Sharon Carpenter x Ego Soleil: Day to Play. Within the first few weeks of release, the line was sold out.
Sharon resides in Los Angeles, California. She is an ambassador for Oxfam America and an outspoken animal rights activist.
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From London, Carpenter moved to New York City to study at Pace University graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BBA degree in business management. After getting her start in broadcast news as an associate producer for WWORTV, she quickly advanced, landing a producer position at BET Nightly News. Soon thereafter, Carpenter transitioned to working oncamera using her expertise in business and finance to provide indepth reporting for CBS MarketWatch. Carpenter then rejoined BET as one of the network’s signature anchors to host its daily news briefs, news specials and deliver breaking news on the toprated entertainment show, 106 & Park.
She has interviewed a diverse range of Alist subjects, including Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Lindsay Lohan, Will Smith, Carrie Underwood, Mick Jagger, Beyoncé, JayZ, Rihanna, Johnny Depp, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Senator Cory Booker.
Though Carpenter focuses on popculture, distilling the latest in both mainstream entertainment and cuttingedge trends, she is also known for her hard news coverage; especially international issues, financial news and politics. When rap icon Wyclef Jean announced his plans to run for president of Haiti she scored his first television interview which ran on BBC outlets across the globe. In her live coverage of President Obama’s historic election win, she provided expert commentary and analysis from Senator John McCain’s headquarters. Carpenter played the lead role in BET’s coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, reporting live from Los Angeles and anchoring the network’s key special reports.
While at BET, Carpenter also anchored and produced Beauty Blackout, a groundbreaking documentary that explores discrimination in standards of beauty.
Carpenter and television producer Tone Boots sold VH1 their innovative concept for 2013’s The Gossip Game; she also agreed to appear on the reality show as a cast member. The series followed the lives and careers of seven media personalities covering New York’s fastpaced entertainment beat. The Gossip Game became one of VH1’s top rated, nonscripted series of the season. She continues to develop various other television projects under her banner, Carpenter Media LLC.
Carpenter has received four awards from the New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) as well as a Telly Award. She makes guest appearances on a variety of national platforms, including The Wendy Williams Show, VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live, The Biography Channel and OWN. She has been featured in such publications as the New York Post, New York Daily News, OK Magazine, Us Weekly, Right On! and the London Evening Standard. Carpenter was also prominently highlighted as a major ‘influencer’ in Vibe Magazine’s topselling “Juice issue” with President Barack Obama on the cover.
Carpenter resides in New York City and serves as an Ambassador for GEORGE, the cobrand of the prestigious British Charity, St. George’s Society of New York.