Clinton Kelly

Clinton Kelly (born February 22, 1969) is an American TV personality, author, and lifestyle consultant. He won an Emmy for his role as the moderator on the popular ABC daytime show The Chew. The Chew was nominated for multiple Emmys and ran for seven seasons. He is also known for his role as co-host on the prime time reality show What Not to Wear, TLC's long-running reality program that featured fashion makeovers, for over 10 seasons. Kelly is currently a contributing columnist to Woman's Day magazine offering style advice. He has published several bestselling books, including his most recent, I Hate Everyone, Except You - a humorous and candid collection of essays. Kelly started his career as a freelance writer for several fashion magazines and was an editor for Marie Claire and Mademoiselle. Early years Kelly was born in Panama City, Panama and raised in Port Jefferson Station, New York. He graduated from Comsewogue High School in 1987. Kelly recounts parts of his upbringing and childhood in his book, I Hate Everyone, Except You. He attended Boston College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1991; he was president of Boston College's University Chorale. Kelly always wanted to be a novelist, but was afraid of “being broke” if he became a writer. He instead decided to pursue a master's degree in journalism, specializing in magazine publishing, from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1993. He credits his training from Medill as one of the reasons he was able to transition seamlessly into magazine editing - and ultimately television. He likens the mindset of editing a magazine to be very similar to what is needed when producing a television show. Career Magazines Before joining What Not to Wear, Kelly worked as a freelance writer and editor at several publications in New York. Kelly wrote about a range of topics including fitness, travel and relationships. He began his career in fashion when Kelly became an editor at Marie Claire and a deputy editor at Mademoiselle, where he contributed under the pseudonym "Joe L'Amour". He later became the executive editor of DNR, a New York-based weekly men's fashion and retail trade magazine. He currently contributes to Women's Day as a columnist and style expert.