Yes, you read the title correctly.

And yes, I highkey forgot this happened earlier last year too.

I know since we’re in 2021 now, last year’s events are technically old news. But I’ve been thinking about big, iconic moments that could happen this year and suddenly, I remembered I was a guest speaker on TMZ Live twice (once at the start of the pandemic and a second time a month or so later) and I thought I’d finally talk about it.

Not that I’ve been hesitant or reluctant to talk about it, but it’s honestly just slipped my mind.

And really, I didn’t think that anybody would care anyway.

It was probably the most out-of-the-blue thing to happen so far in my life. I remember the week I’d gotten their DM on Twitter, I was also still celebrating the fact that I’d secured the internship of my dreams at Universal Music Canada the week prior.

(…so obviously, I was on a high and feeling like I was on a roll…little did I know the pandemic would leave everything up in the air that week).

Of course, TMZ is notoriously known as one of the worst tabloids in the states and I was also fearful that if I’d agreed, it would reflect badly on me in some way. That being said, I was also thinking about how unique and kind of a big opportunity this was.

…even though I wasn’t sure how the fuck TMZ found me out of all the millions of users on Twitter.

So naturally, after verifying that the account that reached out to me was indeed the verified TMZ Live account, I got to asking questions about my potential sit-in on the show. Not wanting my ass to end up in scolding hot water, I wanted to make sure what kind of story they wanted my opinion on (since it could’ve been on literally anything and on such a public platform like their’s, you really want to be careful with what you say and the words you choose to say it).

(…take this from a Public Relations graduate, I literally went to school for this).

Basically the process of sitting in on the show is fairly simple. In my case, they randomly reached out to me over Twitter, but I think the option of emailing them (should you be interested) is available. Since this was my first time on the show, they gave me their weekly filming schedule and from those call times, I gave them the next date I was available for filming. Once the date was set, they asked me for my Skype credentials (since you had to call in via Skype on the show).

Fast forward to the morning of filming, I had to wake up a bit earlier since they were filming in LA, so I took a little extra time to beat my face. The producer messaged me to see if I was still good to go for the day and of course, I said yes. Then they sent over a list of topics they were going to cover that day with article links that they’d written about them, and told me to pick my top 3. I’d sent over my original 3 topics that I was interested in speaking on and began rehearsing what I was going to say, while I was waiting for next steps.

Not too long after, they sent me more stories they planned on covering and I ended up picking a story featuring Kylie Jenner. They then confirmed my story, my time slot, and told me they’d call me within five minutes when they were nearing the segment. They also explained how I’d have 10-15 seconds to say my piece and then they’d turn it back over to the hosts.

So, I nervously (but confidently) did the show and they sent me a message after I’d gotten off to say thank you and that they’d reach back out again in a month. This meant that there was the possibility of me doing a second appearance.

The second appearance was a bit of a mess since I had to reschedule three times. Once because they ran out of time on the show, twice because I missed the call time, but we finally got it the third time around. Unfortunately, they didn’t end up airing my second piece (welcome to show biz). But I was chosen for Viewer’s Choice and spoke on Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler’s unfortunate divorce.

All in all, guest speaking on TMZ really wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be and I may even do it again if they asked. I seriously still have zero clue how they found me, but it’s something I’m grateful to have been able to participate in.

…and now for the inevitable: a link to the episode that aired.

(I gotchu).

March 19, 2020 – the surgeon general’s call for influencers to use their platforms on raising pandemic awareness (and yes, he specifically named Kylie Jenner)

Time stamp: 6:11

(side note: I’m literally not speaking on the topic until the very end of the segment, so hang tight lol)

ED out x.

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