News
Ross Mathews: The ‘Man Up’ Interview
B
orn in Mount Vernon,
Wash., on Sept. 24, 1979,
Ross Mathews has traveled
the world and established himself
as one of the most in-demand tele-
vision correspondents in the pop-
culture arena today. Endearing and
witty, undeniably funny and one
of the hardest working people in
show business, Ross has won the
hearts of millions of Americans
since his television debut as Ross
the Intern on “The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno.”
He can be seen as a regular pan-
elist and occasional guest host on
E!’s late-night talk show “Chelsea
Lately,” and is a fixture on the E!
Network’s live red carpet awards
show coverage. While working on
a variety of projects Mathews con-
tinues duties on “The Tonight
Show.”
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
lege tour speaking about his expe-
riences climbing the Hollywood
ladder and discussing his humor-
ous take on pop culture. Many of
his tour dates were documented on
E! News’ political series, “Pop &
Politics.”
Leading up to the 2012 Presi-
dential Election, Ross served as
the official political reporter for E!
News. He covered both the Demo-
KW: If you were an animal, what
animal would you be?
RM: I would be one of my dogs. They
eat better than I eat.
In 2009, he hosted and executive
produced a daily web talk show
for The Insider and CBS.com
called “Inside Dish with Ross
Mathews,” a show about covering
Hollywood from the outside in.
“Inside Dish” eventually became
the official web show for the CBS
hits “Big Brother” and “The
Amazing Race.”
In 2011, he began a national col-
cratic and Republican National
Conventions, where he inter-
viewed such leading political fig-
ures as First Lady Michelle
Obama, former Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi and former
Republican Presidential nominee
John McCain.
Ross recently released his first
book, “Man Up: Tales of My Self
Delusional Self-Confidence.” Fea-
turing an introduction written by
Gwyneth Paltrow, and afterword
from Chelsea Handler, the memoir
takes readers inside Mathews’ per-
sonal journey as a super fan,
revealing the most embarrassing
and hilarious moments of his
small town life and big city adven-
tures, and explains how he man-
aged to turn an obsession with pop
culture into one-on-one interac-
tions with A-list celebrities.
Ross lives in Los Angeles with
his partner Salvador, and their two
rescue dogs, Louise and Mijo.
When not working, he’s is a strong
supporter of the Human Rights
Campaign, speaking at many of its
events, and receiving its Visibility
Award in 2011. Here, he talks
about his career, his autobiogra-
phy, and the TV talk show he’ll be
hosting in the fall on E! called
“Hello Ross.”
Kam Williams: Hi Ross, thanks
for the interview.
Ross Mathews: It’s great to talk
to you, Kam.
KW: First, I want to let you
know I was both thoroughly enter-
tained by “Man Up!” and very
moved by its self-empowerment
theme. It’s a book I really savored
and read slowly because it had
substance and was thoroughly
enjoyable.
RM: That makes me so happy I
can’t even tell you. I can’t tell you
how much I like hearing that,
because it was a calculated deci-
sion to write the book which I took
it very seriously. It wouldn’t be
worth my while to just publish a
Ross Mathews
trashy, bitchy, red carpet celebrity
tell-all. I wanted my kids to be
able to read it someday, and have
them go, “Hey, that was pretty
cool.”
KW: It was hilarious where you
talked about interviewing celebri-
ties on the red carpet, but it was
also truly touching when you
revisit the challenges you over-
came in childhood and the support
you received from your mother
when you decided to come out. It
gave me goose bumps.
RM: I’m going to call my mom
and tell her you said that. She’ll
love it!
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia
Turnier asks: What message do
you want people to take away
from your new book?
RM: The book is really funny,
but it does have a message. I want-
ed to make sure the readers did
take something away from it. I
define “Man Up!” as celebrating
what you are. So many people
waste time hating what makes
them different. But if you are real-
ly willing to own what makes you
unique, then good things can hap-
pen. That would be the message I
want them to come away with.
KW: Patricia also says: You
have tried several different aspects
of the entertainment business. Is
there another you would like to try
See ROSS on page 7
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Page 8 The Portland Skanner June 12, 2013