Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for Entertainment Tonight (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, Leeza (1993–2000). In 2013, her book Take 2 became a New York Times bestseller and she won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle or Travel program for the PBS show, My Generation. On February 16, 2015, Gibbons was named the winner of Celebrity Apprentice; while on the show she raised $714,000 for her charity Leeza's Care Connection. Biography Early life Leeza Gibbons was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, the daughter of Jean and Dr. Carlos Gibbons. Gibbons has two siblings – a brother, Carlos Jr., and a sister, Cammy. Leeza Gibbons grew up in Columbia, South Carolina in a housing subdivision called Whitehall, and graduated from Irmo High School. After completing high school, Gibbons graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina's school of journalism and mass communication. She was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority at the university. Career Leeza Gibbons's television career started at WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Next she was the co host of PM Magazine for KFDM-TV in Beaumont, Texas, and then moved to sister station WFAA-TV in Dallas. The new position represented a major career step and came with media attention. In 1983 Gibbons joined WCBS-TV in New York City, where she became a host on Two on the Town, a program modeled after PM Magazine. Her co-host was Robb Weller. The following year both of them joined Entertainment Tonight, with Gibbons as a reporter and co-anchor of the program's weekend edition. In the early to mid-1990s, Gibbons partnered with Guthy-Renker becoming a trailblazer in the world of direct response. She was the first television star on a daily show to be featured in an infomercial as she starred in back-to-back blockbusters (Personal Power 2 and Get the Edge) with a young Tony Robbins. Leeza was her own NBC/syndicated talk show; it ran from June 1993 to September 2000. The show originated as John & Leeza from Hollywood, with former Entertainment Tonight co-host John Tesh. Tesh was dropped from the show after seven months, and Gibbons was the host for the remainder of the series. From 2001 to 2003, Gibbons was the host and managing editor of the television show