Jane Velez-Mitchell Biography

Jane Velez-Mitchell (b. September 29, 1956) is an award winning television journalist and bestselling author. She currently has her own show on HLN, Jane Velez-Mitchell (formerly known as Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell) replacing Glenn Beck who moved to Fox News Channel. She is often seen commenting on high-profile cases for CNN, TruTV, E! and other national cable TV shows. Velez-Mitchell frequently guest hosts for Nancy Grace on her Headline News show. Velez-Mitchell reported for the nationally syndicated Warner Brothers/Telepictures show Celebrity Justice. She also appears as a substitute host on HLN's Showbiz Tonight.

Early life and career

Born to a Puerto Rican mother and an Irish American father, Velez-Mitchell has been on the forefront of many headline news stories during the past decade. While covering a story regarding sororities on her television show Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell (retitled February 2012 as simply Jane Velez-Mitchell), she stated that she attended New York University. She was in the courtroom during the entire child sexual abuse trial against singer Michael Jackson. During the trial, Velez-Mitchell appeared daily on Nancy Grace. She was featured on CNN's Larry King Live on several occasions, including on the evening of the verdict.

Books

Velez-Mitchell authored the non-fiction book, Secrets Can Be Murder: What America's Most Sensational Crimes Tell Us About Ourselves, which delves into the secrets unearthed in more than twenty of the most widely covered murder cases of recent times. The book's premise is that, by studying the secrecy and deceit embedded in these tragic scenarios, we can learn to opt for honesty in our own lives and avoid similar outcomes.

In September 2009, Velez-Mitchell released her memoir on addiction recovery titled iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life.

In February 2011, Velez-Mitchell released a third book, titled Addict Nation: an Intervention for America. This book examines what Velez-Mitchell believes to be growing levels of addiction in the United States to both illegal drugs and to legal substances like the Internet, prescription drugs, and fast food.

Personal life

Velez-Mitchell is openly a lesbian. She came out on Al Rantel's radio show on KABC-AM in Los Angeles in 2007, and is one of the few openly gay journalists on television. She also has dedicated her time and resources to various charitable and humane causes. She is well known for her animal rights advocacy and is a vegan and an environmentalist. In July 2009, Farm Animal Rights Movement awarded Velez-Mitchell the Celebrity Animal Activist Award at the Animal Rights 2009 National Conference held in Los Angeles, California. While working at Celebrity Justice, Velez-Mitchell's reporting on animal cruelty earned that show two Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States. She earned an additional Genesis Award for her show "Issues" in 2010. In January 2010, she was awarded the Ruby Award by Soroptimist International for her "War on Women" coverage on her television show.

She presently resides in Midtown Manhattan with her mother, Anita, who is a former vaudeville performer.