Jahero
Encyclopedia
JaHeRo is the video blog
(vlog
) started by Rosie O'Donnell
on her website Rosie.com answering fans questions, giving behind the scenes information and serving as a video diary. Originally featuring only O'Donnell and her hair and make-up artist Helene Macaulay
they were soon joined by her writer from The Rosie O'Donnell Show
, Janette Barber
. O'Donnell, her producer Barber, and Macaulay created unscripted video blogs Monday through Thursday prior to taping, during which they answered user-submitted questions. Called Jahero, which has each of their first name's letters in it, they occasionally had short cameo appearances by View co-hosts Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters. Jenny McCarthy
appeared once briefly, as has Hasselbeck's mother-in-law and O'Donnell's mother-in-law, her wife Kelli's mother. Kathy Griffin
also appeared, where she read some of the questions. It became so popular that O'Donnell and her creative team considered an "on the road" version of the video blog utilizing fan-submitted suggestions. O'Donnell was the front runner for the "best celebrity blogger" category in the 2007 Blogger's Choice Awards which she won.
They adopted Bonnie Tyler
's "Holding Out for a Hero
" as their unofficial theme song with O'Donnell quite frequently singing the chorus as "I Need JAHERO" after it was suggested by a blogger on Rosie's site.
The New York Times
television critic
and journalist Virginia Heffernan
praised O'Donnell for being able to be "so watchable" even though she has "no commercials, no scripts, no music, no wardrobe, no crew."
, Elisabeth Hasselbeck
, and Barbara Walters
made short cameo appearances. Jenny McCarthy
appeared once briefly, as did Hasselbeck's mother-in-law and O'Donnell's mother-in-law (wife Kelli's mother). Kathy Griffin
also appeared, during which she read some of the user-submitted questions.
Rosie left the View on May 25, 2007. JaHeRo reunited to create blogs twice at Rosie's home during the summer of 2007, though their blogs had previously only been taped in the dressing room of the View.
In January, 2008, Rosie confirmed on her blog that she will re-unite with Helene for some blog videos when she tapes her appearances for "Password," hosted by Regis Philbin
. Rosie also said Janette will not be present.
("JA" in "JAhero") and O'Donnell have been friends for 20+ years. Janette was a former writer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show
. The two met doing stand up in the 1980s. She often shares unique stories about her life such as her dad burying a can of peas in the ground then replacing them with raisins. She met her partner, Barry, on the Internet when she was working on O'Donnell's show. Barber enjoys alternative rock, gardening and boxing. Barber was allegedly escorted from ABC building during the week of May 21, 2007 for drawing a moustache on a magazine picture of Elisabeth Hasselbeck that was posted on a bulletin board. Rosie explains the incident in the Jahero (Minus Janette) blog posted on 5/26.
("HE" in "JaHEro") is O'Donnell's hair stylist and makeup artist. She is often seen eating unusual foods such as dark chocolate, salmon, cold pizza, and large turkey legs for breakfast on the blog. She says her eyes are puffy in the morning so to mask them she usually wears retro aviator sunglasses on the blog.
Macaulay is an advocate for environmentally friendly materials and habits and was found to reuse makeup sponges. She watches little-to-no television and also takes several classes, including: French, speech, and singing. Helene is also an actor, writer, director and producer for film and theater. She and her brother Gavin Macaulay co-directed and produced two documentaries, "Frankie's Mambo: El Ritmo Diablo" and "Chema's House", both of which aired on PBS. Helene's other celebrity clients include Edie Falco
and Mariah Carey
("RO" in "JaheRO") is an American stand-up comedienne, actress, singer, author
and media personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blog
ger, LGBT rights
activist, television producer
and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations
. Raised Roman Catholic, O'Donnell lost her mother to cancer as a pre-teen and has stressed the importance of protecting children and supporting families throughout her career. O'Donnell started her comedy career while still a teenager and her big break was on the talent show Star Search
when she was twenty years old. A TV sitcom and a series of movies introduced her to a larger national audience and in 1996 she started hosting The Rosie O'Donnell Show
which won multiple Emmy awards.
During her years on The Rosie O'Donnell Show she wrote her first book, a memoir
called Find Me and developed the nickname "Queen Of Nice" as well as a reputation for philanthropic efforts. She used the book's $3 million advance to establish her own For All Kids foundation and promoted other charity projects encouraging other celebrities on her show to also take part. O'Donnell came out
stating "I'm a dyke
!" two months before finishing her talk show run, saying that her primary reason was to bring attention to gay adoption issues. O'Donnell is a foster
—and adoptive
—mother. She has since continued to support many LGBT
causes and issues. In 2006 O'Donnell became the new moderator on The View boosting ratings and attracting controversies with her liberal
views, and strong personality, dominating many of the conversations. She became a polarizing figure to many and her strong opinions resulted in several notable controversies including an on-air dispute regarding the Bush administration's policies with the war in Iraq resulting in a mutual agreement to cancel her contract. In 2007 O'Donnell also released her second memoir, Celebrity Detox
, which focuses on her struggles with fame and her time at The View. She continues to do charity work and remains involved with LGBT and family-related issues. In 2008 O'Donnell starred in and executive produced America (2009 film)
], a Lifetime channel
original movie in which she plays the therapist of the title character, a 16-year-old boy aging out
of the foster care
system. The film is based on the E.R. Frank
book of the same name.
In November 2009 "Rosie Radio", a daily two-hour show with O'Donnell discussing news and events on Sirius XM Radio, premiered. O'Donnell said she was approached by the company after she appeared on The Howard Stern Show. O'Donnell has signed on with the Oprah Winfrey Network OWN to return to daytime TV with a talk show in Fall 2011.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
(vlog
Vlog
Video blogging, sometimes shortened to vlogging or vidding or vidblogging is a form of blogging for which the medium is video, and is a form of Web television. Entries often combine embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one take...
) started by Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
on her website Rosie.com answering fans questions, giving behind the scenes information and serving as a video diary. Originally featuring only O'Donnell and her hair and make-up artist Helene Macaulay
Helene Macaulay
Helene Macaulay is a celebrity makeup artist. She grew up in the Town of Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, and moved to New York City in 1979. She is related to the essayist, poet and British MP Thomas Babington Macaulay, Zachary Macaulay, the historian G.M. Trevelyan and the British...
they were soon joined by her writer from The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
, Janette Barber
Janette Barber
Janette Barber is an American stand-up comic, television producer, and writer. She has won six Emmy Awards, including five that she shares with the writers and producers of The Rosie O'Donnell Show. After that show ended, Barber continued to work with O'Donnell on The View and on O'Donnell's blog...
. O'Donnell, her producer Barber, and Macaulay created unscripted video blogs Monday through Thursday prior to taping, during which they answered user-submitted questions. Called Jahero, which has each of their first name's letters in it, they occasionally had short cameo appearances by View co-hosts Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters. Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
appeared once briefly, as has Hasselbeck's mother-in-law and O'Donnell's mother-in-law, her wife Kelli's mother. Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
also appeared, where she read some of the questions. It became so popular that O'Donnell and her creative team considered an "on the road" version of the video blog utilizing fan-submitted suggestions. O'Donnell was the front runner for the "best celebrity blogger" category in the 2007 Blogger's Choice Awards which she won.
They adopted Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
's "Holding Out for a Hero
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1984 on the soundtrack to the film Footloose. It later appeared on Tyler's Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album. It hit #96 for the first time in UK in 1984,...
" as their unofficial theme song with O'Donnell quite frequently singing the chorus as "I Need JAHERO" after it was suggested by a blogger on Rosie's site.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
television critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
and journalist Virginia Heffernan
Virginia Heffernan
Virginia Heffernan is an American journalist. In March, 2011, she began to write regularly about digital and pop culture for the Opinion pages of The New York Times. She is also known as a television critic for The New York Times, and as "The Medium" columnist at The New York Times Magazine. In...
praised O'Donnell for being able to be "so watchable" even though she has "no commercials, no scripts, no music, no wardrobe, no crew."
History
The video blog debuted on March 27, 2007, originally featuring only O'Donnell and Macaulay, and on April 18 Barber joined the cast. Occasionally Joy BeharJoy Behar
Josephina Victoria "Joy" Behar is an American comedian, writer, actress, and a co-host of the talk show The View. Behar has a commentary program, entitled The Joy Behar Show, on CNN's sister network, HLN...
, Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth Hasselbeck is an American television talk show host and television personality. She was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback and is a current co-host on the daytime talk show The View .-Early life:...
, and Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
made short cameo appearances. Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
appeared once briefly, as did Hasselbeck's mother-in-law and O'Donnell's mother-in-law (wife Kelli's mother). Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
also appeared, during which she read some of the user-submitted questions.
Rosie left the View on May 25, 2007. JaHeRo reunited to create blogs twice at Rosie's home during the summer of 2007, though their blogs had previously only been taped in the dressing room of the View.
In January, 2008, Rosie confirmed on her blog that she will re-unite with Helene for some blog videos when she tapes her appearances for "Password," hosted by Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
. Rosie also said Janette will not be present.
Janette Barber
Janette BarberJanette Barber
Janette Barber is an American stand-up comic, television producer, and writer. She has won six Emmy Awards, including five that she shares with the writers and producers of The Rosie O'Donnell Show. After that show ended, Barber continued to work with O'Donnell on The View and on O'Donnell's blog...
("JA" in "JAhero") and O'Donnell have been friends for 20+ years. Janette was a former writer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
. The two met doing stand up in the 1980s. She often shares unique stories about her life such as her dad burying a can of peas in the ground then replacing them with raisins. She met her partner, Barry, on the Internet when she was working on O'Donnell's show. Barber enjoys alternative rock, gardening and boxing. Barber was allegedly escorted from ABC building during the week of May 21, 2007 for drawing a moustache on a magazine picture of Elisabeth Hasselbeck that was posted on a bulletin board. Rosie explains the incident in the Jahero (Minus Janette) blog posted on 5/26.
Helene Macaulay
Helene MacaulayHelene Macaulay
Helene Macaulay is a celebrity makeup artist. She grew up in the Town of Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, and moved to New York City in 1979. She is related to the essayist, poet and British MP Thomas Babington Macaulay, Zachary Macaulay, the historian G.M. Trevelyan and the British...
("HE" in "JaHEro") is O'Donnell's hair stylist and makeup artist. She is often seen eating unusual foods such as dark chocolate, salmon, cold pizza, and large turkey legs for breakfast on the blog. She says her eyes are puffy in the morning so to mask them she usually wears retro aviator sunglasses on the blog.
Macaulay is an advocate for environmentally friendly materials and habits and was found to reuse makeup sponges. She watches little-to-no television and also takes several classes, including: French, speech, and singing. Helene is also an actor, writer, director and producer for film and theater. She and her brother Gavin Macaulay co-directed and produced two documentaries, "Frankie's Mambo: El Ritmo Diablo" and "Chema's House", both of which aired on PBS. Helene's other celebrity clients include Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'DonnellRosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
("RO" in "JaheRO") is an American stand-up comedienne, actress, singer, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and media personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, LGBT rights
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
activist, television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations
R Family Vacations
R Family Vacations is a LGBT vacation entertainment company that provides luxury cruise ship trips with a focus on inclusive activities for children and services including same-sex marriage ceremonies.-History:...
. Raised Roman Catholic, O'Donnell lost her mother to cancer as a pre-teen and has stressed the importance of protecting children and supporting families throughout her career. O'Donnell started her comedy career while still a teenager and her big break was on the talent show Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
when she was twenty years old. A TV sitcom and a series of movies introduced her to a larger national audience and in 1996 she started hosting The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
which won multiple Emmy awards.
During her years on The Rosie O'Donnell Show she wrote her first book, a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
called Find Me and developed the nickname "Queen Of Nice" as well as a reputation for philanthropic efforts. She used the book's $3 million advance to establish her own For All Kids foundation and promoted other charity projects encouraging other celebrities on her show to also take part. O'Donnell came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
stating "I'm a dyke
Dyke (slang)
Dyke is slang terminology referring to a lesbian or lesbianism. It originated as a derogatory label for a masculine woman, and this usage still exists. However, some attempt to use it in a manner they see as positive, or simply as a neutral synonym for lesbian...
!" two months before finishing her talk show run, saying that her primary reason was to bring attention to gay adoption issues. O'Donnell is a foster
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
—and adoptive
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
—mother. She has since continued to support many LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
causes and issues. In 2006 O'Donnell became the new moderator on The View boosting ratings and attracting controversies with her liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
views, and strong personality, dominating many of the conversations. She became a polarizing figure to many and her strong opinions resulted in several notable controversies including an on-air dispute regarding the Bush administration's policies with the war in Iraq resulting in a mutual agreement to cancel her contract. In 2007 O'Donnell also released her second memoir, Celebrity Detox
Celebrity Detox
Celebrity Detox: The Fame Game is the second memoir written by comedian, actress, and talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. Focusing on her departure from The Rosie O'Donnell Show and later The View, O'Donnell expresses the struggles associated with the almost drug-like concept of fame...
, which focuses on her struggles with fame and her time at The View. She continues to do charity work and remains involved with LGBT and family-related issues. In 2008 O'Donnell starred in and executive produced America (2009 film)
America (2009 film)
America is a 2009 Lifetime Television film starring Rosie O’Donnell, Ruby Dee and Philip Johnson. It was directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Joyce Eliason. The film is based on the young adult novel America by E.R...
], a Lifetime channel
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
original movie in which she plays the therapist of the title character, a 16-year-old boy aging out
Aging out
Aging out is American popular culture vernacular used to describe anytime a youth leaves a formal system of care designed to provide services below a certain age level.There are a variety of applications of the phrase throughout the youth development field...
of the foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
system. The film is based on the E.R. Frank
E.R. Frank
E.R. Frank is an American writer, clinical social worker and psychotherapist. She won the Teen People Book Club NEXT Award for her first novel, 2002's Life Is Funny. Her 2003 novel America was made into a 2009 television movie starring Rosie O'Donnell and Philip Johnson...
book of the same name.
In November 2009 "Rosie Radio", a daily two-hour show with O'Donnell discussing news and events on Sirius XM Radio, premiered. O'Donnell said she was approached by the company after she appeared on The Howard Stern Show. O'Donnell has signed on with the Oprah Winfrey Network OWN to return to daytime TV with a talk show in Fall 2011.