Though she may not sport a big-wattage name that’s recognizable to most millennials and Gen-Zers — à la the names of social media superstars like David Dobrik, Charli D’Amelio, or Trisha Paytas, for instance — Jenny Jones was a talk show titan of her day, right up there with veterans that included Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue, Leeza Gibbons, Arsenio Hall, Rosie O’Donnell and Jerry Springer. Originally introduced in 1991, “The Jenny Jones Show” lasted until ’03, and during its run the series helped usher in a new wave of internet-fueled, more intimate pop culture.
Jones, now 73 and born in Palestine but raised in Canada, enjoyed 12 lucrative years of TV syndication through her Warner Bros. distributor. In its first couple seasons, her show had a traditional, Oprah-style talk show bent, but later seasons moved toward Maury Povitch and Jerry Springer territory with themes that included paternity tests and makeovers for strippers. Unfortunately, “The Jenny Jones Show” is probably best-remembered today for its part in a 1995 murder; in March, a Michigan man named Scott Amedure and his neighbor Jonathan Schmitz were featured on a taped episode in which Amedure confessed his love to an unsuspecting Schmitz. Three days later, Schmitz shot and killed Amedure. (Though Amedure’s family later sued Jones’ show for $25 million and initially won, the case was ultimately overturned.)
Jones, who has long lived in L.A.’s exclusive Mulholland Estates community, is apparently seeking a residential change of pace — or perhaps she’s simply expanding her portfolio. Records indicate the all-but-retired entertainer has plunked down a hefty $3.7 million in the far-flung L.A. suburb of Westlake Village, within the posh Sherwood Country Club guard-gated enclave. The house, which sits on a particularly pretty .67-acre lot with views of golf greens and the surrounding hills, offers four bedrooms and 4.5 baths in nearly 5,000 square feet of luxe living space.