Entertainment Tonight’s Samantha Harris

Entertainment Tonight correspondent Samantha Harris answers her call to duty every weekday night – to feed our insatiable appetites for celebrity news and Hollywood happenings. She’s seemingly got it all. Beauty – check. Fame – check. A killer wardrobe and a Rolodex including names of the hottest celebs – double check. Still behind the scenes, there lies the lovable, sweet Samantha that everyone should get to know.

Cotton Candy chats with the TV cutie, and we find that the most likeable quality about her is that she’s a down-to-earth woman – just like us.

Cotton Candy: Wow. You’re  both a full-time entertainment reporter and a full-time mom. Do you ever get overwhelmed?
SH: I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t, but sometimes as all working moms do, I try to be superhuman. Supermom. Superwife. Super worker-bee. And, oh yeah, sometimes too often I forget about me. But at the end of the day, I try to remember just how lucky I am, and that gives me a sense of calm knowing it’s all worth it.

CC: You once were an intern at Entertainment Tonight. Do you ever feel weird that you now anchor and report for the show?
SH: Weird, no. Lucky? Yes. But truly, there was a lot of hard work put in between the 14 years of my internship and my job here now at ET.

CC: Were you one of the cool kids growing up?
SH: Hey, didn’t we all think we were?

CC: You co-hosted Dancing with the Stars for eight seasons. Do you ever watch the show at home just for fun?
SH: Of course. I check in to watch the dancing because that’s what I always loved about the show, even when I was on it. But it’s often hard to find the time to watch any TV with two young kids.

CC: In July 2009 you made your Broadway debut playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. Do you plan on anymore theatrical or movie roles in the near future?
SH: Broadway was a dream come true – something I had wanted from the time I was a little girl, so it’s definitely something I would entertain again in the future. As for movies, you never know.  But for now, I’ll just continue interviewing the stars in them.

CC: Of course, everyone thinks that being an on-air talent for Entertainment Tonight is glamorous. Is it as glamorous as we all like to think it is?

Samantha Harris, "Entertainment Tonight"

SH: Of course it is. (Laughs) But honestly, most days I do feel so lucky to be glammed up and ready to hit a red carpet.

CC: You have two beautiful daughters: Hilary Madison Hess and Josselyn Sydney Hess. Do they have different personalities? Do they watch you on TV?
SH: The baby is just seven months now and coming into her own personality. Being one of two sisters myself, I can only imagine that they will have very different personalities but perhaps have some of the same interests. As for watching me on TV, they don’t actually watch me on the TV screen; instead they watch me live on the set. They’re very good quiet set-babies, for the most part. Each time Josselyn comes to the ET studio, she tries to get up on the stage to sing and dance, and steal pretzels from craft service.

CC: If you weren’t in the entertainment business, what do you think you’d be doing?
SH: Something within the fitness world. I am very health conscious, and I love working out. I love the feeling of strength and good health that it gives me, and I love being able to share that with others. In my early days in L.A., I was a substitute instructor for kick boxing and cardio classes at a local gym.

CC: Why do you think you stand out to the public? What is it about you that the public relates to?
SH: Thank you so much.  I really hope that I am relatable to people watching the shows at home. I just love what I do so much. Other than that, I don’t really know how to answer the question.

CC: Who are your favorite celebs? Do you ever get nervous interviewing celebrities?

SH: Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Cruise – there are just so many that are so much fun to interview, coming to work every day is a blast!

CC: With millions and millions of people tuning in and watching you on Entertainment Tonight, we’re sure you are recognized all of time. Any weird, crazy experiences with one of your fans?
SH: To me, the silliest and perhaps slightly offensive was when I was at a restaurant after an hour-long walk with my husband and Josselyn years ago – with no makeup on and a baseball hat – the woman behind the counter turned and said, “I recognize that voice. Are you Samantha?” And when I said yes, she had a shocked look on her face and said she thought after seeing me on TV, I was her age. (She was about 60. I was 35 at the time.)

CC: What’s a talent you have that most of us don’t know about. (We promise. We’ll just keep it between us and Cotton Candy readers.)
SH: I can wiggle my ears, without using my hands.

CC: Will you ever write a book and let us know about all the crazy things that have happened backstage?
SH: I do one day hope to write a book of some sort, but as for “backstage secrets”  my lips are sealed!

Written by: Nicole D. Smith

…….Cover Photo Credit:  Bradford Rogne, Photo Credit: Entertainment Tonight/CBS