AJ Benza
| A. J. Benza | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alfred Joseph Benza June 2, 1962 New York, New York |
| Occupation | Gossip columnist, Television host |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Folk |
| Children | Rocco Benza Roxy Benza |
Alfred Joseph “A.J.” Benza (born June 2, 1962) is an American gossip columnist and television host.
Benza was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, though he moved with his family to West Islip, New York on Long Island shortly after his birth. He has two sisters, Rosalie and Lorraine. After graduating from West Islip High School in 1980, Benza majored in journalism at C.W. Post College on Long Island.
During college Benza began writing for Newsday and was soon hired full-time as a gossip columnist for that paper and eventually for the New York Daily News. It was as a gossip columnist that he began appearing on E! Entertainment Television's The Gossip Show in the mid-1990s. This led to appearances on talk shows such as Geraldo, Hard Copy, The Montel Williams Show, The Maury Povich Show, and various other television talk shows. He was later fired from the New York Daily News by editor Pete Hamill.
Soon after leaving the paper, Benza was offered a job hosting a new show at E! entitled Mysteries and Scandals, which necessitated a move to Los Angeles, California. It was on this show that Benza popularized the catchphrase "Fame, ain't it a bitch," which later became the title of his autobiography. The show ran for three seasons between 1998 and 2000.
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