Jessica Maldonado

Jessica Maldonado joined the Univision Network in the summer of 1999 as a correspondent for the entertainment program El Gordo y La Flaca. The national program is the leading Spanish-language entertainment show in the United States. Based in Los Angeles, Maldonado covers breaking entertainment news, reporting and producing feature profiles and investigative reports. In her position, she covers a wide variety of stories, from the arrivals at the Academy Awards to the Latin Grammy Awards to Michael Jackson's "Trial of the Century" in Santa Maria, California. Maldonado also regularly fills in as co-host for her Miami-based program. In the past, she has also worked as a presenter for the networks now-defunct evening entertainment program, Pica y Se Extiende. She travels all over the U.S. and Mexico to report stories and host specials. Some of these include: "La Gran Noche de Thali­a," a fashion program devoted to Mexican pop superstar Thali­a, as well as "Selena Vive," about the slain Tejano singer, a show that was a ratings hit for the network. Prior to joining El Gordo y la Flaca, she served as host of Hola Los Angeles on KVEA, a morning show produced by the local Telemundo affiliate, which serves the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. At the time, the show was the only locally produced Spanish-language programming in the area. During her tenure at the station, she hosted specials for KVEA on community happenings such as Fiesta Broadway and Fiestas Charras. She also presented one-shot programs devoted to a variety of topics, including a feature show on life and style called Vida y Estilo. For three years during this time, she also served as a correspondent for the Telemundo Networks national entertainment program, Hollywood DF reporting on entertainment movers and shakers. Maldonado began her career as a production assistant in the promotions department at KVEA in 1993. By 1994, the station was hiring her regularly to host interstitial segments on a variety of topics. After only one year of doing this, she was tapped to host Hola Los Angeles. She has taken a variety of voice and acting workshops at prestigious institutes such as Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting West and the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Maldonado now lives in the Hollywood Hills with her mother, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico.