Paolo Presta
Paolo Presta | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Occupations | Talk show host, actor |
| Known for | A Spoonful of Paolo |
| Spouse |
Patrick Thomassie (m. 2015) |
Paolo Presta is an American talk show host and actor known for hosting the online talk show A Spoonful of Paolo which was the winner of a 2012 and 2022 Webby Award.[1][2]
Early life
Presta was born into a Catholic Italian family, one of seven siblings and the son of an Italian immigrant.[3][4]
Career
In 2004, talk show host Oprah Winfrey during a "Wildest Dreams" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show got Presta, then an aspiring actor, a speaking role on the sitcom Will & Grace. Winfrey and her television crew showed up at his family's Chicago grocery store where Presta was working in response to multiple emails and letters Presta had sent Winfrey.[3]
Presta moved to Los Angeles to film his role on Will & Grace[3] and went on to work on the television series The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Talk and later hosting his own online talk show A Spoonful of Paolo.[5]
Years later in 2013, Winfrey reconnected with Presta on an episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?[5]
On March 14, 2024 at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards Presta and female impersonator Chilli Pepper presented the GLAAD Vanguard Award to Oprah Winfrey.[6]
Winfrey appeared on a November 11, 2024, episode of A Spoonful of Presta as a guest. The episode debuted on the twentieth anniversary of the day Winfrey surprised Presta at his family's grocery store in 2004.[3]
Personal life
Presta came out to his family in 2010.[4]
Presta married Patrick Thomassie in June 2015 in Pasadena, California.[7] They had lived in West Hollywood.[4]
In 2017, Presta and Thomassie moved back to Chicago.[3]
References
- ↑ "A Spoonful of Paolo". Webby Awards. 2012.
- ↑ "A Spoonful Of Paolo 10 Year Anniversary". Webby Awards. 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hogan, Kate (October 21, 2024). "Oprah's 'You Get a Car!' Dream Season Aired 20 Years Ago; How It Changed One Man's Life Forever (Exclusive)". People.
- 1 2 3 Nunn, Jerry (January 11, 2012). "Presta change-o: Oprah alters gay man's life". Windy City Times. Windy City Media Group. ISSN 1049-698X. OCLC 20341561. Archived from the original on April 27, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- 1 2 James, Diego (10 April 2013). "How Oprah Changed a Gay Guy's Life". Out.
- ↑ Lenge, Yolanda (September 12, 2024). "Remembering Chilli Pepper: Icon and Trailblazer". GLAAD.
- ↑ Ranganathan, Prasanna (September 23, 2014). "A Spoonful of Paolo, A Feast of Dreams Come True". HuffPost. AOL (now Buzzfeed). Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2026.