Jane Velez-Mitchell is a television and social media journalist and author. She is the founder of #JaneUnChained, a digital news network for animal rights and the vegan lifestyle which uses more than 60 volunteer contributors from around the world to showcase vegan festivals, animal rights conferences, organizations, vegan restaurants and cooking. The videos originate on the Velez-Mitchell's Facebook page, which has 16.5 million video views in 2017. The network is a 501 c non profit based in Marina del Rey, California. For six years she hosted her own show on HLN, Jane Velez-Mitchell replacing Glenn Beck, who moved to Fox News Channel. She is often seen commenting on high-profile cases for CNN, TruTV, E! and other national cable TV shows. Velez-Mitchell frequently guest hosts for Nancy Grace on her Headline News show. Velez-Mitchell reported for the nationally syndicated show Celebrity Justice. She also appears as a substitute host on HLN's Showbiz Tonight. In October 2014, HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell show was cancelled.
Early life and career
Born to a Puerto Rican mother and an Irish American father, Velez-Mitchell has been on the forefront of many headline news stories for decades. In early 1990, Jane Velez-Mitchell was a co-anchor on the debut of an industry-first prime time three-hour news broadcast on KCAL-TV, a local Los Angeles TV station. She was paired with Los Angeles broadcasting legend, Jerry Dunphy. The format exists to this day. She would also make anchor appearances on KCAL-TV sister station KCBS-TV. Other hosting duties included talk radio KABC, Los Angeles. While covering a story regarding sororities on her television showIssues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, she stated that she attended New York University. She was in the courtroom during the entire child sexual abuse trial against singer Michael Jackson. During the trial, Velez-Mitchell appeared daily on Nancy Grace. She was featured on CNN's Larry King Live on several occasions, including on the evening of the verdict. In November 2014, she founded JaneUnchained, a social media news outlet that focuses on social justice.
Books
Velez-Mitchell wrote the non-fiction Secrets Can Be Murder: What America’s Most Sensational Crimes Tell Us About Ourselves, in 2007. The book's premise is that by studying the secrecy and deceit embedded in more than twenty widely covered murder cases in these tragic scenarios that we can learn to opt for honesty in our own lives and avoid similar outcomes. In September 2009, Velez-Mitchell released her memoir on addiction recovery, iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life. In February 2011, Velez-Mitchell released a third book, titled Addict Nation: an Intervention for America. This book examines what Velez-Mitchell believes to be growing levels of addiction in the United States to both illegal drugs and to legal phenomena like the Internet, prescription drugs, and fast food. Velez-Mitchell' fourth book, Exposed: The Secret Life ofJodi Arias, was released in August 2013 and debuted at #5 on the New York Times Bestseller list. The book examines the life of Jodi Arias, leading up to her murder of her ex-boyfriend, and the ensuing murder trial.
Personal life
Velez-Mitchell is openly a lesbian. She came out on Al Rantel's radio show on KABC-AM in Los Angeles in 2007, and is one of the few openly gay journalists on television. She also has dedicated her time and resources to various charitable and humane causes. She is well known for her animal rights advocacy and is a vegan and an environmentalist.
Awards
In July 2009, Farm Animal Rights Movement awarded Velez-Mitchell the Celebrity Animal Activist Award at the Animal Rights 2009 National Conference held in Los Angeles, California. While working at Celebrity Justice, Velez-Mitchell’s reporting on animal cruelty earned that show two Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States. She earned an additional Genesis Award for her show "Issues" in 2010 and the same year the VegNews magazine named her Media Maven of the Year. PETA awarded her their "Movers and Shakers Award" in 2012. In 2013, Mercy for Animals awarded her their Compassionate Leadership Award. In 2014, she was honored for fighting animal abuse by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In 2015, she received the Nanci Alexander Award at PETA's 35th anniversary celebration. In January 2010, she was awarded the Ruby Award by Soroptimist International for her "War on Women" coverage on her television show.
