Rolonda Watts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rolonda Watts
Watts in 2008
Born	(1959-07-12) July 12, 1959 (age 65) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Spelman College (BA) Columbia University (MA)
Occupation	Actress, television host, radio host, producer
Years active	1988–present

Rolonda Watts, born on July 12, 1959, is an American actress, producer, and a host for TV and radio shows. She is most famous for hosting her own talk show, Rolonda, which was shown all over the world from 1994 to 1997. Later, Watts was the announcer for the TV show Judge Joe Brown. Today, she is the announcer for the talk show Sherri.

About Rolonda Watts's Early Life

Rolonda Watts was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on July 12, 1959. Her mother, Velma Gibson Watts, was a leader at Wake Forest University. Her father, Roland Watts, was in charge of the Fine Arts Department at Winston-Salem State University.

As a teenager, Watts went to Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She then studied at Spelman College in Atlanta. There, she was the main editor of the school newspaper and graduated with very high honors. In 1981, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which is a special school for people who want to work in news.

Rolonda Watts's Career Journey

Starting in News and TV

After finishing her studies at Columbia, Watts went back to North Carolina. She started her career as a reporter at WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina. A reporter gathers news and tells stories. Later, she worked at WNBC and WABC-TV in New York. At WNBC, she was even nominated for an Emmy Award, which is a big award for TV shows. At WABC-TV, she was a news anchor and reported on a weekly political show.

In 1991, Watts became a host for Attitudes, a talk show on Lifetime Television. The next year, she joined the news show Inside Edition. She worked as a senior reporter, weekend anchor, and producer. A producer helps make sure the show gets made.

Hosting Her Own Talk Show

The company that showed Inside Edition and The Oprah Winfrey Show then asked Rolonda to start her own talk show. Her show, Rolonda, was on TV for almost four years, from January 1994 to September 1997. Watts was also a supervising producer and one of the owners of the show.

In an interview, Watts explained why her show ended. She said that audiences started wanting more dramatic shows, like Jerry Springer. She decided to end her show rather than change it to be less respectful. She wanted to keep her integrity, which means staying true to her values.

Moving to Acting and Other Roles

After her talk show, Watts moved to Hollywood, California, to become an actress. Her first acting role was in 1997 on the TV show Sister, Sister. She played the character Vivica Shaw in six episodes. Since then, Watts has appeared as a guest star in many TV shows. These include The West Wing, JAG, The District, and Yes, Dear. She also acted in soap operas like Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2002, a magazine called her "Scene Stealer of the Week" for her role as a tough lawyer on Days of Our Lives.

Watts also runs her own production company called Watts Works Productions. This company helped make her talk show, Rolonda. In 2005, she hosted Lie Detector, a reality TV show. That same year, she became the announcer for Judge Joe Brown. She also appeared on Live With Regis and Kelly as a judge for a contest.

Radio, Voice Acting, and Films

In 2006, Watts returned to radio. She hosted an afternoon radio show until the network closed in 2007. After that, she was the announcer for the game show Temptation.

Since 2006, Watts has been the voice of Professor Wiseman in the PBS Kids cartoon Curious George. She also voices "Gladys" in the Nickelodeon show The Penguins of Madagascar.

Watts has also acted in many films. She had her first main role in A Mother's Love. She also had big roles in Christmas Mail, House Arrest, Soul Ties, Broken Roads, and 25 Hill. In a short film called Return to Babylon, she played the famous performer Josephine Baker. In another film, Defying the Stars, she played Dorothy Dandridge. She also voiced Betsy Holiday in Tyler Perry's animated movie Madea's Tough Love.

Between June and August 2017, Rolonda started doing stand-up comedy. She also got a radio show called Sundays with Rolonda. She began her own web series called ROmance on YouTube. She also acted in the TV show Mann & Wife as a choir director. In 2024, she voiced Aunt P in the animated show Invincible Fight Girl.

Rolonda Watts's Film and TV Appearances

Films

Television Shows