Leeza Gibbons Signs Long-Term Contract Extension to Host KTLA Rose Parade Broadcast

Emmy Award winner Leeza Gibbons has signed a long-term contract extension with KTLA to continue to co-host the annual Rose Parade telecast for the Los Angeles TV station, now owned by Nextar, Deadline said in a report Wednesday.

Gibbons has hosted the Rose Parade coverage with Mark Steines, another Emmy awardee, since January 2017, the pair taking over for longtime Rose Parade hosts Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks at KTLA.

The most recent KTLA Rose Parade broadcast in 2019 drew a 15.4 household rating and 40 share to rank as the station’s highest-ranked parade telecast since 2013. It was up from 2018 (11.8/32) and 2017 (14.4/38), according to Deadline.

The 2020 Rose Parade will be broadcast from Pasadena on January 1, 2020.

Gibbons grew up in Irmo, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia, and graduated from Irmo High School. After completing high school, Gibbons graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina’s school of journalism and mass communication, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.

She began her television career as a news reporter in her home state of South Carolina, and has been hosting and reporting on-camera for decades. She also has put her passion for health advocacy to practice, and has become a leading voice for personal growth and empowerment.

Using her experiences hosting, producing and reporting for shows such as “Entertainment Tonight,” The PBS show “My Generation” and her own talk show, “Leeza,” Gibbons became an instrumental advocate for healthcare, wellness and caregiving, ultimately becoming a social entrepreneur when she started the non-profit Leeza’s Care Connection.

At locations in California and South Carolina, the nonprofit offers free services and support to help families cope when facing a chronic illness or disease.

In November 2007, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Gibbons to the board that oversees California’s stem cell research agency, filling a slot designated for a patient advocate for Alzheimer’s as the result of her nonprofit group, Leeza’s Place.

Gibbons’ efforts with memory disorders grew out of her own family’s experience with her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and died in May 2008.

Gibbons is currently seen on-camera as co-host of “The Three Week Yoga Retreat.” Her books, including the New York Times bestseller “Take 2: Your Guide to Happy Endings and New Beginnings” and “Fierce Optimism: 7 Secrets for Playing Nice and Winning Big” highlight her ability to provide practical inspiration and encouragement to anyone who believes they can create a successful life of happiness and purpose.