COHEN: AMY SUSSMAN/GETTY IMAGES
Carp reconsidered. She was told that
this was the best job they could pair
her with at the time. Cohen already
had his own show, and he was building
his career. “They really saw
the compatibility there,” she says.
“They saw something in myself
that I didn’t see.”
After four interviews, Carp got the
job and became Cohen’s assistant.
BEYOND BRAVO
In 2014, after assisting Cohen for
close to four years, Carp had a big
decision to make. Cohen pulled her
into his office and told her that he
was leaving Bravo. He would still
be executive-producing his show,
Watch What Happens Live, and
overseeing other projects like The
Real Housewives, but he wanted to
focus on his own brand. Cohen gave
her two options: play it safe by continuing
her career at Bravo, or leave,
and the two of them would “rule the
world” together.
“It took me about two seconds
to realize what I wanted to do,”
she says.
Cohen and Carp left Bravo and
created the production company
Most Talkative Inc., where Carp
holds the title of chief of staff
(even though it’s just the two of
them). When Cohen hosted Love
Connection on FOX, Carp was by his
side, just as when he was a contestant
on the celebrity edition of Who
Wants toBeaMillionaire? Carp also
accompanies Cohen when he hosts
CNN’s New Year’s Eve special with
Anderson Cooper, and was the point
person for a national tour that Cohen
and Cooper recently took.
REALITY CHECK
Thankfully, most of Carp’s duties
pertaining to Cohen can be done
remotely. This sort of freedom has
allowed her to not only thrive as
the host of several web shows and
podcasts, but to continue doing so
during these uncertain times.
One of Carp’s favorite gigs is
hosting Reality Check on PeopleTV,
a streaming network from People and
ADVICE FROM
ANDY COHEN
1. BE YOURSELF “One of
the things I’ve learneded
from Andy is to
always be yourself,”
Carp says. “The
authenticitywill
show to the
audience.”
2. LISTEN “The
thingaboutAndy
that Ilove is he’s such
agood listener,
especially on air,” she
says.“It’s not about thehost, it’s
aboutthe guest. And the host’s
job is to makethe guest look
good.”
3. ALWAYSTAKE AVACATION
Entertainment Weekly available on
peopletv.com and other streaming
devices. After filling in a few times,
she became the permanent host in
November of last year. “It’s been a
dream,” she says. “I absolutely love
going to work each day. I get to
interview everyone from Paul Shaffer
to the Jersey Shore cast.”
Carp gets to hone her interview
skills on the show, which airs
Mondays through Thursdays on
PeopleTV, Twitter and YouTube.
During the show, Carp talks with
reality stars about their lives, and
they watch clips together. She loves
that every interview is different and
that she gets to talk about things that
really interest her.
Before restrictions due to the coronavirus,
Reality Check consisted of
Carp and her guests sitting together,
watching clips of recent reality TV
shows. “That makes it all worth it,”
she says. “Getting to watch these
shows, as afan, with the person
who’s on the show is incredible.”
One recent episode featured
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
star Jackie Goldschneider. “Carp
interviewed me for PeopleTV, and I
could immediately tell she was born
to be ahost,” says Goldschneider.
“She had such witty, quick
responses and avoice that never
cracked, not to mention great
style. She made the whole
experience so fun.”
Audiences are more
captivec
than ever and
alwaysa
searching for
newn
content, so even
though social distancing
has made talk shows
tricky, the show must go
on. “I missm
people. Imiss the
office. But thankfully, Iamable
to still work,” Carp says. “Ihave
Zoom interviews each day for Reality
Check, and that has been fantastic,
(though it was) definitely something
that took getting used to.”
Just like many people who are
making the best ofworking from
home, Carp has also been rolling
with the punches. “My wardrobe has
evolved from sweatpants to shorts,
since viewers can only see my upperhalf
on camera anyway,” she says.
“And Inow have an additional ring
light in my apartment tohelp create
more depth. Unfortunately, we’re
not back in the studio yet, but Ihope
that in the coming months that may
change.”
Before the virus, aday of filming
Reality Check would start around
noon, with Carp getting her hair and
makeup done, followed by lunch.
Each episode took close to two hours
to record. Factor in filming segments
for future episodes and editing, and
the show didn’t have much wiggle
room to meet its 4:30 p.m. deadline.
But Carp was more than up for the
challenge.
“The best part about working
on Reality Check is Daryn Carp,”
says Dan Weinreich, supervising
producer for PeopleTV. “Her
enthusiasm, inviting energy, and
authenticity clearly come across
throughout each episode. She’s a
true joy tobearound.”
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL 2020
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