Darren Kennedy (born 12 January 1981)[1] is an Irish television presenter,[2] style & design expert[3] and entrepreneur from Dublin[4] now based between Los Angeles, New York and Dublin.[5] He has hosted television shows on BBC, ITV and RTÉ.[6] Kennedy is Contributing Editor to US-title The Daily Front Row. He is the creator and co-founder of men's grooming brand Kennedy & Co.
Darren Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 January 1981 |
| Education | Dublin Institute of Technology, University of Bordeaux, Central St Martins |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, style expert,[citation needed] entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2006–Present |
| Employer(s) | RTÉ, BBC, ITV |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) |
| Website | http://www.darrenkennedy.co.uk/ |
Career
editBroadcasting
editKennedy began his career in Ireland as a reporter on the Gerry Ryan show 2FM and TV’s Operation Transformation on RTÉ One,[7] and hosted celebrity entertainment series #Trending on RTÉ 2[8] and regularly presented on ITV 1's This Morning[9] alongside Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
He co-created and presented 'Gay Daddy',[10][11] and co-presented and devised The Unemployables series with Jennifer Maguire.[12] Well known and respected for his aesthetic & sense of style, his home was featured in Celebrity Home of The Year on RTE One and he hosted the six-part series Buyers Bootcamp and “Dream House”, both on Virgin Media.
In 2019 he was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. In March 2020, he was announced as one of the Fab Five on BBC One's new flagship makeover series You Are What You Wear with Rylan Clark.[13] In January 2021, he took part in Celebrity Mastermind.
As of January 2023, he is presenting 'Celebrity Closets' from Los Angeles on ITV's Lorraine, where he interviews celebrities at home as they take viewers on a trip down memory lane via their wardrobes.[14]
In April 2023, Kennedy launched his podcast 'The Number' which he created, produces and hosts. On it he explores the question can a life be measured in numbers? Each week, he asks his guests their seven most significant numbers and how they've shaped their lives.
Kennedy co-hosted Virgin Media Television 's flagship live evening talk show The Six O Clock Show from June to September 2024. The show provides chat, live music, cooking, entertainment, showbiz and technology news.
In 2024, he became a regular contributor to NBC's Access Daily.
In October 2024, Kennedy was appointed Contributing Editor to The Daily.[15]
He writes a hugely popular weekly Interior Design column in the Sunday Independent LIFE magazine.
He is a prominent voice on LGBT rights and activism.
| TV programme[citation needed] | Channel / Network[citation needed] | |
|---|---|---|
| Lorraine: Celebrity Closets Host | Production Company: ITV Studios America
Broadcaster: ITV |
|
| You Are What You Wear | Production Company: Multistory
Broadcaster: BBC One | |
| Buyers Bootcamp | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Virgin Media One | |
| Dancing with the Stars - Contestant | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE | |
| The Royal Wedding - Co-Presenter | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE One | |
| Xpose - Guest Studio Anchor | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Virgin Media One (formerly TV3) | |
| Dream House | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE | |
| The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards | Production Company:
Broadcaster: TV3 | |
| What Britain Buys | Production Company: Sundog Pictures
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| The Power of TOWIE | Production Company: Lime Pictures
Broadcaster: ITVbe | |
| Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Production Company: Endemol
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| Celebrity Mastermind | Production Company: Hat Trick Productions
Broadcaster: BBC | |
| The Unemployables | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| The Xtra Factor | Production Company: Thames/ Syco
Broadcaster: ITV 2 | |
| #Trending | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| BAFTA Red Carpet Masterclass | Production Company:
Broadcaster: | |
| Topman & Google+ | Production Company:
Broadcaster: | |
| This Morning | Production Company: ITV
Broadcaster: ITV | |
| Like A Virgin | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| Gay Daddy | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| Fox News | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Fox News | |
| Holiday Heaven on Earth | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Channel 5 | |
| Global Entrepreneurship Week | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| Project Parent | Production Company:
Broadcaster: BBC/ CBBC | |
| This Morning’s Digital Download | Production Company:
Broadcaster: ITV | |
| Irish Film & Television Awards red carpet (IFTAS) | Production Company:
Broadcaster: |
Dancing with the Stars
editIn 2019, Kennedy took part in the third series of Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ. He was partnered with Karen Byrne, they competed into the fifth week.[16]
- Professional partner
- Karen Byrne; Average: 16.5; Place: 9th
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Sharp Dressed Man" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Jive / "Fun, Fun, Fun" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "I Wanna Be Like You" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "María" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Eliminated |
Style
editHe designed a contemporary suiting and outerwear collection in collaboration with Irish tailor Louis Copeland which produced six sell-out collections.[17] He is a fashion ambassador for the UK highstreet optician Specsavers.[18][19] He regularly works with some fashion brands including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Topman.[citation needed] He has hosted for BAFTA, GQ, several seasons of London Fashion Week Festival for the British Fashion Council and live on the red carpet for the Brit Awards.[citation needed] Darren also regularly contributes to Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine.[citation needed]
Entrepreneur
editKennedy's first solo venture was in his early twenties when he established a style bureau providing consultancy services to personal and corporate clients including blue chip companies Google, Tommy Hilfiger and BMW. An offshoot of this business developed into an online magazine Help My Style.[20][dead link]
In November 2018, he launched Irish Made, skin and hair care brand Kennedy & Co.[21][22] In 2020, the brand announced it had signed a deal to be distributed across the Middle East.[23]
Awards
editKennedy is regularly nominated in most Stylish Man award categories.[citation needed] He was voted winner of Ireland's Most Stylish Man at the VIP (magazine) Style Awards in 2013.[24] He subsequently went on to host the televised awards show for three consecutive years on TV3.
In 2016 he was nominated for the IFTA Film & Drama Awards TV Rising Star award.[25]
Kennedy was named Most influential Fashion Journalist in Ireland in the annual Murray Twitter Index.[26]
References
edit- ^ Kirsty Blake Knox (22 September 2012). "I owe it all to Gerry, says Gay Daddy star Darren". The Herald.
- ^ Fernando, Brendan (2 March 2020). "Darren Kennedy Opens up on Being Bullied in School for Being Gay". GCN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Darren Kennedy: How to find your French interiors-style vibe". Independent.ie. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "What makes a man? Darren Kennedy shares his personal journey". Independent.ie. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Sunday Independent". Independent.ie. 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Darren Kennedy co-hosts TV3's Xposé". RTE. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "I owe it all to Gerry, says Gay Daddy star Darren". Evening Herald. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ "Renaissance man: How Darren Kennedy is #trending". The Irish Independent. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "Kimberley Walsh's Star Wardrobe". This Morning ITV.com. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ^ Rabbitte, Eimear (8 November 2013). "Darren Kennedy stunned after 'Gay Daddy' documentary goes viral". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "I'm 31, gay and I'm ready to be a father". Irish Independent. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ "The Unemployables review - 'If your tastes run to arts docs you'll think it's mushy crapola, if not you'll enjoy it fine'". Independent.ie. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "The Fabulous Five: BBC One reveals stylists for You Are What You Wear". BBC. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Kim Jones Exits Fendi, Gucci's New CEO, & More!". Daily Front Row. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "Darren and Karen eliminated on Dancing with the Stars". RTE. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Darren Kennedy and that Louis Copeland collection". Irish Times. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Darren Kennedy recommends". Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ "Introducing Darren Kennedy Recommends collection at Specsavers". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ "Darren Kennedy: Help My Style". Image Magazine. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ Kennedy, Laura. "Best beauty product of 2018 –'It makes skin look airbrushed and candlelit'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ Kennedy, Laura (22 March 2019). "Why we can't get enough of Darren Kennedy's grooming range". The Examiner. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "Kennedy lands deal to sell men's grooming products in Middle East". Business Post. 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ Fegan, Joyce (18 March 2016). "15 years of the VIP Style Awards: How one red carpet transformed careers of Ireland's most stylish". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ "Gala TV Rising Star announced by IFTA". Irish Film & Television Awards. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ "Murray Twitter Index". Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
External links
edit
- Official site Archived 24 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Darren Kennedy at IMDb