Photo: Instagram
She's Brazilian.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Nov 13, 2019
E!'s The Soup premiered in 1991 (it was called Talk Soup back then) with a then-unknown Greg Kinnear as its host. The weekly half-hour show offered a comedic take on news from talk shows, reality shows, and eventually viral YouTube videos, too. The show had a number of hosts over the years including John Henson, Hal Sparks, Aisha Tyler, and Joel McHale before it signed off for the last time on December 18, 2015. Now, E! has announced that it's bringing The Soup back early next year with a new host. Actress and comedian Jade Catta-Preta has been tapped to head the new incarnation of the long-running show.
Who is Jade Catta-Preta? She's a Los Angeles-based, Brazilian-born comedian and actress. She's appeared on Modern Family, The Jim Gaffigan Show, @Midnight, Girl Code and Punk'd. She performs in both English and Portuguese. Let's look at what we know about the brand new host of The Soup.
1. Who is Jade Catta-Preta?
Jade Catta-Preta is a very busy lady. She crisscrosses the country performing her standup routine. She appears on television shows and comedy specials. And now, she's also going to be reviving the long-running E! show The Soup. It's been four years since the show signed off for the last time with 3,329 episodes taped between 1991 and 2015. Catta-Preta was born in 1984 in Brazil. These days she lives in Los Angeles. She's been a series regular on Californication, Daddy Knows Best, Future Man and Manhattan Love Story.
2. Early years of Talk Soup
E! launched Talk Soup in 1991. The show ran through footage from the previous day's talk shows and the host offered up comedic commentary on the footage. Talk Soup's first host was a then-unknown Greg Kinnear. The show launched his career. He hosted Talk Soup from 1991 to 1995. Three years after he left Talk Soup he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for As Good As it Gets.
3. Post-Greg Kinnear years
John Henson took over for Greg Kinnear on Talk Soup. He was host through 1999. Henson's IMDB profile doesn't show much work past 2015. His most significant post Talk Soup credit is a six-episode run on My Name Is Earl. Following Henson, Hal Sparks hosted the show for one year and left in 2000. Sparks' IMDB profile shows he still works in television with his most significant credit being his five year run on Queer As Folk. Aisha Tyler took over in 2002 and hosted the show through 2002. She has had the most successful post Talk Soup career of this group with long-running roles on Ghost Whisperer, 24, CSI, Archer, XIII The Series and Criminal Minds.
4. Joel McHale's The Soup
After Aisha Tyler left Talk Soup, E! rebranded the show The Soup and installed comedian Joel McHale as host in 2004. He was at the helm of the show until 2015 when it was canceled. McHale then took The Joel McHale Show With Joe McHale to Netflix. The show was essentially The Soup rebranded. That show only lasted one season. McHale has had recurring roles on a number of popular shows including Santa Clarita Diet, Community, The X Files and The Great Indoors.
5. Jade is in a Cold War Kids video
Jade's Instagram reveals that she appears in the new Cold War Kids video for the song "4th of July." Check it out below:
6. Statement from E!
Rod Aissa is the head of production and development for Oxygen and E!, he released a statement about the revival of The Soup and Jade Catta-Preta's hiring. "We’re excited to bring this beloved franchise back to the network, with a new take on an old favorite. Jade’s quick wit and keen observations will provide a much-needed voice in today’s pop culture landscape delivered in a way that only The Soup can.”
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.