Vanessa Joy Minnillo (born November 9, 1980) is an American television personality and actress. A former Miss Teen USA, she is mostly known for hosting Total Request Live on MTV from 2003–2007 as well her past reporting as a New York-based correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Early life

Minnillo was born November 9 at Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, the daughter of Helen Berecero and Vince Minnillo, who was a U.S. Air Force Aircrew member www.filmreference.com/film/19/Vanessa-Minnillo.html. Her father is an American of Italian and Azerbaijani descent and her mother is a Filipina (though Vanessa has claimed her to be Polynesian on at least one occasion) from the province of Pampanga on Luzon. Helen met Vince when he was based in the Philippines Nepales, Ruben V; Pampanga-born Vanessa Minnillo going places; Philippine Daily InquirerAyuyang, Rachelle Q; There's Something About Vanessa"Dressed To Kill"; Maxim Online. Minnillo has an adopted brother Vincent, who is two years older than she.

As a child, Minnillo's family moved numerous times due to her father's work in the United States Air Force, including living in Washington, California, Nevada, Florida, Germany and Japan and placing Minillo in eight different schools within nine years www.bongo.com/ accessdate 2007-08-19 Minillo's parents separated in 1983, divorced in 1986 www.celebritywonder.com/html/vanessaminnillo.html|CelebrityWonder.com, retrieved 2007-08-13.