Born in Boston, Bennett moved to Lynn with his mother and attended St. Pius until he was eleven. Once his mother landed a new job in Arizona, the two packed their suitcases and made their way to The Grand Canyon State.
That’s where he mostly grew up and attended middle school and high school. He later got accepted into the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2013, one of the top ten journalism schools in the country at the time, at Arizona State University. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication there in 2017.
Although when Bennett was a child, his dream job was to be an actor on the Disney Channel, he eventually realized that journalism was something he always wanted to do. Growing up, he was obsessed with watching “E! News” and was inspired by Giuliana Rancic, former co-host of “Live from the Red Carpet.”
“I would see Giuliana Rancic, and I’m like, ‘I want to be like Giuliana Rancic.’ I just want to gossip all day and be on ‘E! News.’ So when I was in high school, I would do the announcements at my school,” Bennett said. “Then I was like, ‘I think I’m just going to do journalism.’ And so, from 16 and on, I wanted to do entertainment journalism. I thought, ‘I don’t ever want to do local news… all I want to do is live in L.A. and work at E! News.’ I’ll do that for the rest of my life, and it will be so great and glamorous.”
Soon enough, Bennett got his foot in the door and landed himself an internship at Popstar! Magazine when he was twenty and received an opportunity to work at “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” He didn’t know who James Corden was at first but was convinced by a classmate who informed him of who Corden was and that this was something that he had to do. During his time at “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” Bennett made a good friend who had a connection at E! News through someone who worked at NBC.
“Then I ended up getting my first job at Access Hollywood after that, which was super exciting. So everything happens the way it’s supposed to be,” Bennett said.
In 2019, Bennett landed a role at Entertainment Tonight as an associate content producer. One of his responsibilities was hosting and producing trending new stories on ET’s TikTok, which garnered over a million followers at the time. He worked there up until 2021, when he was laid off, but opportunities were not shy to come in his direction.
Recently, Bennett worked with Amazon as a digital host and producer as he hosted Alexa’s Daily Pop Spotlight series. But before that, when asked if he had made any mistakes since joining the entertainment industry, one mistake would occur with an opportunity that he had dreamed of. That dream, of course, being a host for E! News. Bennett was approached and asked to host “The Rundown,” which is a show viewers can watch on Snapchat. He was asked to fill in for the original host, Erin Lim, who was pregnant at the time until she could return. With this opportunity arising, Bennett quickly took it, but the only issue was that he had started a job two years prior with PEOPLE Magazine as a host, producer, and writer and did not know the exact rules of working with competitors.
“I kind of knew they weren’t gonna say yes if I asked. I kind of did the whole ‘don’t ask for permission, just beg for forgiveness’ kind of thing, and after I did ‘The Rundown’ and everything came out, I got reprimanded for doing it,” Bennett said. “I feel like the lesson is just communicating and realizing what’s worth your peace and what’s not.”
Bennett emphasizes that confidence and likability are essential when it comes to achieving growth within the entertainment industry and fostering valuable connections. He believes that while determination, drive, and a proactive attitude are crucial, possessing self-assurance will ultimately lead to greater success in the long run.
The thing people say to me most when I meet them, especially in a work setting, is like, ‘Oh my God, you’re so happy all the time. You’re just so upbeat. You’re so this, you’re so that. Are you like this all the time?’ I’m not trying to be that way, that’s just genuinely my personality. But I feel like that’s gotten me a long way. Just people liking having me around,” Bennett said. “You can be strong, driven, and a go-getter and people can think you’re great, but if they don’t like you, it won’t get you that far.
Bennett says that awards season has been one of the highlights of his burgeoning career thus far, aside from hosting. He was present at events such as the Grammys, SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, to name a few. He stated that red carpets are not glamorous, but he is able to find a happy medium with being part of a digital news team. Although he doesn’t exactly miss the red carpet scene, he is proud of the work he has done.
“I can report and do interviews and stuff like that, but I think it’s so fun creating something for reels or TikTok… that’s just been so great to do in this day and age on red carpets that simply did not exist five, six years ago,” Bennett said. “Being able to go on red carpets and just be unserious and do all this fun content versus sticking a camera in someone’s face and asking them questions… that’s just been so fun to me.”
When it comes down to his future goals, Bennett is quick to add that his dream job is to host a dating show on Netflix for 50 years. Other than that, he is currently freelancing for other companies and, with the assistance of his manager, aims for more hosting.
“My goal is to do a lot more hosting. I want to be paid for my personality. I don’t necessarily care about the art of news. I care more so about people wanting to hear what I have to say because I know what I have to say is fun,” Bennett said.
Outside of his work, Bennett likes to unwind by working out and doing pilates. He aims to be productive no matter what, a trait that he acquired from his mother, someone who has been really influential to him. As he was growing up, his mother was hard on him about college and having goals, which, looking back now, he is happy that she did.
“I love that I’m busy doing something. I love being productive. I think being productive is a blessing. Being alive every day is a blessing. Just getting up early and getting things done and just being productive and working towards a goal and being alive, I think it’s just great,” Bennett said. “Just having goals, getting up every day for something… it makes me feel fulfilled. I’m someone who can’t, like my mom, have to have something going on in my life to feel good about something.”
Rapid fire questions
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
F: Strawberry cheesecake
Cats or dogs?
F: Dogs
Coffee or tea?
F: Coffee
Beach or mountains?
F: Beach
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
F: Getting to visit my aunt in London every summer
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
F: “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus
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