Last updated: January 2026 | Interview originally conducted in 2009
In this article: Quick Facts | Career Overview | Full Interview | FAQs
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Harvey Levin is the founder, executive producer, and host of TMZ, the celebrity news outlet that transformed entertainment journalism. Dubbed by The New York Times as the man “who may represent the future of celebrity journalism,” Levin built TMZ into a news operation that consistently breaks major stories before traditional media outlets.
From his beginnings as a law professor to becoming the face of celebrity news, Levin’s unconventional career path led him to create one of the world’s most influential entertainment news brands. TMZ was first to report the deaths of Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Heath Ledger, and numerous other breaking celebrity stories.
Harvey Levin: Quick Facts
| Full Name | Harvey Robert Levin |
| Born | September 2, 1950 (Age 75) |
| Hometown | Los Angeles, California |
| Education | UC Santa Barbara (B.A. Political Science, 1972); University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 1975) |
| Known For | Founder & Host of TMZ |
| Previous Roles | Law Professor, The People’s Court Producer, Celebrity Justice Creator, OBJECTified Host |
| Partner | Andy Mauer |
| Daily Routine | Wakes at 3am, gym at 4am, office by 6am |
Harvey Levin’s Career Timeline
Levin’s path to TMZ was anything but traditional:
- 1975: Graduated from University of Chicago Law School; began practicing law in California
- Mid-1970s: Law professor at the University of Miami School of Law
- Late 1970s: Taught at Whittier College School of Law
- 1978: Gained public attention by debating Howard Jarvis over Proposition 13
- 1982: First television job covering legal issues at KNBC-TV Los Angeles
- 1980s-90s: Legal columnist for the Los Angeles Times for seven years
- 1990s: Decade of investigative reporting at KCBS-TV, including O.J. Simpson trial coverage
- 1997: Named co-executive producer and legal anchor for The People’s Court
- 2002: Created and executive-produced Celebrity Justice
- 2005: Launched TMZ.com with AOL and Telepictures Productions
- 2007: TMZ TV syndicated show launched
- 2009: Produced Beyond Twisted
- 2014: Created Famous in 12
- 2016: Began hosting OBJECTified on Fox News Channel
- 2023: The People’s Court was cancelled after 26 years
Interview with Harvey Levin
The following interview was conducted in 2009, shortly after TMZ broke the news of Michael Jackson’s death. It has been edited for length and clarity.
From Law Professor to TV Producer
How does one go from being a law professor to a television reporter to a reality show guru?
“It really was a long, tedious process. I was a law professor, then I practiced law and decided I wanted to go back to teaching. Then something really crazy happened: the dean of my law school took on a campaign against Proposition 13. They were looking for someone to debate Howard Jarvis, and they needed someone who didn’t own a home or look like they belonged to a special interest group.
I started doing stuff on the radio, and after the election, the radio station offered me a job doing a weekend show called Doctor Law, where I’d give advice. I started writing a similar column for the Los Angeles Times, and then started doing these appearances and ended up on Channel 4.
All of a sudden, I got really into investigative reporting, and that’s all I wanted to do for a long time. So much had happened in Los Angeles in the early ’90s, and I had kind of done everything I wanted to do.
I wanted to produce television shows. I had an opportunity to produce The People’s Court for the first couple of years, and so I took a chance. I quit the news, which was a huge deal for me — that was probably the single biggest risk I’ve ever taken — and decided to become a producer.”
Building TMZ
How did TMZ come about?
“Then I got this offer: AOL and Warner Bros. were going to start this Website. At first, I just scoffed at it, and then started thinking, ‘If I turned this into a news operation, it could be really interesting.’ I was just into the Internet. All I wanted to do was the website. I didn’t even want to do the television show when the opportunity came. I couldn’t imagine going back into television.
Now, I love doing the show.”
Does breaking the news of Jackson’s death change the way ‘traditional’ media view TMZ?
“We’ve been quoted tens of thousands of times by everybody from The New York Times to CBS to ABC — everybody quotes us. We will put a story up, and in two minutes, it will be on all the cable networks crediting TMZ. It’s nothing new.”
TMZ’s Philosophy on Celebrity Coverage
How has TMZ affected the way the media covers celebrities?
“I think it’s had a pretty big effect. It’s almost like the Gap in Russia. Everybody wore grey coats, and then the Gap came in, and suddenly you saw blue coats and red coats and green coats. People had choices. When people have choices, you can’t sell that grey coat anymore.
A lot of the other shows and outlets can’t sell that grey coat to anyone, and to some extent are trying to do what we do. The difficulty that some of them are having is that they don’t know exactly who they are.”
What’s the idea behind shooting TMZ inside the newsroom?
“It’s authentic. I had done this for years with my staff, and it felt like an interesting storytelling device because it’s real. So rather than do it in a conventional way where you do track and then sound, and a track and then sound, these were real people who really were involved in the production of the material. It works.”
Which celebrities are the gifts that keep on giving to TMZ?
“Britney [Spears] has always been someone who people are interested in. Over time, she has consistently been the person people are most interested in. She was hugely popular to a certain audience; she was a spectacle to another audience. Enough people were interested in her and things that happened to her that she’s probably number one.
Beyond her, it varies. There are people that we cover a lot and then get bored with. Then there are people that we never cover and then they do something really interesting and become the most interesting thing on the site at a moment in time and then go away.”
Harvey Levin’s Personal Philosophy
What do you consider your greatest success to date?
“[Long pause] I’m so uncomfortable with that. TMZ has been really successful beyond my expectations. To really work hard to make it happen has been really satisfying. I guess I’m still uncomfortable with the notion of success because once you say you’re successful, you get lazy. I’m in a business where you can’t be lazy.”
Do you have a motto?
“Yes, I do. What I always tell my staff is, ‘The key to this job is looking for 10 ways around the word no.’ That, to me, is the essence of what we do and makes a difference in the way we do our job.”
What do you do to detox from all this?
“I don’t have a lot of down time. I get up at three in the morning and I go to the gym at four. I get to the office by six [a.m.]. I go home at seven [p.m.] and go to bed at nine. I’m not complaining about it too much, but it’s been tough these days.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Harvey Levin
What is Harvey Levin’s workout routine?
Harvey Levin is known for his intense fitness regimen. He wakes up at 3 am and hits the gym by 4 am every day. In interviews, he’s described himself as a “health nut” who eats very healthily and has made fitness “the centerpiece” of his life. His dedication to early morning workouts has been consistent for many years.
Is Harvey Levin still on TMZ?
Harvey Levin remains involved with TMZ as its founder and executive producer. While his on-screen role has evolved over the years, he remains a key figure in TMZ’s operations. He also hosted OBJECTified on Fox News Channel starting in 2016. For the most current information about TMZ’s lineup, visit TMZ.com.
What did Harvey Levin do before TMZ?
Before founding TMZ in 2005, Harvey Levin had a diverse career. He was a law professor at the University of Miami and Whittier College, practiced law in California for two decades, worked as a legal correspondent for TV stations (KNBC, KCBS), wrote a legal column for the Los Angeles Times for seven years, and served as co-executive producer of The People’s Court from 1997 until its cancellation in 2023. He also created Celebrity Justice in 2002.
How old is Harvey Levin?
Harvey Levin was born on September 2, 1950, making him 75 years old as of 2026. He was raised in Los Angeles, graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, and attended UC Santa Barbara before earning his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1975.
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