On a sunny September evening in Los Angeles, celebrities, audience goers, and hopeful contestants all flooded into the studio of “Dancing With the Stars” for a live taping of the show.
Among the crowd were journalists from all the major entertainment networks, eagerly awaiting a chance to interview this season’s cast. Entertainment Tonight and Extra TV set up their cameras on the ballroom floor after the show wrapped, and a multimedia reporter for US Weekly wielded her tiny mic in search of interviews. But as everyone was setting up for their interviews, one reporter was handling a separate assignment.
Australian entertainment host Dean McCarthy was standing backstage, in the middle of a live report for The Morning Show—Australia’s famed morning talk program. Dressed in a bedazzled black suit jacket, McCarthy delivered an exclusive report on contestant Robert Irwin’s performance from earlier in the evening.
With a step-and-repeat red carpet backdrop behind him, McCarthy demonstrates his skills as a live correspondent, transitioning between stories with confidence. He keeps his banter with the hosts lighthearted and fast-paced, and he gives detailed evidence to support his predictions for the evening’s eliminations. One thing about McCarthy – he does his research.
October marked the end of a busy month for the entertainment reporter. On Sept. 24, he was backstage at America’s Got Talent (AGT) for the highly anticipated season finale. McCarthy is the official aftershow host for both AGT and American Idol; his interviews are broadcast in 15 different countries. McCarthy is based in Los Angeles, though he frequently travels between Miami, Dubai, and Australia for work. On television, he’s a contributor to two Australian programs: “The Morning Show” and “Sunrise,” both on Channel 7. McCarthy is also the host of his own weekly radio show, “Live From LA With Dean McCarthy,” which broadcasts on Radio One United Arab Emirates. He works with teams in Australia and the UAE to broadcast the show.
“I think it would be healthy for me to have a bit more downtime, just to chill a little bit,” McCarthy said in an exclusive interview with Popline. “But I like being busy, and I think for new journalists, it’s important to work on as much as you possibly can.”
With his bright blonde hair, outgoing personality, and Hollywood-star looks, it’s hard to miss McCarthy on a red carpet. He’s been working in the American entertainment industry for over a decade.
But long before he moved to Los Angeles, McCarthy was working to make his dreams a reality.
“I grew up in a very, very small country town in Australia, out in the countryside. There were 3,000 people in our town,” said McCarthy, looking out the tall window of his Miami apartment.
McCarthy grew up without any connections to Hollywood or the entertainment industry. When he was younger, McCarthy would watch the Oscars on television with his family. He remembers walking up to the TV screen and pointing at Tom Hanks, much to the surprise of his mother. He said it was very unusual for someone in Outback Australia to have an interest in the entertainment industry.
Despite his community’s vast distance from the world of television, it didn’t take long for McCarthy to establish himself as a natural talent. At 14, McCarthy was selected to host his own radio program.
“They were looking for a new radio host, and I applied, and everyone who applied was an adult, obviously. And I got the job,” said McCarthy. “I had a natural passion for it, and I was good at it.”
From there, McCarthy went on to study business and marketing before applying to a one-year television presenting program at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). He says he was incredibly nervous to audition, because it was exactly the kind of work he had dreamed of doing.
“I stumbled every word – I couldn’t pronounce the word ‘chocolate.’”
His fears of failure were not entirely unfounded, as the course instructor gave him some honest critiques after all was said and done. But McCarthy’s phone call ended with an offer to join the program.
“I remember the course leader called me and he was like ‘you could not have done a worse job, you absolutely botched it,’” McCarthy recalled. “‘But I know the reason you botched it is because you wanted it so badly, so I’m actually gonna put you in the course, and you are going to get it together and do it.’”
From there, McCarthy rigorously studied every Tuesday for a year, learning everything about the craft of television hosting. Once his schooling came to an end, McCarthy knew where he needed to go: Los Angeles.
His family was always supportive of his big dreams, but when their son announced he planned to move thousands of miles away to interview celebrities in the United States, they were a little skeptical. Still, when he first started pursuing on-camera work, McCarthy’s mom was a constant support system.
“Even when I was young, my mom would take me to all the auditions. She would drive me to the Gold Coast so I could be an extra in the background of a TV show, and they’d put her in as well.”
McCarthy’s father owned a mining company, and the TV personality describes him as “practical.” Just in case McCarthy’s plans to move to the U.S. fell through, his parents thought it would be a good idea for him to keep his car at home. But the ambitious reporter knew that he wasn’t coming back.
“I was like, absolutely not, I’m selling the bed, I’m selling the car, because I’m not coming back. I’m gonna go there and make it happen.”
After he moved to Los Angeles in 2012, McCarthy earned his chops as an unpaid correspondent on multiple programs. Many of the repeated gigs he works now, including American Idol and America’s Got Talent, were offered to him as a result of his hard work at the start of his career. The “American Idol After Show” was an idea McCarthy originally pitched while a correspondent for the New Zealand broadcast. He presented the show’s producers with a clear pitch.
“Okay, I’ll do it for free. I’ll play the cameraman and the editor, and I’ll do the whole thing for free for a year. If you hate it, and it’s so bad, you can just slide it off the desktop and put it in the trash. But if you do like it: air it.”
As fate would have it, McCarthy’s show was a smashing success, and it was picked up the following year. Since then, McCarthy has reported from some of the most famous red carpets in the world, including the Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes. He’s also interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Dwayne Johnson and Brad Pitt. His banter with celebrities is hilarious, respectful, and thought-provoking. McCarthy and former American Idol judge Katy Perry shared many memorable moments together during their post-show interviews.
After years of working in the industry, McCarthy runs into a lot of familiar faces. He says it’s important to maintain a good relationship with all the celebrities he works with.
“It definitely comes back to me, always asking positive things, and not trying to trick them into an answer. And they remember that. It’s just always a positive experience with me,” said McCarthy. “Celebrities remember me a lot. I can’t quite put my finger on it […], I think it’s just because I’m smiley and nice.”
McCarthy has built a successful brand for himself in the media industry, and he attributes some of his success to the close friendships he’s made with other journalists.
“You make friends with them all, and you help each other. If someone’s coming down the line, we work together to get interviews,” he said. “It’s a really small industry.”
Another important group in the industry – publicists. McCarthy says he’s seen many hosts come and go in Hollywood because they spent too much time trying to get a rise out of the talent they interviewed.
“Having a rapport with the publicists is huge. And they all remember you. It matters.”
Apart from his success on television, McCarthy is also a familiar face on social media. His Instagram account boasts a whopping 60,000 followers, many of whom frequently engage with his posts, sharing love and support in the comments. He says that, even though he’s not the biggest fan of posting on social media, it’s undeniable that the industry is heading in that direction.
“I notice now when I do a red carpet, there’ll be Access Hollywood, E! News, ET, and then you’ll have a YouTube celebrity and a TikToker.”
As the industry continues to change, McCarthy is staying true to himself. He says the most important piece of advice he ever received was from Gigi Hadid, who told him: “Always be the nicest person on set.”
McCarthy has made it his mission to bring kindness and professionalism to every set he works on.
“You could definitely get someone that’s better looking than me, or better dressed, or has more contacts, or is more famous, or has like a million followers. But if you’re the nicest person on set, people will enjoy working with you.”
As he moves forward in his career, McCarthy is grateful for every experience he’s had in the industry. There were many times when he had to rely solely on his drive and ambition to get to where he wanted to be, but he never gave up.
And now, reporting live on the “Dancing With the Stars” red carpet, that young boy from the Australian countryside is living the life he always dreamed of.
Popline News 