Meredith Louise Vieira (born December 30, 1953 in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American journalist, television presenter and game show host. She is best known for her role as the original moderator on ABC's The View (1997-2006), co-host of NBC's Today (2006-2011), and host of the first eleven syndicated seasons of the American version of the popular quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.[1] She also hosted her own short-lived talk show from 2014-2016. Since 2019, she has hosted 25 Words or Less on the Game Show Network.
Vieira has won two Daytime Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Game Show Host” for hosting Millionaire in 2005 and 2009.[2]
Before hosting the show, she appeared as a contestant on the celebrity edition of the primetime version of the show and won $250,000 for Windows of Hope. She also appeared on the 10th Anniversary Primetime Celebration to take over as host without switching seats while Regis Philbin played a question for $50,000.
She also appeared on the 1999 Celebrity Jeopardy! week, finishing second in her game and winning $10,000 for charity.
There were only 2 contestants remaining (Paul Rodriguez being the other), and Meredith was the only one to get the correct order: A-D-B-C, in exactly 20 seconds.
Meredith's Run to the Million
$100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
If you like someone right away, it is said that you have "taken a" what "to him"?
⬥ A: Gloss
⬥ B: Shine
⬥ C: Glare
⬥ D: Can of Reddi-wip
$200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
A resident of a small town is said to be a "local" what?
⬥ A: Yogurt
⬥ B: Yam
⬥ C: Yokel
⬥ D: Yoko Ono
$300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
A Brillo Pad is commonly used to do what?
⬥ A: Mop the floor
⬥ B: Clean pots and pans
⬥ C: Heat food
⬥ D: Exfoliate
$500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
On a standard hopscotch surface, what is usually drawn inside each square?
⬥ A: Letter
⬥ B: Number
⬥ C: Star
⬥ D: Stick figure
$1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these contractions is considered to be improper English?
⬥ A: Don't
⬥ B: Ain't
⬥ C: Won't
⬥ D: Can't
$2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of the following gems is often classified as either natural or cultured?
⬥ A: Pearl
⬥ B: Emerald
⬥ C: Ruby
⬥ D: Diamond
$4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these crops is most likely to be harvested using a combine?
⬥ A: Cabbage
⬥ B: Wheat
⬥ C: Grapes
⬥ D: Apples
$8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
Known for its artist community, the town of Taos is located in what U.S. state?
⬥ A: Arizona
⬥ B: Oregon
⬥ C: Colorado
⬥ D: New Mexico
$16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
In his 1998 song "Hard Knock Life," Jay-Z samples a song from what Broadway musical?
⬥ A: A Chorus Line
⬥ B: 42nd Street
⬥ C: Annie
⬥ D: West Side Story
$32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
On the TV series "Crossing Jordan," what is the title character's occupation?
⬥ A: Defense attorney
⬥ B: Child psychologist
⬥ C: Private investigator
⬥ D: Medical examiner
$64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
What dinosaur gets its name from the Latin words meaning "swift robber"?
⬥ A: Triceratops
⬥ B: Stegosaurus
⬥ C: Velociraptor
⬥ D: Tyrannosaurus
$125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to compete in what sporting event?
Meredith used her Phone-a-Friend to call Lou, who said it was B, but was not exactly sure. She then used her 50:50, which removed C and D, still leaving B. Eventually, Meredith decided to go with Lou and got it right.
$500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed
In Dante's "Inferno," which of these characters does not appear in one of the circles of Hell? 'Ask the Audience' lifeline used
Meredith did not know the answer, so she used her Ask the Audience lifeline. However, the results were too spread out, so Meredith decided to walk away with $250,000. The correct answer was A: King Herod.
Total Prize Money: $250,000
Host of Daytime Millionaire
Meredith has crowned three million-dollar winners during her tenure as host of daytime Millionaire. They were Kevin Smith, Nancy Christy, and Sam Murray.
In 2005, Meredith became co-executive producer of the show, in addition to her hosting role, and would hold this position until her departure.
She is the first woman to host the American version of Millionaire and (as of 2013) the longest-running female host on any version of Millionaire.
She is only the second woman to win the Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Game Show Host”. The first was Betty White for Just Men! in 1983.
She grew up in East Providence, Rhode Island, and currently lives in New York City.
She is of Portuguese descent.
She is a graduate of Tufts University with a degree in English.
On June 14, 1986, she married journalist and TV producer Richard M. Cohen. They have three children: Ben, Gabe, and Lily.
Gabe currently works as a journalist for CNN's Washington, D.C. bureau.
Richard died on December 24, 2024 after living with multiple sclerosis for over 50 years.
From 1982 to 1993, she worked at CBS News. She was a reporter in the network's Chicago bureau from 1982 to 1984, correspondent of West 57th from 1985 to 1989, and correspondent of 60 Minutes from 1989 to 1991. Her final assignment at the network was as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News from 1992 to 1993.
In 2004, she "hosted" a spoof version of Millionaire titled Who Wants to Be King of the Jungle? on disc 2 of the Special Edition DVD release of Disney's The Lion King 1½.
Her wardrobe on Millionaire was provided by Saks Fifth Avenue.
Meredith Vieira strongly disliked Fastest Finger First as she had trouble with it during her appearance as a celebrity contestant; she took 20 seconds to arrange the answers in the correct order and forgot to press the "OK" button afterwards but had managed to get into the Hot Seat as she was the only person who got her question right. This is likely one of the main reasons why it was not used after the original primetime version ended (with the only exceptions being Super Millionaire and the 10th Anniversary special, which were both hosted by Regis Philbin).
As of November 2025, the 10th Anniversary special was the last time that Fastest Finger First was played. It has not been used on the primetime revival hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and it is the only primetime version of Millionaire not to feature the round; it is possible that Jimmy and Meredith may both share similar feelings relating to Fastest Finger First, though Jimmy has not mentioned the round publicly.
Sometimes, in another manner similar to Chris Tarrant, Meredith would react to the klaxon going off in the middle of gameplay with exclamations like "Ah!", "Ugh!", or "Ohhhh!"[3][4][5]
However, if the klaxon sounded after a contestant chose to walk away, she informed the viewers with a neutral tone right after handing the player the check worth the amount they won.
She, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jimmy Kimmel are the only three hosts of Millionaire that have also played as contestants (this is excluding Regis Philbin’s $50,000 question on the 10th Anniversary special, as he only had to answer one question for the money). Meredith and Jimmy played on the original primetime show, where Meredith won $250,000 and Jimmy won $125,000 for their respective charities, while Cedric played on the primetime revival in December 2020 and won $32,000.
