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CNN Larry King Live
Alito Hearings; Interview With Star Jones
Aired January 10, 2006 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight, Star Jones, the daytime diva tells her story her way, how she became Star Jones Reynolds, how she found God as well as love, how she became half the woman she used to be and how she feels about still being a big target for the tabloids. She's here for the hour and we'll take your calls too. It's next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Before we meet Star Jones Reynolds, this note, one of the most talked about people in America today is James Frey, the author of "A Million Little Pieces." His book was the number one non-fiction book in America last year, part of Oprah's Book Club.
And now there are claims that it is a distorted book and a memoir that is not true. A Web site has broken that story. We'll see all about it because tomorrow night James Frey will be our exclusive guest, James Frey tomorrow night.
In a little while, Star Jones Reynolds, first let's check in on the Alito hearings. We'll go to our bureau in Washington with Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, member of Judiciary. He will be the second questioner tomorrow morning. And, on Capitol Hill at the Hart Senate location is Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, who had an opportunity to question Judge Alito today.
Senator Brownback, why do the Senators spend so much time asking the question rather than getting right to the question?
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Well, I think a lot of it is, Larry that because of the nature of the process most is already known about Judge Alito and a lot of people have already made up their mind.
So, what they're trying to put forward is to frame an issue to the judge and they're trying to really kind of shape the judge's opinion and also shape some of the thinking they hope on Capitol Hill or across the country on these many issues.
There are many issues anymore that come in front of the court that a lot of people look at and say really they should be political matters and they should be left to legislative bodies but because of political the court has integrated itself in so many of this decision making this is a chance to really try to influence and impact some of the court thinking through one of the jurists that hopes to be on the bench.
KING: Senator Schumer, in the area of direct questioning why can't a question like would you vote to override Roe v. Wade be as simple as that?
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Well...
KING: Who doesn't know what Roe v. Wade says?
SCHUMER: You know the bottom line is questions should be more direct and the nominee should answer them more directly but we've had a little game here. Senator Specter said it himself.
The nominees answer as few questions as they can get away with and still get nominated and this is bad -- I mean and get confirmed and this is very bad for the process because we don't find, you know, these judges have enormous power over our lives.
Every day a decision they make can affect every one of us and we don't really know what they think until they get on the bench and then they surprise people one way or the other and that's not how the system was set up. It was set up by the founding fathers so you'd have some idea who you were giving this awesome power to.
KING: How do you think he equated himself today, Senator Brownback?
BROWNBACK: Oh, I think he did a pretty good job but I also think that when you look at your question, if you just said to him, "How would you decide Roe v. Wade," number one you're asking a judge to prejudge a case which he shouldn't do.
KING: But it's already been judged.
BROWNBACK: It has been but these matters still come back up in front of the court. Plus, let's say he said, "OK, I would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade."
KING: Right.
BROWNBACK: Then Senator Schumer and most of the Democrats filibuster him so he can't go on the bench, so the system is set up such that he can't answer that and really as a justice-to-be in an active case he probably shouldn't answer that.
SCHUMER: You know the bottom line is you may not want to ask him how he'll vote on a specific issue but I asked him today a very simple question. He said in 1985 that the Constitution does not contain the right for an abortion to protect abortion.
And he did not -- he refused to answer that question tonight when I asked him and that leaves everyone in the dark. That is not prejudging a case. That's his view of the Constitution and he has an obligation to do it.
And, to Sam's question, you know, there are people on the right and people on the left who may not want him. If he ends up being a moderate in the middle where most Americans want him there's no way that they can filibuster him. So, the process of the filibuster is a pretty good one because if you have to get 61 votes, as opposed to 51 votes, particularly when Republicans march in lockstep, they have never voted against a nominee in the past, if you require 61 votes, then you're going to get a moderate nominee and that's what we should have. We shouldn't have too many people at the extremes the right or the left.
BROWNBACK: Well, I would sure love to have seen President Clinton nominate a moderate instead of the former general counsel for the ACLU Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I mean I understand Senator Schumer's point but the fact of the matter is...
SCHUMER: But, Sam, that's not -- OK.
BROWNBACK: ...you have different philosophies coming forward and she even replaces a conservative on the court in Byron White so, you know, I don't think it's a fair comparison.
SCHUMER: Well, first of all President Clinton did nominate -- yes, Steve Breyer was clearly a moderate, conservative on economic issues. And, with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Clinton did what President Bush hasn't done. He gave four or five names to Orrin Hatch. Orrin Hatch vetoed several of the names and then said that he is for -- he would go for Ginsburg.
Furthermore, when that happened the Democrats controlled the Senate. There were 57. He didn't have to ask Orrin Hatch, who was a Republican but he did it to make it bipartisan.
KING: All right.
SCHUMER: The president has nominated judges in a purely partisan way and it's no wonder Democrats have their back up a little bit.
BROWNBACK: And, President Clinton -- President Clinton did as well.
SCHUMER: No, he consulted Orrin Hatch.
BROWNBACK: Well, and yet the process was different at that time. She was a known liberal and passed as 97-3. John Roberts, an extraordinary nominee, coming forward, putting forward a lot of information still has 22 Democrats that vote against him in that process.
SCHUMER: Yes and John Roberts is just as conservative as Ruth Bader Ginsburg was liberal and Bill Clinton, instead of nominating only liberals, nominated to the...
KING: all right, gentlemen...
SCHUMER: ...Court of Appeals mostly moderates.
KING: Gentlemen.
SCHUMER: George Bush has nominated very hard right wingers. KING: Gentlemen, is this knee jerk, Senator Brownback is it automatic? Are you voting for this nominee? Senator Schumer, is it automatic? Are you voting against?
SCHUMER: Well let me give you...
KING: Senator Brownback.
SCHUMER: Let me -- OK.
KING: Senator Brownback...
SCHUMER: Sorry.
KING: ...are you voting for him?
BROWNBACK: I lean strongly in favor of him but let's see how he answers the rest of the questions.
KING: You might still vote against him?
SCHUMER: OK, let me give you examples about knee jerk, Larry. Chuck Schumer has voted for approximately 200 of the 220 nominees George Bush has put forward. Sam Brownback hasn't voted against a single one. That's what knee jerk is all about.
KING: Sam.
BROWNBACK: It's not a knee jerk position. What the president does is the president nominates and then the Senate disposes of. There have been a number of nominees that have come forward and I've sat on the Judiciary Committee and reviewed and a number of them haven't gotten into the process because you look at them. You say this is not somebody that should come on forward in the process.
And it is an advise and consent role and plus I look at this mostly, I voted for most of President Clinton's nominees, even though philosophically I didn't agree with them that our part in this is advise and consent is this person legitimate to go on the bench?
Democrats have pulled out a new trick for as far as filibustering nominees, which hadn't happened in the past, you know, and that's something in the future, I guess if you have a Democrat president that you'll have to look at saying, well is that something that will be then done on the other side.
SCHUMER: Sam, I assure you if President Bush had consulted Democrats the way President Clinton consulted Republicans, the filibuster wouldn't be on the table. But when the president makes this partisan, when he chooses almost all of his nominees from the extreme right...
BROWNBACK: It isn't the extreme right. That's your (INAUDIBLE) in this process.
SCHUMER: ...and then -- then you are going to get nominees and there's going to be partisan fights.
KING: May I say that -- OK, gentlemen, I thank you both for coming and the past nine minutes have been more spirited than the whole day today just as a point of view.
BROWNBACK: Thanks, Larry.
KING: Thank you, guys.
SCHUMER: Bye, Larry.
KING: Senators Sam Brownback and Chuck Schumer.
And when we come back, you won't believe how great she looks. She's the author of "Shine." She's Star Jones Reynolds and she's next. Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEREDITH VIEIRA, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: Star Jones does not work here anymore. Let me introduce to you our new co-host Mrs. Al Reynolds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're not too far from the Hudson River so during this program Star Jones Reynolds may just signal ships with those rings. Hold them up.
STAR JONES REYNOLDS: They do all right.
KING: They're a little blinding.
REYNOLDS: Not for nothing but I've seen Shawn's, so don't start with me.
KING: OK. Star Jones Reynolds, co-host of "The View," attorney, former prosecutor and author of the new book "Shine, a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to finding love." Star is also an attorney. What do you make of the Supreme Court arguments?
REYNOLDS: You know I am actually following them pretty closely right now. This is the time that I really miss being in my courtroom because I believe that that's the last place in this country where there's supposed to be fairness.
KING: Sure.
REYNOLDS: And I don't like the politics of it. I remember from the 2000 election I felt like maybe the one place that I always held in my heart as above reproach is not as above reproach.
KING: How did you -- why did you leave the law?
REYNOLDS: Well first of all I keep paying my dues. I pay my $300 every year.
KING: For the bar association?
REYNOLDS: Yes because just in case these TV people decide to dump me I can always go back to Brooklyn, right?
KING: It can happen.
REYNOLDS: I was a prosecutor in Brooklyn in the homicide division and then as a senior assistant district attorney and somebody called and said, "A little new channel, Court TV, was starting and would you come over and do some volunteer commentary?" And I tried it and I felt, I guess I must have been pulled in by the red light of television and now I've been on TV since 1992.
KING: But bug was bit.
REYNOLDS: The bug was bit.
KING: And how did you get "The View"?
REYNOLDS: It actually comes down to having been nice to a production assistant named James many years ago. A friend of mine had a talk show, Rolanda Watts (ph), and she had a young production assistant who had coffee and drinks with us one night and I engaged him in conversation.
And many years later I got a phone call and he said, "You may not remember me but I was a production assistant." I said, "Oh, I actually do remember you." He said, "Well, I'm now a producer with Barbara Walters and she's starting a new show and I'd like to submit your name" and that's how they first found out about me.
KING: And Barbara did the selecting right?
REYNOLDS: Barbara did the selecting and that's probably the most brilliant thing was she put together a group of women, different backgrounds, different experiences.
KING: Who occasionally fight?
REYNOLDS: We fight a lot, you know, but that's family. We may be dysfunctional but we're still family.
KING: You enjoying it?
REYNOLDS: I'm enjoying every minute of it, do you know nine seasons, we're about to do our 2,000th show. For you that's like a drop in the bucket.
KING: Well, hey, I've been on a few times.
REYNOLDS: Do you think so?
KING: All right, let's deal with what -- we'll deal with this book and everything. What did you do? You lost 150 pounds. REYNOLDS: Yes.
KING: In how long a period of time?
REYNOLDS: Two and a half years. I've tracked it. You know I told you that I've been on "The View" now the show's been on nine seasons. I realized that in those nine seasons I started out at about 225 pounds and I felt, you know, full figured fabulous woman but in those seasons I gained 75 pounds up to over 300 pounds all in front of the nation.
KING: Look at that. Look at that picture.
REYNOLDS: Yes, I know and then in the same time period within those nine years I lost 150 pounds.
KING: Did you make a decision one day?
REYNOLDS: I had no choice, Larry. I was killing myself. You know, I said in the book and I had to say these words in order to make the change, I went from full figured to fat, from fat to obese and from obese to morbidly obese. I felt good full figured. Morbidly obese I was unhealthy and dying.
KING: Did you ever consider like surgery?
REYNOLDS: I considered it all and that's what -- I went to my doctors. That's sort of what started the process after one of my girlfriends confronted me with the weight. She wasn't intimidated by Star. She came and said "You got to do something."
I went to every doctor that I knew. I went to a gynecologist, an internist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, bariatrics, I went to everything I was supposed to and for the first time in my life I shut up and I listened and I had them tell me what I was supposed to do.
KING: And what did you do?
REYNOLDS: The whole world wants to know that now right?
KING: And why? You write a book that's open. You write about a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to finding love.
REYNOLDS: And I leave that out.
KING: Why?
REYNOLDS: Because, you know, well first of all I like people to know that what you see here is the end result of two and a half years of a lot of work.
KING: But you can help them attain it by telling them how you attained it.
REYNOLDS: Not really in all honesty because until you take control of your own health and go to your own doctor and have your own doctor tell you what's going to work for you. I found that nothing that anybody else said to me would work. Remember, it was a girlfriend who came and confronted me.
KING: Let me ask some questions then. Were pills involved?
REYNOLDS: Let's say this I needed the help of doctors in all aspects of my life. I needed the doctors to do everything for me, fair enough.
KING: What was the toughest part? That's fair enough. What's the toughest part?
REYNOLDS: The toughest part was doing it in front of the world and recognizing that you had gotten to a point where if you didn't do something you were going to die.
KING: Was like the first week the hardest?
REYNOLDS: No. The first week wasn't the hardest to be honest with you. It's sort of that hump period when you know you have to change your eating habits and you have to get off your behind and exercise because no matter what you do to jumpstart it, if I didn't exercise and if I didn't change my eating habits, I would not be this size.
KING: Are there days you want to eat the wrong things?
REYNOLDS: No.
KING: No? And you want to exercise all the time?
REYNOLDS: No, I don't want to exercise all the time. I still despise it, not at all. I mean that has not changed but I do it because I need to do it. Today was a prime example. I can get whatever I want to eat and when you, you know, you forget to eat you sometimes pick up fast food.
That was me before, double Whopper with cheese, extra ketchup, extra mayonnaise, but it in half but not cut it in half because I was going to eat half, cut it in half so I could eat it with the left hand and eat the French fries with the right. No, I don't do that anymore. Today I chose a half a piece of roast chicken with rosemary and broccoli for lunch and I chose it and I felt very proud of myself.
KING: And liked it?
REYNOLDS: Loved it, absolutely.
KING: We'll be right back with "Shine's" author Star Jones Reynolds, a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to finding love. It's also a self help book.
REYNOLDS: It is.
KING: We'll be right back with a terrific lady. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: You don't want to just buy something because it says it's Ralph Lauren. What you want to do is find the really good quality stuff. Here's a great example. They started at $550. They are $49.99. This is Ralph Lauren black label, which means the high end. You all don't understand. Look at this together, okay. It says you've been shopping in New York. I own this green shirt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get it for $60?
REYNOLDS: No, I did not get it for $60 Miss Ma'am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: When you see yourself overweight how does it feel?
REYNOLDS: Overweight is one thing. When I see myself morbidly obese that's scary and that's really...
KING: Because you could die.
REYNOLDS: Yes and, you know, I can't use the nice words anymore because I used to chicken out by using them. I used to call myself plus size, used to call myself chubby. I used to call myself overweight.
But there was a point where I reached morbid obesity and as I've talked to women over the last two and a half years when we share with each other what we are doing we talk about using those words and the bad stuff, like not being able to put a seat belt on, on the airplane Larry.
KING: Oh.
REYNOLDS: And that was bad.
KING: Why did you write this?
REYNOLDS: I was in the middle of a crossroads, which is a nice way of saying crisis, physically, emotionally and spiritually. You know the physical part. We just talked about it.
But emotionally I was one of these women that would say "I don't need a man and I don't need to change" and I think there was arrogance and a lot of fear that went along with it. And I had this big, long list of what I wanted in a guy but I realized I didn't stack up to the list myself.
One day I actually took the list into the bathroom and I put it up against my face and looked in the mirror and I realized I had one of two choices, change the list or change myself.
And then spiritually I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do. I wasn't connecting to my faith and as I realized this about me and my journey I thought there were other women who would be facing a similar crossroad and I thought if I was vulnerable and shared what was going on with me and my fears and my unsuredness (ph) that they might know and benefit from it.
KING: Can this book help people who do not have faith?
REYNOLDS: I think it can help you if you don't have faith. However, it might make you find your faith, which is also a big part of my life. You know, you can have physical strength.
You can have financial strength, professional strength, emotional strength but for me without spiritual strength none of the rest of it matters. It was a foundation that helped me become the person that I am and helped me go where I'm going because I'm not there yet. It's still a journey.
KING: Were you always a person of faith?
REYNOLDS: Always a person of faith but, you know, if I'm honest about it, I think I bought into the hype. I think for a couple of years I was believing that I was doing it all on my own and I wasn't. Sometimes when, you know, God tries to correct you in private and if you don't catch it he'll correct you in public.
KING: Why are you such a tabloid target do you think?
REYNOLDS: I'm not sure. I mean...
KING: You're in almost every week right? Why you? You must say to yourself why me?
REYNOLDS: I used to. I mean now I honestly understand people have their jobs and that's their job. It still doesn't take away from it being hurtful but I think also I have this tendency to be a little loud and...
KING: And you're out front right?
REYNOLDS: I'm up front. I'm definitely up front.
KING: So, then you got to expect it right?
REYNOLDS: Oh, definitely and you know you take the bitter with the sweet but the benefits far outweigh the burdens of what I've been able to do for my family, my word.
KING: How about when it's a lie though?
REYNOLDS: It's hurtful and you want to scream and you want to shout and you want to jump up and down and try to correct it but, you know, my husband and I we've done everything in our power to build a life that's real that's not in the media that doesn't have anything to do with somebody else's outside perception of me or him or our family thoughts.
KING: I'm going to ask you in a minute how you met him and how that's working. But, how do you react, I know you write about it, to all the publicity about him and the gay issue?
REYNOLDS: Please, I don't deal with it.
KING: How did that even start?
REYNOLDS: I think that...
KING: Where did it?
REYNOLDS: ...people are mean spirited quite frankly.
KING: Did someone write it one day?
REYNOLDS: It was in one of the tabloid newspapers and my husband and I we don't deal with the B.S. any more than you deal with B.S. in your life.
KING: I know.
REYNOLDS: You don't. I got great advice from Barbara once. Barbara said, "Don't allow anybody to bring it to you and don't deal with it." So, I do this. I do this. You don't know me. You don't know my life.
KING: You start listening to it, you start believing crap.
REYNOLDS: No, done, not even in the least bit.
KING: But you have no idea how it started?
REYNOLDS: I think probably people were just being mean and in all honesty for me to give it any energy is to give it credibility.
KING: Were you shocked when you first read it?
REYNOLDS: No. You know why? I was prepared for people to be mean spirited. I wasn't prepared for people to just lie.
KING: How did you meet him?
REYNOLDS: At a Alicia Keyes concert for her new album. I saw a friend of mine who happened to be with Al at the time and I didn't know that.
KING: Girlfriend?
REYNOLDS: A guy friend. He is the lawyer -- he is the husband of my lawyer, talk about a good reference, and the two of them were out and I was talking to my male friend and I was about to walk away and Al reached his arm out and he said, "You're not just going to pass me by" because I didn't speak to him. And I looked up into his face and I think I fell in love right then.
KING: Were you overweight then?
REYNOLDS: Yes. I had started losing weight. I mean he didn't know anything about the journey that I was on at that point obviously but from my highest weight of just over 300 pounds I lost about 45 pounds. So, I was feeling a little sexier, a little healthier and I think I had a little bit of that Star, you know, spark.
KING: How does he -- what does he do for a living?
REYNOLDS: He's a banker. Yes, he was on Wall Street for eight years and then now he runs his own financial services company.
KING: How did this wedding thing take off that it became Liza Minnelli 2000?
REYNOLDS: Not even close to that, not even close.
KING: It was a big thing right?
REYNOLDS: It was a big thing, you know, but I -- the one thing that I will not allow anybody to do is to take away the love and family that was in that wedding, OK. They highlighted sort of the celebrity element to it.
KING: Yes.
REYNOLDS: But, you know, for every guest that was there Al and I had had breakfast, lunch or dinner with each and every person in that room during the year.
KING: Oh, really?
REYNOLDS: Yes, definitely. These were all family and friends. And, do you know what a wonderful experience it was to be able to send a bus down to North Carolina to pick up my grandparents, my aunts and have that bus come through Virginia and pick up Al's mom and sisters and brothers and then come through Maryland and get the rest of my family and through New Jersey and then bring this proud African American family to Manhattan and pull up to the Waldorf Astoria. Think about where we come from.
KING: There ain't no sharecroppers did that.
REYNOLDS: And you know what I'm saying and my grandfather is 89 years old and he's lived long enough to get through Jim Crow, lynchings, separate water counters and young white boys calling him Clyde when he deserved to be called Mr. Bennett and he lived long enough to see his daughter get married and fall in love, his granddaughter. Oh, they can say whatever they want to. I had a ball.
KING: The book is "Shine." We'll be taking calls for Star Jones Reynolds.
Don't forget tomorrow night James Frey, the author of "A Million Little Pieces," what a story that is today. He's been part of Oprah's Book Club, the number one non-fiction book in America last year, sold 1.7 million copies. The only book that sold more was "Harry Potter." And now they're claiming that it might be a fraud. This will be an exclusive appearance tomorrow night on this program, James Frey. We'll be right back with Star Jones Reynolds. Her book is "Shine." Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got the direct approach that's right.
REYNOLDS: Absolutely. I was about to walk away and he said, "You're not going to just pass me by" and I turned and looked at his face and fell in love. That's the truth, absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women out there...
REYNOLDS: I want the big drama. I always said I don't want a wedding I want a parade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.
REYNOLDS: And I want to sit on the float and wave like the queen.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS: No but if I wanted to I would and anybody who doesn't like it don't come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: My dad taught me true words you have to use in every relationship. Yes, baby. And he does do that to me a lot. He just says, yes, baby, but I think some of those babies really are bitch. I think so. I really think so. I really do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When is a baby a bitch? That's a good hot topic. All right. One baby's OK.
REYNOLDS: But when it's, yes, baby, that's the other one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with Star Jones Reynolds. The book is "Shine," great title. It deals with the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey to finding love. You admit to being bossy.
REYNOLDS: Ya' think?
KING: Have you changed that?
REYNOLDS: In some ways, yes. Some ways, no. I mean, on the television, I've got to continue to be Star Jones Reynolds. And I enjoy that. But in my real life, I'm a wife now. You can't really be bossy when you're married.
KING: You can't?
REYNOLDS: No, you're not allowed to be bossy when you're married. You have to learn compromise, and compassion and patience. And I -- you know, I didn't know all of that. That's the one thing I'm not an expert on. I didn't know how to be married.
KING: But you believe in premarital counseling?
REYNOLDS: Oh, absolutely. For us, we were -- we fell in love so quickly and so intensely that we knew that we would be overwhelmed by just running towards each other in slow motion.
And we really are both very spiritually based and we wanted to talk to our minister. To have him talk to us about what marriage is. And there are so many men and women out there who follow the same path. People think that Al and I are so special. Not really. You know.
Everybody that's in our life that's a young couple, that are starting out, they are seeking to make sure that this is for real. Not, you know, some fly by night thing.
KING: Want children?
REYNOLDS: Not sure. We're trying to be the best --
KING: How old are you if I may ask?
REYNOLDS: I'm 43 years old.
KING: That's rather -- is that the --
REYNOLDS: Are you suggesting that the clock is ticking?
KING: I don't know when the clock ticks. Does the clock -- I guess it must tick.
REYNOLDS: The best part about it is there's so many children in America that could use good homes if we decide --
KING: You'd adopt?
REYNOLDS: That we wanted to have children and we could not do it naturally, we'd do it by adoption.
KING: Not sure if you want, though?
REYNOLDS: I'm sure that we want children in our life. We just aren't sure when. How's that?
KING: Clarkston, Michigan, for Star Jones Reynolds, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry. Hi, Star.
REYNOLDS: Hey, how are you doing?
CALLER: Fine. Hey Star, I was wondering if anyone at "The View" ever approached you about your weight. Either the ladies that you work with or anyone behind the scenes who works there. If they were concerned.
REYNOLDS: You know, I know that they were concerned. As a matter of fact, we had this discussion a little bit on the show today. Meredith would always try to talk health and exercise. And I would sort of pooh-pooh it if I'm honest with myself.
And the other girls, they would admit that they were intimidated or just they didn't want to put me in the awkward position of commenting on something that was so personal and private.
It's hard for a friend or a colleague to approach you. And that's one of the reasons why I really respect my girlfriend Janet for sort of being the friend that the rest of the girls wanted to be.
KING: What is Love Coach on AOL?
REYNOLDS: I'm the new AOL love coach. You know, AOL has this wonderful coaches program if you go to AOL keyword 'coaches'. They have authors who have written books in certain areas. And they're sort of your coach in the areas of concern. There's a money coach --
KING: You exchange with them?
REYNOLDS: Yes. There's a money coach, there's a finance coach, there's a health and fitness coach, there are wellness coaches, there are sex coaches. That would not be me. There's marriage coaches. That would not be me. I've been married 22 minutes. But I'm the love coach. Because I don't think there's anybody that denies that I'm an expert on falling in love.
KING: What's AOL 'Black Voices?"
AOL "Black Voices" is the portal on AOL that is sort of dedicated and pointed towards African-American Web users. It's really one of the hottest places on AOL. And for me, as an African-American woman, I want everybody to remember that that is a wonderful culture. Our culture is a wonderful culture to pass on. So I'm participating in that area of AOL also.
KING: Were you happy doing the red carpet on E!?
REYNOLDS: I had a ball. I really did. I'm a fan of entertainment. You saw me, sort of that Hercules, Hercules, Hercules girl. And I was real doing that. I thought that, you know, I got a chance to wear a pretty dress and talk to people about the movies.
KING: You're not going to do it anymore?
REYNOLDS: Well, 35-city book tour, Larry, starting on Friday, 35 cities in ten weeks.
KING: You're off "The View?"
REYNOLDS: No, not at all. I do the view five days a week. Five days a week, local appearances in the tristate area during the week, and then every Friday we're leaving to go to another region in America. This weekend, we're on The Northeast. Then we go down to The Southeast. Then we're going to The Midwest.
We'll be in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Louisville, Orlando. We're going to be in Palm Beach, Miami. All over the place. So I can really talk to people who quite frankly are the ones that inspire me.
KING: So we can safely say Star Jones Reynolds, coming to a city near you. We'll be right back, don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They get to the wedding, they're walking down for the rehearsal dinner and this girl was like, so-and-so, are you still -- she was walking behind her -- are you still working out? Your butt looks a little different now. Really? Why didn't you tell me that when we were getting ready in the hotel room and help me out? But some people like to kind of...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait until you look bad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you can't do anything about it and attack you and make you feel so awful.
REYNOLDS: See, there's a perfect response to that. Your man liked it last night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, I wouldn't think to say that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, now, only you are capable of outbitching the bitch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: I just realized, some of the people that I convicted, they're coming out of prison this year. It just hit me all of a sudden.
JOY BEHAR, TALK SHOW HOST: Buy a gun.
BARBARA WALTERS, TALK SHOW HOST: Don't worry, they won't recognize you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The book is "Shine," the author is Star Jones Reynolds. Does Mr. Reynolds, is he at all ticked about dealing with your personal life so much in the book?
REYNOLDS: No, because obviously Al edited and helped me. I mean, he wrote one of the chapters. He wrote the financial chapter, which interestingly enough is the chapter that I find most young women have asked me about. They ask about the ideal man and they ask about finances. Because if you're a young woman and you're trying to make your way, you don't want to make some of the mistakes that Star made.
KING: So he knew everything in the book?
REYNOLDS: He knows everything in the book and he's approved everything.
KING: Were you celibate until marriage?
REYNOLDS: When we first met, I have to be honest, when we first met, no. Just like any adult couple, you -- we were -- we were excited about each other, how's that. But once we realized that we were moving towards marriage, Al and I really wanted to make a commitment to marriage.
KING: How many months was it?
REYNOLDS: Six months.
KING: Was that hard?
REYNOLDS: Yep. That's a funny thing to ask. No, but it just sounded ironic.
KING: Here's a steak, here's a steak, no more steak.
REYNOLDS: No. I know, but chicken's good. You can have steak for the rest of your life. When I sat down...
KING: ... You glad you did it?
REYNOLDS: I'm sorry. More than anything. Am I glad that we did it? Absolutely. You asked me about being in the public eye before. In all honesty when we sat down with our pastor and he laid something out for us, he said, "This is a test of your fidelity now. It's only six months. If you can't be faithful during that time, what's going to happen if something really bad comes up and you're not able to express yourselves sexually?"
KING: Wise.
REYNOLDS: And when we walked towards each other in that church, it was a gift that we'd given each other.
KING: Were you at the Waldorf that night?
REYNOLDS: Oh, yes.
KING: Must have been fun.
REYNOLDS: It was fun.
KING: Ann Arbor, Michigan, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry, hi, Star. How are you?
REYNOLDS: Hi. I'm coming to see you in Ann Arbor.
CALLER: I hope so, I can't wait. My question is, by writing down the list of what you want in a partner, did you find that it really helped you to find the right person and stay away, without giving up anything on your list, and taking somebody else instead?
REYNOLDS: You know, I always say that my dad raised the bar so high that I was willing to wait for the man who could reach it. And I had this list and I've been working on it since I was in college. And I remember Barbara and the girls gave me such a hard time and said, "You're never going to get all that stuff on the list, it's too much."
And I realized I didn't want to compromise the list. But in all honesty, I wasn't worthy of the list. You want somebody kind and generous, you've got to be kind and generous. You want somebody healthy and fit, you've got to be healthy and fit. And so I had two choices: change myself or change the list. I changed myself.
KING: Do you like prosecuting?
REYNOLDS: I liked it more than anything. And my greatest, greatest job was to walk into that courtroom and say, Starlet Jones on behalf of the people of the state of New York. It meant the world to me.
KING: Not hard to send someone to prison?
REYNOLDS: I'm as proud of my convictions as I am of my dismissals, when I thought that the police acted inappropriately. Because I'm -- think about it. I was the girl with the marbles. You know, when you go over to play marbles with somebody, I had all the marbles.
And as a prosecutor, you have the ability to either share the marbles or hoard them. And I took pride in sharing them. It was important to me.
KING: James Frey, author of "A Million Little Pieces," exclusive tomorrow night. Right now, Anderson Cooper is coming aboard to tell us about what's coming up at the top of the hour. Anderson?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Larry, thanks very much. Tonight on 360 we'll of course bring you all the latest on the Alito hearings. Also out of Florida, a bank robbery turned hostage standoff lasted for the better part of the day. Robbers take four hostages, they release three, keep one as they made a bull run from police. This thing has just ended. We'll bring you the latest.
And breaking news out of Kentucky. If you can believe it, another mine collapse. We're hearing the ceiling caved in on a miner 900 feet underground. Just getting information in on this. We'll bring it to you as we get it. All that and more at the top of the hour, Larry.
KING: It never goes away, does it Anderson?
COOPER: Sure seems not.
KING: We'll be right back with more of star Jones Reynolds, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEREDITH VIEIRA, TALK SHOW HOST: When Steve isn't watching the male stuff, he's watching two women.
BEHAR: Loves it.
VIEIRA: Right. But he can imagine himself kissing those women.
REYNOLDS: So do I. But I don't -- see, here's a deal. Maybe it's just selfishness. When you are looking at Heath Ledger, you don't care that he's kissing Jake Gyllenhaal, because you replace Jake Gyllenhall with you. Like, yeah boy, that's what you're doing. I mean, that's when you're going in a fantasy. You're watching a movie.
VIEIRA: But didn't you say you ran right away to go see him in Casanova?
REYNOLDS: Go see Casanova, because I had to remember, that's my Heath. Oh yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Boy, you look skinny there. The fights with Joy Behar, religious fights.
REYNOLDS: The religious arguments we definitely differ on that. Absolutely. There's no question.
KING: Some of it is put-ons?
REYNOLDS: Let's just say we know how each other are going to respond to something and we push the buttons intentionally. It is television.
KING: The religious arguments are real?
REYNOLDS: The religious arguments are absolutely real. I am steadfast in my faith and she is steadfast in her position. Listen, if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything.
KING: You carry it after the show?
REYNOLDS: We don't even carry it into the next commercial. KING: Buffalo, New York, hello.
CALLER: Hi Larry, hi Star. I TiVo "The View" every day. I watch it for you. I consider you to be an inspiration to a lot of black women. I've always considered you to be up front. For some reason I can't get this new Star. If you admit how you lost your weight is somehow going to take away from you, and believe me it won't because we love you --
REYNOLDS: I know that. I don't think that it would take away from me in the least tiny bit. What worries me more than anything is that somebody will try to follow my methods and have a bad result.
I don't feel like I can take that burden on, to be honest with you. It's just not who I am. I don't want to be the poster child for a weight loss method. I don't want to be in the box that says, Star Jones, she took this pill, she had this surgery, she did this diet. That's not what I want to do.
KING: Did you look in the mirror and say, I'm fat?
REYNOLDS: Oh, absolutely. Larry, there was a day that I sat in my room after taking a shower. And I was putting lotion on my leg. And in order to cross my leg I literally had to lift up my right leg to put it over my left leg. I couldn't cross my leg just sitting in one -- with one movement.
And I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time. And I hated the way I looked. I don't think until that moment I had looked at myself.
I hated my legs. I hated my stomach. I hated my breasts. I hated my arms. And I said to myself, if you don't do something, you're going to rob yourself of life.
Now, our caller, as well as other women, they know when they cross that line. You know. You have to admit it to yourself. And I had to take responsibility. The last then I want is for somebody to follow Star's method. Because I'm not an expert. I screwed it up.
Anybody that gets to be 300 pounds does not know the right way to approach weight loss. I had to get somebody that helped me.
KING: Were you, for want of a better term, a very overweight child?
REYNOLDS: No, actually. I was a thin to an average child. I had surgery when I was 20 years old. I had what my husband calls the dance with death.
KING: What's that?
REYNOLDS: Because at 20 years old, I was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor in my chest cavity. But I, for some reason at 20, I had this youthful arrogance that said, I'm not dying.
KING: Without an operation?
REYNOLDS: I went in, I was supposed to have radiation. But I found a surgeon. And it happened to be the surgeon that took out president Reagan's bullet when he got shot. It was a thoracic surgeon while I was in college. And he opened my chest and unraveled that tumor. And saved my life.
And so at 20 years old, facing death, I started to really just want to go for the best in life. And I somehow forgot that. And I think that's why this book is relevant to other people's life. Because you can come back.
KING: Miss Brooklyn?
REYNOLDS: I miss Brooklyn so much.
KING: You go over much?
REYNOLDS: I do, actually. I was there --
KING: Me too.
Speaking to a group of women for Dress for Success. That's one of my favorite charities. I want to tell you that in seven other book tour cities, I'm going to be dressing other women who are going back in the workforce for the first time.
You know, over the last two and a half years, I've lost weight, which means I've lost dress sizes. From size 26 to size REYNOLDS: 0.
KING: 26?
REYNOLDS: Yes, 26. Do you know how hard it is to admit that?
KING: That's a tank.
REYNOLDS: It's a tank. And you know what? I got a chance to share some of the clothes that I wore in all of those weight sizes. With the people at Dress for Success.
KING: Be back with our remaining moments with Star Jones Reynolds, the author of "Shine." Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: Well, this morning I was trying to coordinate, OK, there's the passport over here, this is the ticket over here. These are how many bags. And he's like, what? What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It isn't hard to coordinate? You've got a passport, you've got a ticket, they go together. You've got a bag, you pick it up.
REYNOLDS: I had an itinerary. You know I'm going to be away for a while and I'm trying to coordinate everything. And I did it all. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was home during the show where she showed her packing list. She was like going on The Titanic with steamer trunks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: You ever go back for a visit to Court TV?
REYNOLDS: Haven't been back to Court TV for a while.
KING: They haven't asked you to go on?
REYNOLDS: They have. That's the one thing about being on "The View" every day. You do get the opportunity to make your opinion known. So I reserve my commentary for the chicks on "The View."
KING: I know you were close to, as was I, Johnnie Cochran.
REYNOLDS: My mentor and the book is partially dedicated to him as my mentor.
KING: People don't know what a special guy he was.
REYNOLDS: The smartest professional that I've ever met. The most caring human being. I always thought to myself, you all summarized his life with O.J. Simpson. But they don't know the man who started out working for the community and continued it throughout his life.
Just the most naturally gifted and talented professional in a courtroom I've ever seen. And his heart was so in the right place.
KING: He was your friend?
REYNOLDS: He was my friend.
KING: Good friend?
REYNOLDS: And mentor, and I was privileged to speak at his going home services. And his wife Dale is like my big sister. If I could grow up to make him proud, I think I'd do the right thing.
KING: Going home, meaning his funeral?
REYNOLDS: Yes.
KING: You call it going home? that's Nice.
REYNOLDS: Going home.
KING: Thanks, Star. Star Jones Reynolds, the book is "Shine," the publisher is Collins. Tomorrow night, James Frey is with us. The author of "A Million Little Pieces." Part of Oprah's Book Club that's become an embarrassment I guess to Oprah.
It was last year's top-selling nonfiction book and the second- best seller all year behind only "Harry Potter." Now there are claims from a Web site that a memoir of drugs and crime and rehab is off-base and a lot not true. We'll have an exclusive interview with James Frey tomorrow night.
Right now another exclusive, the exclusive is "AC 360." There he is.
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