Jessica Chobot | |
|---|---|
.jpg) SDCC July 20 2019 | |
| Born | Jessica Lynn Horn (1977-07-07)July 7, 1977 (age 48) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Presenter, Host, Writer, Podcaster |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Jessica Chobot (bornJessica Lynn Horn; July 7, 1977) is an American television host, writer, and podcaster.[2] She is best known for hosting video game and pop culture programs, includingIGNStrategize,IGN's Daily Fix! and G4's Attack of the Show. From 2013 to 2019 she served as the primary host ofNerdist News and its companion showNerdist News Talks Back forNerdist Industries. In 2014, she launched the paranormal podcastBizarre States with co-hostAndrew Bowser, produced under Nerdist Industries. Chobot later co-hosted theDiscovery Channel reality TV seriesExpedition X., appearing in seasons one through seven.[3]
Jessica Lynn Horn was born inBuffalo, New York, and grew up inNovi, Michigan.[1] Her family moved from town to town frequently during her youth. Before entering high school, she lived in several places on the East Coast and the Midwest.[4]
Chobot gained widespread attention in 2005 whenKotaku published a viral photo of her licking aSony PSP handheld console.[1] The image was widely parodied,[5] including Sony-branded advertisements.[6]
In 2006, she joined IGN.com as a full-time host, appearing on IGN Weekly, IGN Strategize, and other programming. Her segments included stand-up commentary and "woman-on-the-street" features. From 2006-2009, she also contributed written content to IGN, including reviews, features, and blog posts.[7][1]
Chobot wrote forFHM UK, appeared onG4'sFilter andAttack of the Show!, and hosted a gaming preview segment forFuel TV'sThe Daily Habit. She co-hostedGamer's Dojo on Lifeskool TV and appeared as a regular guest onMaxim Radio.[citation needed] In addition to guest appearances, she also wrote a weekly blog for Maxim calledAsk Jess, Dammit!.[8]
From 2009-2011, Chobot hosted IGN’sDaily Fix, a weekday news show focused on gaming and tech updates. She also continued to host IGN's X-Box based programming, includingStrategize[9] for Inside Xbox.
In 2011, Chobot co-hosted the G4 seriesProving Ground withRyan Dunn. The show was temporarily pulled from the air following Dunn's death but resumed airing in July 2011 to complete its season.
She appeared in advertising for ADV's Anime Network, collaborated with Symbiote Studios Toy Company on two limited-edition anime-style collectibles,[10] and modeled for the J!NX gamer apparel line.[11] In 2007. Chobot was credited with instigating the development ofSoul Code, a futuristic screenplay written byTron directorSteven Lisberger, which was sold to Reliant Pictures for mid-six figures.[12]
On November 4, 2013, Chobot became the host ofNerdist News,[13] a pop culture news series produced byNerdist Industries airing five days a week on Nerdist.com.[14] In addition to Nerdist News, she also hostedNerdist News Talks Back which aired every Friday. The show was designed to go beyond the headlines as a panel of commentators tackled topics in film, television, comics, gaming, and more. From 2016 through 2018, Chobot co-hostedMothership], a live interactive variety show produced for Nerdist under the Project Alpha banner, withHector Navarro.
On June 26 2014, she launchedBizarre States, a podcast focused on the paranormal, conspiracy theories, true crime, and fringe phenomena. The show was co-hosted by fellowNerdist Industries writer and directorAndrew Bowser and featured guest interviews, personal stories, and odd news stories.[15] It ran under the Nerdist umbrella through 2019.
In 2017 Nerdist took the podcast from the studio to the field in a miniseries calledBizarre States: Los Angeles.[16] The series was a six-episode show that was hosted on Project Alpha, which investigated spooky locations in the greater Los Angeles area. The series returned for a second season, hosted under the nameBizarre States: California.[17]
Chobot announced her departure from Nerdist on August 5, 2019, after six years with the company.[18]
In 2012, Chobot appeared inMass Effect 3 as the voice and likeness ofDiana Allers (a non-player character), a journalist and potential romantic companion for the player character,Commander Shepard. Her inclusion sparked debate about journalistic ethics, given her role in games media.[2] Though Chobot hosted preview coverage for the game on G4, she and the outlets she worked with publicly stated she would not review the title in any official capacity.[19]
Reception to her appearance was mixed. Critics such asGameSpot's Kevin VanOrd stated that her appearance "seem[ed] more like a calculated marketing ploy than a union of creative talents",[20] while others noted the challenge of separating entertainment personalities from journalistic roles.[21] In response to thecontroversy, Chobot stated that she had never considered herself a journalist, emphasizing that she was hired as an on-screen personality and that BioWare never asked her for any favors in return.[1]
Chobot later served as the writer forDaylight, asurvival horror videogame developed byZombie Studios.[1] The game was released on April 29, 2014, forPC andPlayStation 4. The game received mixed reviews but was praised for its visuals.[22]
Chobot co-hosted the 20th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, and 25th annual ceremonies ofD.I.C.E. Awards withGreg Miller.
In 2011, Chobot appeared in a minor role as Abbey, a bartender, inCross, a semi-mythological superhero action film directed byPatrick Derham. Although the film received largely negative reviews, it has developed a small cult following.[23]
In March 2012, Jessica joined the Travel Channel as a co-host ofSand Wars, a two-part reality special where teams of sand sculptors competed against each other to buildsand art.
In 2015, Chobot joined the sixth season ofBattlebots as a sideline reporter. That same year, she portrayedSamus Aran inMetroid: The Sky Calls, a shortfan film produced by Rainfall Films. She shared the role with voice actor and stunt performerAmerica Young.[24]
In 2017, she hosted "Player vs Player" a competitive debate series focused on the world of esports featuring a new group of expert panelists every week. It was originally aired onHulu and ran for a single season with ten episodes.
Chobot joined theDiscovery Channel seriesExpedition X, as a co-host when it premiered on February 12, 2020. The show, a paranormal investigative spinoff ofExpedition Unknown, featured Chobot alongside Phill Torres and hostJosh Gates. Chobot appeared in seasons one through seven, but did not return for season eight.[25]
In 2019, she teamed up withDell Technologies to hostAI: Hype vs. Reality. A six-episode podcast that put current AI to the test and separated the hype from reality.
After leaving Nerdist Industries, Chobot and Bowser co-hostedThe Untold Hour under the Starburns Audio network, continuing their collaborative work in paranormal podcasting. The show ran for 69 episodes from March 18, 2020 to September 1, 2021, before going on hiatus as Bowser began production on his filmOnyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, and Chobot focused on her work withExpedition X.
In 2022, Chobot independently revived theBizarre States brand asBizarre States Resurrected, releasing 25 episodes featuring solo commentary and occasional guest segments. Though no formal conclusion was announced, the series ended after a short run. As of July 2025, these episodes remain accessible via podcast platforms, though the RSS feed was repurposed[26] in the late spring of 2025 for her next show,Occulture Shock.[27]
On June 23, 2025, Chobot launched a podcast titledOcculture Shock onPatreon, continuing her exploration of the paranormal, the occult, and esoteric history.
Chobot was ranked 88th onAskMen magazine's "Most Desirable Woman" list in 2008[28] and 57th in their 2011 "Top 99 Women" poll.[29] In 2009,Business Pundit named her the 14th "Hottest Woman of Business"[30]
She was previously married and divorced in 2006 but retained the surname Chobot.[1]
On August 21, 2011, she became engaged to fellow media personalityBlair Herter. The couple married on February 18, 2012, and had their first child on March 6, 2013.[31][32]
In 2022, the family relocated to theNetherlands following Herter's departure from G4 and subsequent position with theesports organizationTeam Liquid.
