October Gonzalez, partner of Tony Gonzalez, is best known for her work as the host of the Beat Shazam game show on the Fox Network.
October’s early life and family
October was born as October Calinda Vegas-Russell on the 10th of October, 1980, right in the middle of the show-biz world of Los Angeles, California. She completed her high school education from West Brook Senior High School in Florida, and then eventually got her Degree in communications from the University of Texas.
October, who may or may not have been named after the month she was born in, grew up alongside her siblings, consisting of one brother and three sisters. And she definitely seems to have been born for the entertainment business itself as her parents as well as grandparents were musicians.
Her father Pat Vegas, was a member of a famous 70s band called the Redbone, and her grandfather is said to be a famous pianist who worked at the Lawrence Welk show. And if that wasn’t enough musical talent in a family, both her mother and grandmother were apparently singers, the latter being a regular singer on a radio show.
Keeping up with her family’s musical roots, many sources say that October even attended music lessons as a child alongside her siblings, and auditioned to become a part of a singing group called Elementary Ensemble.
So, does she still maintain her hobby of singing? Sadly, October seems to have left music as a part of her past life. But she does occasionally get into it alongside her sister Sarah, when they accompany one another to charity events.
But October’s life wasn’t all glitz and glamour as we expect from someone living in LA. The reason? Her parents were unfortunately addicted to drugs, so she eventually had to move in with her aunt and uncle in Florida along with her brother and sisters.
Alongside her college degree, October also had license for bartending and cosmetology until 2012. In fact, she was actually working at a bar when she met her husband Tony Gonzalez in Newport Beach, California.
October and Tony’s love story
It was love at first sight for Tony Gonzalez when he met October at a bar in 2002. But unlucky for him, she already had a boyfriend. Still, he waited, and months after when he heard of October’s breakup he took a chance and asked her out. The rest is history.
On July 20, 2007, October and Tony had a formal ‘commitment ceremony in Huntington Beach, California, which is a fancy way of saying wedding without all of the actual legal paperwork.
Many speculated it had something to do with the earnings of the pro-athlete, and even deemed it to be a really smart move on Tony’s part, should the missus ever decide to get separated from him. But since both Tony and October seemed to have no problem with it, who cares right?
Gonzalez currently has two kids with Tony, Malia and River Gonzalez. She also has a step son, Nikko Gonzalez, from Tony’s past relationship with Lauren Sanchez.
October’s Hollywood Career
Leaving behind her bartending life, October soon started her career to become a true American TV personality after she met Tony. Her TV debut was through the documentary show E! True Hollywood Story in 2009 that documented the lives of famous footballer’s wives.
According to her iMDb page, she also appeared as a guest co-hostess in the popular show The View in 2014. Then, she appeared on three episodes on Entertainment Tonight in 2014 and 2015.
Along with these shows, she was also on FabLife TV series (2016), Rachel Ray TV series (2014-2016), Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World documentary (2017), Daily Pop TV series (2017), Beat Shazam TV series (2017), Home & Family TV series (2017), and in an episode of the popular Modern Family TV series in 2019
October’s charity events and other activities
When October’s not working or being an amazing mom, she likes to spend time with her close friends. She is also very active in the charity and philanthropic activities along with her husband Tony Gonzalez. In 2009, October and Tony stripped down for an advertisement campaign for PETA, protesting against the use of fur.
She also supports the ‘Shadow Buddies Foundation’ which works for helping sick children, and hosted a ‘Pink Party’ at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for teens battling cancer.
Sources:
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/october-gonzalez-42846.php
https://heightline.com/october-gonzalez-sister-partner-bio/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3752058/
https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2007/6/28/124951/206
https://justrichest.com/october-gonzalez-tony-gonzalezs-wife-bio/