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Exclusive: Ross Mathews Talks Gwyneth Paltrow, Pop Culture Obsessions and New E! Show Hello Ross

Get to know the host of E!'s new talk show, Ross Mathews

By Andy Neuenschwander Sep 03, 2013 8:08 PMTags
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Ross Mathews isn't just a talk show host; he's also a talk show superfan.

Formerly known as Ross the Intern for Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, Mathews has since become a red carpet correspondent at major awards shows, a frequent guest host on Chelsea Lately, and the host of his own, brand-new talk show on E!, Hello Ross.

"This is a show for the superfans," Mathews says of his new show, " because I am, I think, a representative for the superfans." Sure enough, if you have ever seen Ross speaking to celebs on the red carpet, there's an excitement behind his demeanor, a sense that he sometimes can't believe he's there.

That might all stem from his childhood, which was spent, as were the childhoods of so many of the pop-culture-obsessed, in front of the TV.

"Oh my gosh, I mean I was obsessed with Saved by the Bell, 90210...I used to tell the time by when Rescure 911 came on," Mathews recalls. He lists daytime hosts like Jenny Jones, Sally Jesse Raphael, Maury and Oprah as his inspirations: "I used to talk back to the TV, wishing they could hear me."

Of course, Mathews gets to talk to celebrities all the time now, so he's passing his dream on to today's culture-obsessed audience. "We are scouring the Internet on Twitter and Facebook, we can video chat fans in from all over the country so they can ask these celebrities the questions," he says of the Hello Ross experience. "Everybody's welcome."

That means that fans could potentially have the opportunity to ask their own questions of any of Hello Ross' guests...which will likely include Mathews' BFF Gwyneth Paltrow

You see, Mathews met Paltrow on the red carpet, and the two have been friends ever since. "If we're getting together it's for dinner, or a holiday party, or I went to London to visit her."

You would think that being around a beautiful, A-list celeb would make the pop-culture-obsessed Mathews nervous, but not so with Paltrow: "I'm not saying I don't feel like a big fat monster when I'm around her," Mathews jokes, "but you quickly forget. She's not about that, she's so fun to be around."

"She says she will absolutely do the show," Mathews adds. "I don't know if it'll be in the first few episodes, but I know we'll get her on the show. And it will be epic when she is!"

Mathews also includes Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift on his wish list of dream guests...namely, the types of celebs that excite fans and create a social media following to engage them.

But even if Mathews lands a divisive guest like Justin Bieber, you can count on the conversation being positive. "My end goal with this show is to fill a void," Mathews explains. "There are shows that are so funny, but they say, 'Isn't this stupid, she's so lame.' But there isn't a show that says, 'I love this.'"

If you want to join Ross Mathews in loving pop culture, follow @HelloRoss on Twitter and on Facebook. Join the conversation and you might get the opportunity to ask a question of your favorite celeb!

Catch the premiere of Hello Ross this Friday, September 6 at 10/9c, only on E!