Jeanne Beker has spent the better part of five decades telling other people’s fashion stories—earning accolades and admiration along the way. And now, she continues to receive her flowers. This May, The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada will honour the legendary media icon with its prestigious IMPACT Award at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel.—and now, at long last, her own story is being celebrated in the spotlight. The legendary host of Fashion Television and trailblazing Canadian media icon will receive The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s IMPACT Award on Thursday, May 29 at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The honour recognizes trailblazers who have shifted the narrative for women in media by pushing for better representation, authentic storytelling, and empowering voices across the cultural landscape.
Jeanne Beker, who first rose to prominence as a founding member of MuchMusic and co-host of Citytv’s The New Music, became a global fashion ambassador with Fashion Television. The iconic show ran for 27 years and aired in over 130 countries, forever changing the way fashion was covered and consumed. “Fashion Television wasn’t just a style show,” she tells View the VIBE. “It truly was a cultural gateway.”
From Citytv to global stardom
Beker speaks with a profound sense of gratitude about the recognition. “The hits keep on coming,” she says. “I have so much gratitude for the fact that I can continue dancing as fast as I can. This one is especially sweet, because of the Hollywood Reporter connection. I remember sitting in L.A. with a copy of it in my hands, dreaming of being part of that world.”
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That world eventually came to her—on her own terms. Though she flirted with a career in Hollywood and even contributed to the original Entertainment Tonight, Beker stayed proudly rooted in Canadian media. She has since been honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, named to the Order of Canada, and received a Special Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television.
Backstage brilliance and fashion’s emotional core
But it’s not the awards that define Beker. It’s her unmatched ability to get to the heart of fashion, culture, and identity. With Fashion Television, she wasn’t just interviewing designers backstage—she was taking us on a ride through an exhilarating mash-up of art, music, style, and rebellion. She remembers being backstage with Karl Lagerfeld, who would pull her through crowds of media to speak with her. She cried watching Alexander McQueen’s iconic “Man and the Machine” show, where Shalom Harlow was spray-painted live on stage. “I used to think, ‘give me a break’ when I heard people cried at fashion shows,” she laughs. “But some of them truly moved me.”
Beker reflects on fashion as art with reverence, calling out American designer Ralph Rucci as one of the greats who never got the recognition he deserved. “His shows were religious experiences. I saw Iris Apfel, Martha Stewart, Oprah in his front row.”
Championing Canadian design and unheard voices
Throughout her career, Beker also gave voice to designers who weren’t household names, including Canadian talent like Lida Baday, Zapata, Joeffer Caoc, Judith & Charles, Sunny Choi, and Wayne Clark. And long before diversity in fashion was a mainstream discussion, she was making space for voices on the margins. “The biggest blessing of working in those fashion trenches,” she says, “is hearing from people who felt unseen—queer kids in rural towns, prisoners, aspiring artists—telling me Fashion Television gave them hope.”
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Stories stitched into style
It’s those stories that fuel her even now. She recently released her sixth book, a deeply personal memoir titled Heart on My Sleeve: Stories from a Life Well Worn, which reflects on her life through the lens of wardrobe. “Every chapter starts with a garment or accessory,” she explains. One standout? A pair of orange silky panties emblazoned with the words “Fuddle Duddle”—a cheeky Trudeau-era cultural relic that Beker’s mother sewed $500 into before sending her off to New York to study acting.
The book is filled with stories like these: moments of vulnerability, resilience, and style. She remembers her red Alexander McQueen booties, bought on sale just before she had to report live on his death. “I felt like he was with me that day. Clothing can be a source of emotional resilience. It can lift the spirit.”
Style, survival, and sisterhood
Now 73, Beker continues to work, teach, write, and inspire—as stylish as ever, but on her own terms. “I still wear heels,” she says. “But I’ve embraced flats, too. I’m more practical now. I don’t feel like I have to wear the latest thing, and I’m happy to shop my closet. I’m proud of my lines, proud of my gut. This is the vehicle that’s gotten me through the most extraordinary life.”
She’s been through more than most. In 2022, Beker publicly shared her breast cancer diagnosis on Instagram, posting a photo from her first chemo appointment. The outpouring of love and solidarity she received gave her strength. “I want to help normalize the conversation around cancer,” she says. “You don’t have to be alone on this journey. We all have the power to choose our attitude—and I chose light.”
A living legend still in motion
Through every chapter, whether as a journalist, style icon, author, or survivor, Beker’s message has been clear: love the art within yourself, not yourself within the art. It’s a Stanislavski quote she once heard as an aspiring actress, and it’s stayed with her ever since.
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“The people I respect most in fashion aren’t concerned with the hype or the glamour,” she says. “They’re concerned with making something that means something. With touching people. That’s all we really want to do.”
This May, as she accepts the IMPACT Award in a room full of the very women she’s inspired for decades, Jeanne Beker’s story won’t just be told—it’ll be celebrated, the way it always deserved to be.
The 411: The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada, second annual event
- What: The second annual Women in Entertainment Canada summit, presented by The Hollywood Reporter
- When: Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Where: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Toronto
- What to expect: A full-day summit celebrating the achievements of women across Canada’s entertainment industry—spanning film, TV, music, and media. The event includes panels, keynote interviews, networking opportunities, and the presentation of prestigious honours, including the IMPACT Award.
- Who’s being honoured: Jeanne Beker (2025 IMPACT Award honouree), Tantoo Cardinal (Equity in Entertainment Award), with more names to be announced
- How to attend: Tickets and full programming available at womeninentertainment.ca
