Move over, Oprah! There’s a new kid reporter who’s giving veteran journalists a run for their money.
Three years ago, Jazlyn “Jazzy” Guerra and her four siblings were staking out the locations of famous athletes and performers to get autographs when she got the idea to ask questions. Passionate about learning about other people, the Brooklyn, New York child was driven by a genuine curiosity and tenacity that’s rarely seen in kids her age.
“I loved learning more information about people and talking to different people,” she told Complex. “I used what I had and, when we went to go get autographs by these athletes, I just asked them the questions that I thought in my mind. And it seemed like they really had fun with it, at first. I just found my YouTube camera and it escalated from there.”
In those early days, she waited for hours for stars to emerge. Many of them were delighted to speak with someone so young, giving her an unexpected edge over competing journalists twice and three-times her age. That’s how she landed one of her first big-name interviews with Jay-Z.
Jazzy dove right in with her well-researched questions, asking the music mogul how he became so successful.
“Got to have ultimate confidence like you do,” he told her. “You’re very confident.”
It’s that confidence and a refusal to quit that has launched the kid reporter into semi-stardom in her own right. She now runs a successful YouTube channel called Jazzy’s WorldTV, which currently has over 249,000 subscribers. On her channel and social media, she shares interviews with increasingly famous people, from Jerry Seinfeld to Shaq, Denzel Washington, Michael B. Jordan, Megan Thee Stallion, and more.
In her interviews, Jazzy’s youth is in her favor, and stars seem more inclined to talk with her.
“They’re used to adults asking them boring questions,” she said.
While she admits to being nervous before an interview, she is able to turn that anxiety into excitement. Doing extensive research beforehand helps, too, and her father, Luis De Hoyos, is always by her side to help her along the way.
“I get her prepared,” he explained. “I always tell her to research whoever she has to speak to, because it’s usually anticipated where I’m like, ‘OK, we have to go meet up with this person at this time. The day before, we’ll develop questions together, and I have her practice in front of a mirror. I have her practice her verbal skills.”
Jazzy spends time each day reading from a dictionary and practicing her interview skills in front of a mirror, but nothing compares to the thrill of meeting a celebrity for the first time. She says her natural chatty nature and inquisitive personality mixed with her determination to get the scoop always keeps her coming back for more.
“I’m always talkative, and I like to learn more information about people,” she said. “Also, I like to, you know, kind of get the inside story.”
The sixth grader hopes to have her own talk show someday, but for now, she’s just glad to be a mini-celeb at school!
It won’t be long before we see this young lady on the red carpet!
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