Where Are The Original 1980s MTV VJs Now?
Before Carson Daly became one of the most iconic MTV VJs on TRL, there were five original MTV video jockeys or VJs that truly defined the era and the golden age of MTV. MTV musical television was launched on August 1, 1981, and changed the game. The very first music video to air was ironically enough The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” hosted by Mark Goodman, Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Nina Blackwood.
Many of the VJs stayed with MTV for about five to seven years but they reunited in 2013 to write a book called VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave and even reunited as recently as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2019. So, what happened to each of them after they left MTV?
Mark Goodman (73)
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Goodman was a radio DJ before he got the gig as an MTV VJ. After he quit in August 1987, he continued to work in the music industry, going back to being a DJ at KROQ, VH1 Classic and more. In the late ’80s, he tried his hand at acting and appeared in shows such as Married… With Children and The Practice plus movies Man Trouble and Police Academy 6: City Under Siege. He also worked as a music supervisor for the television show Desperate Housewives. For the past twenty years, he has worked at Sirius XM Radio on channels such as The 80s on 8 and Classic Rewind.
Martha Quinn (66)
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Quinn was no doubt one a fan-favorite VJ and Rolling Stone readers named her MTV’s Best-Ever VJ. She left in 1986 but returned from 1989 until 1992. After MTV, she played Bobby Brady’s wife in 1990’s The Bradys and guest-starred on Full House. In the ’90s, she also appeared in several Neutrogena ads. In 2007, a PC trivia game called The ’80s Game with Martha Quinn was released. She currently hosts iHeartRadio’s The Martha Quinn Show and has a podcast called Talk Talk with Martha Quinn.
Alan Hunter (68)
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After he left MTV in August 1987, he moved to Los Angeles and traveled to Russia for a program called Rock in Russia. In the mid-’90s, Hunter decided to move back to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and started a film company with his brothers called Hunter Films. They also created a multi-use entertainment facility called WorkPlay. Hunter Films produced several movies including Johnny Flynton and Dreamland. Later on, he co-founded Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival. He now hosts Sirius XM’s The 80s on 8 with Goodman and Blackwood.
Hunter opened up about the less-glamorous side of the gig in an interview with RFT, admitting that the show was not live and it did not pay well. He said, “All of our breaks were pre-recorded a day in advance. I would do my five-hour shift in an hour and a half.” He added that his salary was $28,00 the first year and shared, “That wage was a little bit better than a chorus guy on Broadway, which was my yardstick at the time.”
Nina Blackwood (70)
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She left MTV in 1986 to host Entertainment Tonight’s “Rock Report” and the show Solid Gold plus had appearances on Access Hollywood, VH1, MSNBC and more. In 1999, she launched a radio show called Nina Blackwood’s Absolutely 80’s and later Nina Blackwood’s New Wave Nation. In 2003, she performed in The Vagina Monologues. She now lives on a farm in coastal Maine with dogs, cats, horses and birds. Fun fact: The 1984 song “Missing You” by John Waite was written about her and other women he dated.
Blackwood once shared about becoming a VJ, according to WNYC, “When I went to MTV, that was what I was expecting — to be a disc jockey, only on camera. I envisioned it to be like a really, really cool FM station, only on TV. I didn’t go there wanting to be ‘Miss TV Star’ at all. I really thought that video music was going to catch on. I thought combining two of America’s favorite pastimes, music and TV, would probably work.”
J.J. Jackson (d. 2004)
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Jackson covered Live Aid in 1985 and went on to help launch the 120 Minutes series after he left MTV in 1986. He went back to the radio and worked at L.A.’s KTWV for many years until 2003. He hosted The Beatle Years on Westwood One Radio Network from 1995 until his death. Sadly, he died in 2004 at the age of 62 from a heart attack.
Who was your favorite VJ?
Remind 
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
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