Sunny Anderson


Sunny Anderson is a Food Network personality. She began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real, and served as co-host with Marc Istook of the Food Network program Gotta Get It.

Early life

Sunny Anderson was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and grew up as an Army brat, which allowed her to travel the world and sample many local cuisines with her parents, who were food enthusiasts. She attended Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas, and upon her graduation, she joined the United States Air Force in June 1993, where she earned the rank of Senior Airman and worked as a military radio host in Seoul, South Korea. She then worked for Air Force News Agency radio and television in San Antonio from 1993 to 1997. Anderson was honorably discharged from the Air Force in June 1997. She went to school in New Orleans at Loyola University. At age 19, Anderson was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. in 2014, she teamed up with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America to raise awareness of this disease.

Career

Between 1995 and 2001, Anderson worked as a radio personality at KCJZ and KONO-FM in San Antonio, WYLD-FM and KUMX in Fort Polk, Louisiana, WJWZ in Montgomery, Alabama, and WDTJ in Detroit, Michigan.
Anderson settled in New York City in 2001 at the age of 26, and worked as a radio personality for HOT 97 in New York City from 2001 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was the owner of Sunny's Delicious Dishes, a catering company based in Jersey City, New Jersey.
She first appeared on the Food Network in October 2005 and began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real, and served as co-host with Marc Istook of the Food Network program Gotta Get It, beginning in April 2007.
In 2006 and 2007, she served as Food and Lifestyle Editor for Hip Hop Weekly magazine.
In January 2014, Anderson became a co-host on the Food Network's series The Kitchen along with Jeff Mauro, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid, and Geoffrey Zakarian.
Anderson was a contender for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards for the Outstanding Talk Show/Informative award with the cast of The Kitchen, but lost.
Anderson has been a guest chef on several talk shows and morning news programs including The Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The View, The Talk, and The Wendy Williams Show.
In 2022, Anderson hosted NFL Tailgate Takedown along with New England Patriots Hall-of-Famer Vince Wilfork.
In October 2022 she hosted Season 3 of Outrageous Pumpkins on Food Network.

Filmography

YearTitleNotes
2008How'd That Get On My Plate-
2008Dear Food Network3 episodes
2008, 2014The Wendy Williams Show2 episodes
2008-2018Rachael RayCohost/guest, 68 episodes
2009-2018Food Network StarGuest Judge, 5 episodes
2010Food Network ChallengeCompetitor, 1 episode
2010-2011The Best Thing I Ever Ate14 episodes
2010, 2014The View2 episodes
2011The Nate Berkus Show
2011Paula's Best Dishes
2011Thanksgiving Live!TV Special
2011-2012The Best Thing I Ever Made9 episodes
2011-2012The Perfect 33 episodes
2011-2022Good Morning AmericaGuest, 8 episodes
2012Thanksgiving Live!TV Special
2012Iron Chef America Countdown6 episodes
2012Iron Chef America: The SeriesJudge, 2 episodes
2012Katie1 episode
2012Home Made In America6 episodes
2012-2025TodayCohost/guest, 36 episodes
2013The Chew1 episode
2013David's Food Court1 episode
2013The Queen Latifah Show1 episode
2013, 2014Bethenny2 episodes
2013, 2014Melissa Harris-Perry2 episodes
2013-2017The TalkCohost/guest, 11 episodes
2013-2023ChoppedJudge, 10 episodes
2014Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-OffJudge, 1 episode
2014RewrappedJudge, 1 episode
2014The DoctorsCo-host, 1 episode
2014-2025Beat Bobby FlayJudge & Mentor, 48 episodes
2015Fox and Friends1 episode
2015Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-OffJudge, 1 episode
2015Thanksgiving at Bobby's1 episode
2015Christmas as Bobby's1 episode
2015-2018Weekend TodayGuest, 3 episodes
2015-2018Home & Family6 episodes
2016Brunch at Bobby's1 episode
2016-2017The Kitchen SinkCohost, 9 episodes
2016-2017Cooks vs. ConsJudge, 4 episodes
2017Chopped JuniorJudge, 1 episode
2017Pickler & Ben2 episodes
2017Steve5 episodes
2017, 2018Bakers vs. FakersJudge, 2 episodes
2020GMA3: What You Need To Know1 episode
2020All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate4 episodes
2020Turkey Day Sunny's Way
2021Live with Kelly and MarkGuest, 1 episode
2023Sesame Street: Oscar's Handmade Halloween
2023Tamron Hall1 episode
2024Name That Tune1 episode
2024GMA3Guest, 1 episode
2023-2024BBQ Brawl: Flay v. SimonCaptain, 12 episodes
2024-2025The Drew Barrymore ShowGuest, News Contributor, 40 episodes

Awards and nominations