Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Television producer says Vegas mayor wanted to become “the next Oprah Winfrey”

Gary Bernstein is suing the mayor for dropping her role as host of the television show "Solutions" to run for Nevada governor.

Jones hosted the show last spring until she quit to run for governor.

Bernstein, the producer of the former Fox Network show "Totally Hidden Videos," is seeking unspecified damages but said Jones cost him at least $100,000 by leaving the show.

"When we first started talking, Mayor Jones confided that her aspirations were no longer in politics, that she didn't see herself running for higher office or for re-election, and that she felt she possessed the ability to become the next Oprah Winfrey," Bernstein said.

Jones declined to comment on the case and referred questions to her attorney, Marc Risman. He called the charges "absurd."

"She never made any promise to not run for political office," Risman said. "That's something this man is conjuring up after the fact."

Although Bernstein said that Jones verbally committed to the show for one year, she did not sign a contract.

Six episodes of the show were aired on KTNV, Channel 13 in April and May of last year. The program focused on people who worked to solve society's problems. As host and narrator, Jones called on viewers to help fix the problems.

Bernstein said the show was "extremely well received" and he expected it to be syndicated nationally, with Jones at the helm.

Instead, Bernstein said, Jones quit to run for governor - a race she lost to Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Bernstein said he learned of Jones' decision to seek higher office through the newspaper.

"She didn't have the decency to tell anybody she was going to announce," he said.

Jones has since said she will seek a third term as mayor.

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