School
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Expertise
"The Real Housewives" franchise, "Vanderpump Rules", Southern Charm
- Amanda used to receive "The Real Housewives of Potomac" and "Married to Medicine" screeners from a source that shall not be named.
- She has a knack for meeting Bravolebrities out in the wild.
- Amanda predicted Stassi Schroeder was pregnant for a second time long before the news officially came out.
Experience
Amanda has written for The List and Explore and currently serves as a news writer for Nicki Swift. She was born with an insatiable appetite to put her thoughts on paper. Later, she graduated to furiously tapping away on her MacBook. Her first foray into writing for others began when she served as the sole writer of a one-sheet "newspaper" at her local Elementary school. As she got older, she sank her teeth into every celebrity magazine her allowance afforded her and stayed up way past her bedtime watching the E! channel and every episode of MTV's celebrity docuseries "Diary." After graduating, she landed a paid gig writing television recaps and never looked back.
Education
Amanda graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication in 2012. She graduated with "Departmental Distinction" and was the recipient of an "Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Media" award. She also served as the Associate Editor of the departmental newsletter "MASSCOMMunity" and was an active member of the Public Relations and Advertising Association (PRSA).
Nicki Swift covers celebrity and entertainment news by way of an expert group of editorial professionals. We drive the conversation on everything from trending Hollywood news to star transformations, always striving to deliver the most compelling commentary, bolstered by quality expert opinions.
As we cover a wide breadth of pop culture, we're constantly reviewing, fact-checking, and updating stories to ensure they're accurate and current. Additional information on our editorial process available here.
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Vanessa Trump's large Secret Service detail serves as a constant reminder of a frightening ordeal that required a trip to the hospital for tests and monitoring.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Whether they're splayed out over her shoulders, drooping underneath an ICE cap, or piled on her head, Kristi Noem's hair extensions just aren't working for her.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Sean Hannity wasn't willing to give up his life in Florida to spend more time with Ainsley Earhardt, which may help explain why we see so little PDA from them.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Royals
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Oprah may be slowly backing away from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, at least if her not-so-subtle mocking of the Sussexes is anything to go by.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Experts
By Amanda Ray Byerly
A communications expert spoke exclusively to Nicki Swift about how Doug Emhoff's infidelity may still be affecting Kamala Harris long after she learned of it.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Hollywood
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Following his high-profile defamation trial, Johnny Depp has become a pretty divisive figure, with some former pals choosing to cut ties with the actor.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
From cutting her maternity leave short for work to those Mar-a-Lago vacations, Karoline Leavitt sure seems just a little obsessed with Donald Trump.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
While Melania Trump can't escape plastic surgery rumors, Marla Maples' natural beauty is being praised. Here's what they've said about cosmetic procedures.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Those salacious rumors about Jennifer Aniston and Barack Obama aren’t the only time the former president’s name has been dragged into cheating speculation.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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News
By Amanda Ray Byerly
The family of Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, suffered another tragic loss when his step-grandson was shot and killed in a heartbreaking accident.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Music
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Some Justin Bieber fans have speculated that his concerning behavior is connected to Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial. Here's what he said about his state of mind.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Entertainment
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson may like to highlight his blue-collar roots, but the reality of his privileged upbringing tells a very different story.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Entertainment
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Jacqui Heinrich and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, have a surprisingly large age gap, but the love birds aren't letting the critics wreck their happy ending.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Hollywood
By Amanda Ray Byerly
According to experts who have examined photos of Lauren Sánchez Bezos, they prove that she has plumped her pout, and she might need to have them redone).
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Donald Trump didn't just make Chelsea F.C.'s FIFA Club World Cup trophy presentation ceremony all about himself; he bragged about getting quite the souvenir.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
JD Vance has apparently perfected the art of humiliating his wife, Usha, so we enlisted a celebrity matchmaker to decode what it means for their marriage.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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News
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Karoline Leavitt's actions and appearance are both showing signs that she might be buckling under the pressure of her role as White House Press Secretary.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Athletes
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, is a controversial figure and she's not afraid to speak her mind, for better or for worse.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
From drinking rumors to whispers that she sabotaged Kimberly Guilfoyle’s career prospects, there’s no shortage of rumors swirling around Kamala Harris.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Entertainment
By Amanda Ray Byerly
While we don't know much about Sandra Smith's husband, John Conolly, we do know he's a fabulous father, according to the Fox News anchor.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Entertainment
By Amanda Ray Byerly
These appearances by Melania Trump have reignited plastic surgery rumors, and we can’t help but wonder if she’s had a little nip, tuck, or both.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
From controversial outerwear to a cliché costume that looks far too cheap for the wife of a billionaire, Melania Trump should keep these looks in her closet.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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The Dirt
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Harris Faulkner has tried to keep Fox News viewers on her good side by claiming that she's all about honesty, but she's been caught sharing misinformation.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Politics
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Looking at old photos of Pam Bondi, one thing is obvious: the U.S. attorney general has experienced a dramatic and noticeable weight loss transformation.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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News
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Donald Trump loves flashing a thumbs up at the camera, but he might have found the tepid PDA Melania Trump deigned to give him undeserving of the hand gesture.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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News
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Donald Trump's latest misstep wasn't a political one, and it has some social media users joking that CNN's Jake Tapper needs to get busy writing his next book.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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Entertainment
By Amanda Ray Byerly
Ty Pennington rose to fame as ABC's resident handyman on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," but the TV personality has a shady side few ever mention.
By Amanda Ray Byerly
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