Celebrities and public figures are no strangers to controversy. There are several celebrity parents who have been caught up in the bizarre cheating scandal and Elisabeth Kimmel happens to be one of them. The former KFMB-TV owner garnered wide attention in March 2019, following her alleged involvement in a college admission scandal.
Although there is no telling the extent a mother can go to pave way for her children, Kimmel’s act has raised several eyebrows in the American college system. Since then, her name has continued to dominate the tabloids while investigations were ongoing. Before we go further, it will be interesting to tell you more about Elisabeth Kimmel’s bio and other facts you need to know. Read on…
Who is Elisabeth Kimmel?
The American attorney and former owner of KFMB-TV was born as Elisabeth Meyer in the year 1964. She is the daughter of August Meyer Jr. and his wife. Although nothing much is known about her upbringing and childhood experiences, it is known that she was born into a wealthy American family. She is of white ethnic while her nationality is American.
Regarding her education, Elisabeth is a graduate of Stanford University where she acquired a bachelor’s degree in History. She also got her Jurist Doctorate from the Harvard Law School a few years later.
Elisabeth Kimmel started her legal career soon after her graduation from Law School. At the initial stages of her career, she worked with a Los Angeles-based firm known as Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. After spending three years there, she joined her family business, working as a General Counsel in 1993. Later on, she was made the president of KFMB-TV in 2003 and ultimately became the owner in 2007. She served in that capacity until the company was sold to Tegna Inc. in December 2017.
Additionally, Elisabeth equally worked at First Busey Corporation. She served as the company’s director from May 2018 until her position was relinquished following the news of her alleged involvement in college bribe scandal.
Interesting Facts About Former KFMB-TV Owner Involved in College Scandal
Personal Life – Who is Her Husband?
Elisabeth Kimmel has been married to Gregory Kimmel, a San Diego, California-based attorney. Gregory is a graduate of the University of Southern Dakota. He also earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Law School in 1990. Gregory has worked extensively in different establishments and was previously a member of the State Bar of California. He is currently serving as the president of Wireless Telematics.
The couple got hitched several years ago, however, there is no much information regarding their relationship. They are parents to three children including Katherine and Thomas Kimmel.
Her Alleged Involvement in College Admission Bribe Scandal
Earlier in March 2019, US federal authorities busted several scams that allegedly saw dozens of parents bribing their children’s way into high profile colleges. One of the culprits apprehended was William Rick Singer. William alleged that Elisabeth Kimmel had paid him the sum of $275,000 for him to help her daughter secure admission into the prestigious Georgetown University back in 2013.
Meanwhile, William previously had cases of facilitating cheating on SAT exams and making up athletic credentials for college applicants. That notwithstanding, he forged an athletic credential stating that Elisabeth’s daughter, Katherine was as a top tennis player even though she never really participated in the sport. Katherine played hockey while in high school and never played tennis at Georgetown until she graduated in 2017.
While it seemed Katherine has gotten away with it, history wanted to repeat itself in March 2019, when Elisabeth also paid the sum of $250,000 for Singer to help her son, Thomas secure admission into the University of Southern California.
According to reports, the alleged scandal was discovered by federal authorities via a wiretapped phone call between Elisabeth, her husband and one more person whose identity has not been revealed.
Is She Related to Jimmy Kimmel?
Since the news of Elisabeth’s college admission scandal saw the light of the day, she has become a person of interest to many. While some are curious to find out if she is related to the popular TV star, , others speculate she could be his wife. Well, the truth isn’t farfetched; the American attorney is not related to Jimmy and is also not his wife.
She was born as Elisabeth Meyer but by the virtue of her marriage with fellow attorney Gregory Kimmel, she changed her last name to Kimmel. Meanwhile, there is no familial connection whatsoever between Jimmy and Gregory nor Jimmy and Elisabeth.
Jimmy is married to his wife of many years, . The couple has a son named Billy and a daughter named Jane. He also has two other children – Kevin and Katherine from his previous marriage with .
