American television host and actress Paige Davis rose to fame as the host of the home renovation reality show Trading Spaces. The program aired on the TLC channel from 2001 to 2008 and was revived in 2018. Additionally, Davis worked on the morning talk show Home and Family, performed in Broadway productions, and wrote a book. Learn more about the life and career of this talented Philadelphia native on philadelphiaski.
Early Life and Education
Paige Davis was born in Philadelphia on October 15, 1969. Her mother later remarried, and the family moved frequently. Paige received her early education in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She then lived in Louisville, Kentucky, where she attended the Youth Performing Arts School. Later, she graduated from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
During this period, Paige’s creative focus was on dance and musical theater. For instance, she spent over two years with the national touring company of the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she began appearing in television commercials.
A Career as a TV Host
In 2001, Davis was invited to host the television program Trading Spaces on TLC. That same year, she got married. Her husband was actor Patrick Page, with whom she had co-starred in Beauty and the Beast. The couple allowed their wedding to be broadcast on TLC as part of the show A Wedding Story.
Despite the show’s prior success, the network fired Paige Davis in early 2005. The official reason given was their intention to change the format of Trading Spaces. However, a scandal had erupted around the TV host’s persona. Rumors circulated that she was let go due to a revealing photoshoot for TV Guide and for performing a mock striptease at the “Broadway Bares/Equity Fights AIDS” charity event.
These events were actively covered by newspapers. Davis refuted these claims, calling them exaggerations and rumors. Both the host and the network insisted that the end of their collaboration had no connection to these incidents.
Sometime later, Davis signed a deal with the television company King World Productions/CBS. According to the agreement, she was to participate in developing new reality shows and co-host a daytime television show with interior designer Nate Berkus. However, these projects never came to fruition.
In the fall of 2007, it was announced that Davis would return to host Trading Spaces early the next year. But this comeback was short-lived. A year later, the show was canceled.
In 2011, Paige Davis hosted the program The Best Of Trading Spaces, and seven years later, it was announced that Trading Spaces would be revived with its star host.
Other Facets of Paige Davis’s Career
While working as a host for TLC, Paige Davis also participated in other projects, for example:
- In 2004, she was invited to be a judge on the show Iron Chef America, which aired on the Food Network.
- In 2006, she participated in the filming of the show Gameshow Marathon on CBS.
- In 2011, she served as a host on the show Home Made Simple.
Additionally, she managed to realize her creative potential in other areas. She was invited to appear in commercials and collaborated with various brands, such as promoting the art of photography with the Kodak company. She also wrote a book, Paige by Paige, where she described her experiences working in television. The book spent several weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Outside of television, Paige Davis achieved her greatest success in the theater. During her first wave of popularity, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on Broadway. Later, Paige Davis created her own cabaret act, “Taking A Chance,” and in 2007, she joined the Broadway production of Sweet Charity. For the next two years, she performed in the play Boeing-Boeing.
Overall, her theater career has been no less successful than her television one. In 2014, she played the role of Senga Quinn in Mark St. Germain’s play Dancing Lessons at Barrington Stage. This project was highly acclaimed by critics and also received rave reviews from audiences.
In 2017, Paige Davis starred in the play Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage in Pittsburgh. In 2018, she took the lead role in the musical MAME at the North Shore Music Theatre in Massachusetts.
In February 2022, it was announced that Davis would play the lead role in the Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Hello, Dolly! Artistic Director Karen Azenberg directed and choreographed the project. The show was performed at the professional regional theater in Salt Lake City in May 2022.
Thus, the popular TV host and actress Paige Davis has increasingly focused on the world of theater. She is predominantly offered lead roles, which she handles wonderfully. For Davis, television became a springboard into her successful theater career.