# Melyssa Ford

Melyssa Savannah Ford (born November 7, 1976) is a Canadian media personality, actress, and former video vixen. Since 2022, she has co-hosted The Joe Budden Podcast alongside broadcaster and former rapper Joe Budden.

## Early life

Melyssa Savannah Ford was born on November 7, 1976, in Toronto, Ontario. Ford is mixed race, with her father having roots in Barbados, and her mother having Norwegian and Russian ancestry.
She attended York University, majoring in the field of forensic psychology.

## Career

In 1997, music video director Little X discovered Ford, who was 20, while she was working as a bartender at a Toronto nightclub and helped launch her modelling career. She has appeared in music videos, men's magazines, television programs and films. Ford was an on-air personality for Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot Jamz channel. She formerly sold a line of calendars and a DVD.
In a 2008 CNN interview, Ford explained that when making music videos she often asked herself whether she was "perpetuating a negative stereotype" about black women. When she was asked whether music videos, overall, are "demeaning to women", Ford replied, "Yes, I definitely have to say that".
From June 2014 to January 2015, Ford participated in the Bravo Network television series Blood, Sweat & Heels, documenting her social life against the background of her struggles of becoming a realtor in New York.
In 2016, Ford became a co-host of Hollywood Unlocked, a Los Angeles-based hip-hop and pop culture radio show. Ford returned to the show in April 2019 following her car accident in June 2018. In November 2019, Ford launched a podcast on YouTube called I'm Here for the Food. The podcast featured a host of guests and covered a range of topics, including colourism, human trafficking, and forgiveness. The podcast last aired in November 2020. On August 24, 2020, Ford announced she would no longer be co-hosting Hollywood Unlocked.
After several years in Los Angeles, Ford moved back to the New York Metropolitan area in 2022, becoming a co-host on The Joe Budden Podcast. On November 1, 2024, Ford premiered a new podcast called Hot and Bothered with Melyssa Ford focused on wellness and lifestyle practices for women over 40.

## Personal life

In June 2018, Ford was seriously injured in a car crash involving an 18-wheeler truck. She suffered a skull fracture and concussion.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Turn It Up | Deborah | |
| 2004 | Psyche | Kenya | Short film |
| 2007 | God's Prayer | Dr. Jasmine Gray | |
| 2007 | Three Can Play That Game | Candy | |
| 2008 | Love for Sale | Katherine | |
| 2008 | Days of Wrath | Lisa | |
| 2011 | The Slap | Puma | Short film |
| 2011 | Video Girl | Lala | |
| 2012 | Think like a Man | Sleepy Girl | |
| 2012 | Redemption of a Dog | Sheila | |
| 2013 | Playin' for Love | Bella | |
| 2018 | The Stuff | Denise Washington | |
| 2023 | Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas | Letitia | TV movie |
| 2024 | Hunting Housewives | Sharell Bouvier | TV movie |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Soul Food | Hoochie Mama | 2 episodes |
| 2004-2006 | BET Style | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| 2005 | VH1 News Presents | Herself | Episode: "Hip Hop Videos: Sexploitation on the Set" |
| 2007 | Entourage | Flight Attendant | Episode: "No Cannes Do" |
| 2008 | The Black Poker Stars Invitational | Herself | Main Guest |
| 2009 | Played by Fame | Herself | Episode: "Sexy, Sensual and Stalker" |
| 2014-2015 | Blood, Sweat & Heels | Herself | Main cast |
| 2018 | Vixen | Herself | Main Guest |
| 2019 | Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Pretty Petty" & "Sound Off" |
| 2020-2021 | Tough Love: Los Angeles | Dena Howard | Recurring cast |

### Documentary

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2009 | Good Hair | |
| 2011 | Bowl of Dreams | |

### Music videos

| Year | Song | Artist |
| 1997 | "The Thing to Do" | Glenn Lewis |
| 1998 | "Anywhere" | 112 featuring Lil' Zane |
| 1998 | "Northern Touch" | Rascalz featuring Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust, and Choclair |
| 1998 | "Tommy's Theme" | Made Men featuring The LOX |
| 1999 | "Let's Ride" | Choclair |
| 1999 | "This Luv" | Donell Jones |
| 2000 | "Big Pimpin'" | Jay-Z featuring UGK |
| 2000 | "Thong Song Remix" | Sisqó |
| 2000 | "Cherchez LaGhost" | Ghostface Killah featuring U-God |
| 2000 | "Shake Ya Ass" | Mystikal |
| 2001 | "Knock Yourself Out" | Jadakiss |
| 2003 | "You Don't Know My Name" | Alicia Keys |
| 2004 | "Happy People" | R. Kelly |
| 2004 | "Yeah!" | Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | "Def Jam Icon" | Herself (voice) | Voice role and likeness |