University of Southern California

Milton Academy

Senior entertainment writer at Los Angeles Times, New York Times bestselling author

I am a columnist who writes a monthly A-1 series, “For Real With Amy Kaufman.” The column examines the lives of icons, underdogs and rising stars to find out who the people are shaping our culture — for real. I also work on investigations that often shine a light on the darker side of the entertainment business.

Los Angeles Times

Columnist

Consulting producer on the Hulu documentary "The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump," a co-production between ABC News Studios and LA  Times Studios. The project was based on a June 2022 investigation that fellow LAT reporter Meg James and I did into Emmett.

ABC News Studios

Consulting Producer

I am a senior entertainment writer at the Los Angeles Times, where I began as a staff writer covering film in 2009. In addition to profiling hundreds of cultural figures -- Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga James Taylor – I have broken major investigative stories on sexual harassment in Hollywood. I have also reported from the Croisette at the Cannes Film Festival, spent a precious 60 minutes at the Vanity Fair Oscar party and hobnobbed with VIP pooches at the Beverly Hills Dog Show.

Senior entertainment writer

*A New York Times Bestseller*

The first definitive, unauthorized, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America’s favorite guilty pleasure.

For sixteen years and thirty-six seasons, the Bachelor franchise has been a mainstay in American TV viewers’ lives. Since it premiered in 2002, the show’s popularity and relevance have only grown—more than eight million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of the most recent season of The Bachelor.

Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise—ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show’s inner workings: what it’s like to be trapped in the mansion “bubble”; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the Fantasy Suite. 

Kaufman also explores what our fascination means, culturally: what the show says about the way we view so-called ideal suitors; our subconscious yearning for fairy-tale romance; and how this enduring television show has shaped society’s feelings about love, marriage, and feminism by appealing to a marriage plot that’s as old as the best of Jane Austen.

Dutton

Bachelor Nation

Staff Writer

Reporter for Sharon Waxman's entertainment news website. Wrote hard news stories and trend pieces about industry happenings; covered events including the Academy Awards, the Sundance Film Festival and Comic-Con; aggregated content and composed newsletter of headlines published daily.

The Wrap

Reporter

Served as the LA bureau's summer intern covering the entertainment industry and general news; first bylined story published on Page One, a-hed feature on controversial helium balloon ban also on A1 and story on independent musicians spotlighted on the Marketplace cover.

The Wall Street Journal

Intern

Summer intern for the Calendar section; penned 50 bylined stories including centerpiece on singer/actress Mandy Moore, wrote the paper's weekly summer camp fund stories which raised $1.7 million for underprivileged children, interviewed high-profile celebrities including Sting and Ron Howard, attended Page One meetings and worked intimately with top section editors.