Joan Callamezzo

Joan Callamezzo is the hostess of Pawnee Today, a local news magazine/talk show broadcast in Pawnee.

Background

When Joan was 18 years old, she stole her gym teacher's husband. Joan has many erotic paintings of herself that she uses to decorate her bedroom. In Season 7 Episode 2, it is alluded to the fact that Callamezzo received an STD from one of her ex-boyfriends, although the particular STD was not mentioned.

Season 2

Joan first appeared in the episode "Pawnee Zoo", in which Leslie Knope was a guest on her show and found herself inundated with caller demands that she step down for marrying two male penguins. Leslie again appeared on Pawnee Today in "Christmas Scandal" to refute Councilman Dexhart's claim of an affair between he and Leslie. Since the councilman asserted that Leslie had a birthmark on her buttocks, Joan pressured Leslie into pulling down her pants to refute it.

Season 3

In "Media Blitz" Leslie says, "Joan Callamezzo runs this town." Joan also appears in "Harvest Festival", in which it is revealed that she concentrates her reporting efforts on finding scandals, such as becoming excited when hearing the news of the Wamapoke Curse. She is also shown to be a rumor-mongerer, suggested by the show when Leslie states, "There is not, as one reporter suggested, dozens of escaped convicts running around the carnival grounds." and the camera pans to Joan. This is also supported by the fact that earlier in the episode Joan asks Leslie "how many of these carnies are illegal?"

Like many Pawnee residents, Callamezzo is an avid fan of Li'l Sebastian, exclaiming "Are you f*cking kidding me? You've got Li'l Sebastian?" after Leslie reveals that Li'l Sebastian will be at the Harvest Festival.

Season 4

In "Born & Raised" Joan traps Leslie with her gotcha journalism, revealing on live television that Leslie was not born in Pawnee. Tom, hoping he can use his flirtatious relationship with Joan to dispel this rumor and get Leslie's book in Joan's book club, takes her out for dinner with Ben. Joan reveals that she has just divorced her husband, and begins aggressively flirting with a terrified Tom. Joan becomes inebriated, and the two men are forced to carry her home. While there, they recoil from the many nude portraits of Joan decorating her bedroom.

Joan's Book Club

Joan started a book club 4 years ago. She has become the literary tastemaker in Pawnee. One such book was the The Time Traveler's Optometrist by Pawnee's own Penelope Foster, the heartwarming story of a caveman eye doctor who travels to present-day Cincinnati and can see everything but love. It was unreadable, until Joan slapped her sticker on it and it was a bestseller 4 years in a row.