Jesse Camp, the former MTV personality who rose to fame after winning the channel’s first Wanna Be a VJ contest, has disappeared. Camp was reportedly last seen on Thursday, July 19 by a police officer but has not been seen since that date. But just who is Jesse Camp? Here’s everything that you need to know about the former MTV personality and his recent disappearance. Camp rose to fame as a VJ on MTV from 1998 until his departure from the network back in 2001 Who is Jesse Camp? Jesse Camp is a musician and former TV personality best known as the winner of MTV’s inaugural Wanna Be a VJ contest in 1998. He was born in Granby, Connecticut on November 4, 1979 as Josiah Camp. For high school, Camp attended the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut on a scholarship, graduating in 1997. He later received a scholarship to attend the University of California's drama department but never attended the college. While reportedly homeless shortly afterwards, Camp entered MTV’s first Wanna Be a VJ contest in 1998, emerging as the surprise winner after a round of public voting. For his victory, he was awarded $25,000 (£19,060) and a one-year contract to become a VJ on the network. Camp’s win was controversial at the time, as it was reported in The Village Voice that an anonymous hacker known as UglyPig had been able to penetrate MTV’s voting system and vote for Camp more than 3,000 times, giving him an advantage over fellow finalist and future MTV star Dave Holmes. Further controversy ensued for Camp after it was revealed publicly that he had attended a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut, raising questions that he was actually allegedly homeless at the time of his entering MTV’s contest, as was first reported back in 1998 when he entered the public eye. Additionally, in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Camp stated his on-air persona was actually a ‘complete character’ he invented for television. He stated: ‘What is Jesse Camp? The Jesse Camp you saw on television was at least 50 per cent who I really am. But was Jesse Camp a character? Oh, no doubt, yeah, it was a complete character. 'I kind of acted dumb during the contest because that’s what I thought people were really digging on, so I kept that up. But I wasn’t really thinking long-term — that if I won this thing, I’d have to keep up this goofy-doofus character. 'Now it’s really hard for me to dissect how much of the character was me, but the bottom line is, it was a character, very much along the lines of Cyndi Lauper or Pee-wee Herman or even Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson. It was kind of an Andy Kaufman sort of thing.’ Despite these controversies, Camp remained a popular mainstay on the music channel and hosted Total Request Live, one of its flagship programs. He then released his glam rock album Jesse & the 8th Street Kidz in 1999, featuring a duet with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks. Camp departed from MTV in 2001 and has largely kept a low profile since then, making only sporadic public appearances and rarely giving interviews. Reported disappearance On July 19, 2018, Camp was reported missing in Fontana, California by his sister Marisha. He was reportedly last seen at around 10am local time in front of a Sherwin Williams store that same day by a police officer who performed a ‘pedestrian check’ to ensure that he was okay. After confirming Camp’s identity and that he was in no harm, the officer didn’t take any further action. However, his sister filed a missing person report in Riverside, California just hours later. She also told police that her brother had been depressed as of late but didn’t appear to be suicidal at all. RIVERSIDE: Missing Person information regarding Josiah "Jesse" Camp, known for his celebrity work at MTV in the late 90's and early 2000's. https://t.co/clY4oB4Hdh pic.twitter.com/1a6k7SI1nr — City of Riverside Police Department (@RiversidePolice) July 24, 2018 Camp had previously been seen in April outside the same store by police but reportedly had ceased contact with his mother since July 11 or 12 despite calling her on a weekly basis. Additionally, one of Camp’s former girlfriends reported to police that an unknown individual had answered his cell phone when she called, saying that Camp had given him the phone and three bags containing his personal belongings. His sister recently wrote in a Facebook post on July 23: 'Jesse was last seen in California last week but has not reached out to us yet. What he needs now more than anything is kindness and love. Please keep him in your prayers.' Camp has not been located in any local hospitals or jails and his current whereabouts remains unknown.<doc-sep>Former MTV VJ Jesse Camp has gone missing. A spokesman for the Riverside Police Department in California confirmed to Page Six on Monday that Camp, whose real name is Josiah Camp, was reported missing on July 19 by his sister. Friends and family have been sharing concerned messages on social media, asking anyone for information on his whereabouts. Camp, 38, rose to fame in 1998 when he became an MTV VJ after winning the network’s first “Wanna Be a VJ” contest. He had previously been homeless. In recent times, Camp had been keeping in touch with his elderly mother via weekly phone calls, but according to police, he hasn’t contacted her since July 11 or 12. An ex-girlfriend of Camp’s also tried reaching out to him but told cops a stranger picked up his cellphone and said that Camp had given him the phone and three bags of property. The police spokesman also told Page Six that Camp’s sister said he had been depressed lately but didn’t indicate if he was suicidal. The former “TRL” personality was last seen in Riverside. He has not been located in any local hospitals or jails. Should any suspicion be found, Camp’s case will be transferred to the robbery-homicide unit. In 2016, Page Six ran into Camp outside The Post’s New York offices, where he chatted with us about celebrities and gossip and even jokingly tried his hand at being a Page Six reporter. At the time, MTV told us that Camp was doing some work on a “TRL” throwback segment for MTV’s SnapChat Discover channel in the US.<doc-sep>FONTANA (CBSLA) — Jesse Camp, who made a name for himself in the 90s as an MTV VJ, was missing Monday night. As CBSLA’s Tina Patel reports, Camp’s family is now using social media to try and spread the word and bring him home. Camp rose to fame in the 1990s, winning a contest to become an MTV VJ. Not only did he get to interview some of the biggest stars of the time, he also got to put out his own music and videos. He wasn’t seen as much publicly in recent years, but he still kept in close contact with friends and family around the country until earlier this month. They reached out to police and filed a missing persons report last week. “His kind of routine, almost nightly contact with some family members ceased about a week prior,” said Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback. “So they were starting to get worried.” According to police, Camp had some minor run-ins with the law in the Inland Empire over the past couple years. Just last Thursday, before the missing persons report was filed, an officer with Fontana Police contacted him behind a shopping center in an area frequented by homeless people. “That’s the impression he had, that maybe Mr. Camp was possibly living out of a car and on the streets,” said Railsback. Monica Garcia works as a security guard in the area. She didn’t recognize Camp’s photo, but hates to think someone who once had it all might be in trouble now. “It’s sad to see and to hear,” said Garcia. Garcia says substance abuse is an issue for many in the area. “Honestly I think when the drugs are there. So they can’t get nothing, they fell behind,” said Garcia. Police don’t know if Camp might be fighting addiction, but they hope they can find him to see if he needs help. “It’s not against the law to not talk to your family. So if he doesn’t want to, that’s OK,” said Railsback. “We just want to get word to his family that he’s doing OK.”<doc-sep>
Jesse Camp, who won MTV's first Wanna Be a VJ contest in the 1990s, is missing, PEOPLE confirms Jesse Camp, who won MTV’s first Wanna Be a VJ contest in the 1990s, is missing, PEOPLE confirms. Camp, 38, was reported missing by his sister Marisha Camp on July 19, Officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department tells PEOPLE. “She had been in contact with someone who had told her [Camp] was in Riverside a week ago, and that he’s been known to travel to the Inland Empire, and Riverside, from time to time,” says Railsback. Riverside, California, is about 54 miles east of Los Angeles. While he said police “don’t see anything suspicious” about his disappearance, he added Marisha called police after saying her brother “might have been depressed recently.” jesse-camp-1 Jesse Camp | Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Marisha did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. She shared an Instagram Story post four days ago titled “SOS” asking anyone who had heard from her brother to contact her. “If anyone has seen or heard from my brother since Saturday, please, please, please reach out to me or ask him to call home!! Thank you!!! !” she wrote. jesse-camp-5 Credit: Marisha Camp/Instagram She continued sharing posts of him in her Instagram Story with a photo of him next to Meryl Streep. “I can’t begin to thank everyone who reached out to express their concern and support after my brother Jesse went MIA. He truly has the most beautiful friends from all walks of life, and he is SO LOVED…” Marisha wrote. jesse-camp-4 Credit: Marisha Camp/Instagram “Thank you so much for your posts and tweets… (B&W pic by the incredible @terrymatlin, who has been SUCH a great friend…),” she continued. “Jesse was last seen in California last week but has not reached out to us yet. What he needs more than anything is kindness and love… please keep him in your prayers. If you see him, please let him know that many, many people care… (He does not need to be the subject of tabloid journalism, making everything worse. )” “(I’m quoting @terrymatlin here…) Jesse has always tried to bring light to other people, so let’s bring it to him!” she added. Wanna Be a VJ first aired on MTV in 1998 and ran until 2000. The contest tested the applicants’ knowledge of music and judged their personality onscreen in order to determine who would be the best veejay for MTV. jesse-camp-2 Jesse Camp | Credit: Getty Viewers were allowed to vote for contestants, with the winner offered a one-year contract to be a veejay for Total Request Live as well as $25,000. The show was hosted by Carson Daly, with Camp unexpectedly winning the show over runner-up Dave Holmes.