Vale: Jeniene Mapp-Testa
1990s Children's TV host, best known for Saturday Disney, has died.
- Published by David Knox
- on November 21, 2023
1990s Children’s TV host Jeniene Mapp-Testa, best known for Saturday Disney, has died.
She passed away last week after ongoing dialysis treatment.
Known as Jeniene Mapp, she was an original host of Saturday Disney in 1990 with James Sherry and Sofie Formica, continuing until 1996.
Working with Disney Australia for 14 years, she then went on to launch Disney Channel in Australia as one of their faces. She hosted Studio D and Playhouse Disney from 1997 to 2003.
Shelley Craft, who succeeded her on Saturday Disney in her first television job, paid tribute on social media.
“Jeniene supported me so kindly and helped me navigate the world of Aussie showbiz. Our paths have crossed over the last 20 odd years, we always felt like we were Disney family forever,” she said.
Lisa Cakar (formerly Lisa Barry) also post a tribute.
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- Tagged with Saturday Disney
3 Responses
Vale. Lovely post from Shelley, so fondly remembering her roots too.
Jeniene was such an amazing person, always appreciating me sharing old footage with her from Saturday Disney and reaching out when she found my Saturday Disney fan site 20 years ago. She stayed so positive during her treatment and it’s so sad she’s gone at only 48 years old. She was also probably one of, if not the youngest host in Australia as when Saturday Disney began she was 15. I will always remember her (and Lisa Barry and Marc Buhaj) as the first people I ever remembering watching on TV as a kid.
So very sad….