[1] De Filippi was born in Milan, Lombardy, but grew up in Pavia where her family moved when she was ten years old.

[3][4] She has hosted numerous talk shows (mostly trashic) broadcast by Mediaset's Canale 5 such as Uomini e donne and C'e posta per te.

[6][7] Similar to the American series Fame, it features a school with groups of aspiring young singers and dancers, divided in teams, who compete against the other, performing live before an audience, and a panel of judges and instructors.

[10][11][12] Marco Carta, Valerio Scanu and Emma Marrone, three singers whose careers were launched through Amici, all subsequently went on to win first place in the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival in 2009, 2010, and 2012 respectively.

[13][14] Among the TV shows supported by Maria de Filippi and Fascino PGT's productions, there are: Amici, Uomini e donne, C'è posta per te, Italia's Got Talent, Coca-Cola Summer Festival, Temptation Island, Tú sí que vales, Pequeños gigantes, Maurizio Costanzo Show, L'intervista, Selfie – Le cose cambiano, House Party e Ultima fermata.