Elizabeth Vargas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Vargas
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Vargas in 2018
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| Born |
Elizabeth Anne Vargas
September 6, 1962 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Education | University of Missouri |
| Occupation | Television journalist |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Co-anchor of ABC World News Tonight Co-anchor for 20/20 Host of America's Most Wanted (2021) |
| Spouse(s) |
Marc Cohn
(m. 2002; div. 2014) |
Elizabeth Anne Vargas, born on September 6, 1962, is a well-known American television journalist. She is currently the main investigative reporter and documentary anchor for A&E Networks. She also hosted the return of America's Most Wanted on Fox in 2021.
Vargas started her role at A&E on May 28, 2018. Before that, she spent 14 years as an anchor for ABC's news show 20/20 and other ABC News specials. She is also a news anchor for NewsNation, where she hosts Elizabeth Vargas Reports from New York City. In 2006, Vargas was a co-anchor for World News Tonight with fellow journalist Bob Woodruff.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Anne Vargas was born in Paterson, New Jersey. Her father, Rafael "Ralf" Vargas, was a colonel in the U.S. Army from Puerto Rico. Her mother, Anne Vargas, was an English teacher. Elizabeth has two siblings, Amy and Christopher.
When Elizabeth was four, her family moved to Okinawa because of her father's army work. She spent much of her childhood moving to different places like Germany, Belgium, and various parts of the United States. She finished high school in Heidelberg, Germany, where she discovered her interest in journalism.
College Years and Journalism Studies
In 1980, Vargas began studying at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism in 1984. During her time there, she worked as a student reporter at KOMU-TV and a student editor at KBIA. Her teachers and mentors praised her skills and strong work ethic in journalism.
Journalism Career Highlights
Starting Her Career (1984–1993)
After college, Vargas started her journalism career at KTVN, a CBS station in Reno. She then moved to Phoenix to become a lead reporter for KTVK-TV, which was an ABC affiliate at the time.
After three years in Phoenix, she moved to Chicago to work at WBBM-TV, a CBS station. A senior vice president at ABC, Phyllis McGrady, noted that Elizabeth was very flexible in her work. She could do serious interviews and special reports, as well as fun interviews with celebrities. Vargas left WBBM-TV in 1993.
Working at NBC News (1993–1996)
In 1993, Vargas joined NBC News. She worked as a correspondent for Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric. Later, she mainly reported for Dateline NBC. She also filled in as a substitute anchor for Today and the weekend news on NBC Nightly News.
Time at ABC News (1996–2018)
In June 1996, Elizabeth Vargas joined ABC News as the newsreader for Good Morning America. She was seen as a possible future main anchor for the show. In June 1997, ABC promoted her to a correspondent for prime-time news shows.
In 2002, she became one of the anchors for 20/20 Downtown, which later changed its name several times. She also reported occasionally for Primetime. Vargas was also named anchor of World News Tonight on Saturdays and developed special reports for Primetime. In November 2003, she became the Sunday anchor for World News Tonight. In May 2004, she was named co-anchor of 20/20.
Vargas made history as the first national evening news anchor of Puerto Rican and Irish-American background. She was also the third female anchor of a major network evening newscast in the U.S., following Connie Chung and Barbara Walters. She was especially proud of an ABC special report where she highlighted how some missing person cases received more attention than others. Another story she covered, based on the book The Da Vinci Code, explored the historical role of Mary Magdalene.
In 1999, Vargas won an Emmy Award for her reporting on the Elián González story. In 1998, she was nominated for an Emmy for her 20/20 investigation into a wrongful conviction case.
Anchoring World News Tonight
In April 2005, Vargas and Charles Gibson temporarily filled in for Peter Jennings on World News Tonight while he was ill. After Jennings passed away in August, Vargas and Bob Woodruff were chosen as co-anchors on December 5, 2005. She often anchored broadcasts alone after Woodruff was injured in Iraq in January 2006. She also co-anchored with Charles Gibson or Diane Sawyer.
On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced she would step down from World News Tonight. Charles Gibson then became the sole anchor. Vargas explained that she needed to reduce her work schedule due to a difficult pregnancy and wanted to spend more time with her new baby.
In late 2006, Vargas returned as co-anchor of 20/20 and the main host for ABC News specials. In 2008, she hosted Elvis: Viva Las Vegas, a documentary about Elvis Presley's career in Las Vegas. The documentary featured performances and interviews with many famous stars.
In 2013, Vargas received a Peabody Award for her work in ABC News' coverage of Hurricane Sandy on 20/20.
In a special 20/20 episode on September 9, 2016, Vargas shared her experiences with personal challenges. She also discussed her book, Between Breaths: A Memoir of ... and ..., which explores these experiences. In October 2016, she appeared in an episode of ABC's Designated Survivor.
Vargas officially left ABC on May 25, 2018, after a special farewell on 20/20.
Current Work (2018–Present)
In April 2018, A&E Originals signed Vargas for new non-fiction journalism programs. Vargas became the anchor for their A&E Investigates series. She launched her first A&E Investigates series, Cults & Extreme Belief, in May 2018. The Untold Story, a series about important people and events, premiered in April 2019.
In January 2021, it was confirmed that Vargas would host a new version of America's Most Wanted on Fox. The show premiered on March 15, 2021.
Vargas is now the anchor of News Cafe on A&E's FYI Network. On September 19, 2022, Vargas was a guest anchor for NewsNation Prime for a week. Soon after, she became the host of a true crime series called iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas.
On January 10, 2023, it was announced that Vargas would host a new show on NewsNation, called Elizabeth Vargas Reports. This show began airing on April 3, 2023.
Personal Life
Elizabeth Vargas has a diverse family background, including Italian-Spanish and Irish-American roots. She identifies with her Hispanic heritage. She speaks English and Spanish fluently, and she is also good at French.
On July 20, 2002, Vargas married singer-songwriter Marc Cohn. They had been dating for three years. They have two sons named Zach and Sam. Vargas also has two stepchildren, Max and Emily, from Cohn's previous marriage.
In 2014, fellow ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos introduced Vargas to Transcendental Meditation.
Writing and Sharing Her Story
Elizabeth Vargas has openly discussed her experiences with personal challenges. She wrote a book titled Between Breaths: A Memoir of ... and .... This book was published by Grand Central Publishing on September 13, 2016. It quickly became a best-seller on New York Times and USA Today lists. In 2018, NBC News reported that Vargas had been living a healthy lifestyle since 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Vargas para niños
- History of women in Puerto Rico
- Irish immigration to Puerto Rico
- List of Americans of Irish descent
- List of Puerto Ricans
- New Yorkers in journalism
