Elizabeth Vargas

Elizabeth Anne Vargas (born September 6, 1962) is an American television journalist who is the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks, and the host for Fox's revival of '' America's Most Wanted''. She began her new position on May 28, 2018, after being an anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine ''20/20'' and ABC News specials for the previous 14 years. In 2006 Vargas was co-anchor of '' World News Tonight'' alongside ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Anne Vargas was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the daughter of an Italian-Spanish father, Rafael "Ralf" Vargas, a colonel in the U.S. Army from Puerto Rico, and an Irish-American mother, Anne Vargas, a part-time English teacher. She has two siblings, Amy and Christopher, who both work in tech in Silicon Valley. Her father was a U.S. army captain and moved the family to Okinawa when she was four years old. Vargas then spent much of her youth moving from post to post in Germany, Belgium, and the United States. Vargas graduated from an American high school in Heidelberg, where she realized her passion for journalism.

Vargas enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1980 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1984, having served as a student reporter at KOMU-TV and a student editor at KBIA. Former advisors spoke well of her competency in her journalism work on campus; Rod Gelatt, former KOMU news director, noted that she was the first student to ever fill in for him as moderator of the station's ''Missouri Forum'' public affairs program and Kent Collins, chairman of the university's journalism faculty, remembered her "aggressive and energetic" work ethic.

Career

1984–1993: Career beginnings

After college, Vargas worked at Reno's CBS affiliate KTVN, before moving to Phoenix as a lead reporter for then-ABC affiliate KTVK-TV. After three years there, she moved to Chicago to work at CBS station WBBM-TV, where Phyllis McGrady, a senior vice president at ABC, said of her: "Elizabeth is one of the most flexible talents I've ever worked with. She could do interviews, and do hour-long specials that make you think, and then she'll do a great interview with P. Diddy. She is versatile." Vargas left WBBM-TV in 1993.

1993–1996: NBC News

In 1993, Vargas joined NBC News as a correspondent for '' Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric''. She later became a correspondent mainly for ''Dateline NBC,'' and also served as a substitute anchor for ''Today'' and the weekend editions of ''NBC Nightly News''.

1996–2018: ABC News

In June 1996, she joined ABC News' '' Good Morning America'' as the newsreader and Joan Lunden's likely "heir apparent". In June 1997, ABC promoted Vargas to prime time magazine show correspondent, succeeded by Kevin Newman as newsreader. In 2002, she became one of the anchors of ''20/20 Downtown'', which was later rebranded ''Downtown'' before being rebranded again in 2003 as '' Primetime Monday'' before its end. She later reported occasionally for ''Primetime''. She was also named anchor of ''World News Tonight'' Saturday and presented with the opportunity to develop specials for ''Primetime''. In November 2003, Vargas became anchor of ''World News Tonight'' Sunday. She was named co-anchor of ''20/20'' in May 2004.

Vargas was the first national evening news anchor of Puerto Rican and Irish-American heritage and also the third female anchor of a network evening newscast in the US since Connie Chung and Barbara Walters. She is said to be "particularly proud" of an ABC special report in which she questioned why the Laci Peterson case merited more attention than two other similar cases, one involving a black woman and the other involving a Hispanic woman. Another story, based on the book ''The Da Vinci Code'' and the role of Mary Magdalene, helped fuel a nationwide religious debate. Vargas stated that for centuries Mary Magdalene has been portrayed as a prostitute by the church despite evidence to the contrary. She went on to question the limited role of women within the Catholic church. In 1999, she won an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Elián González story, and in 1998 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her ''20/20'' investigation into the wrongful conviction of Betty Tyson.

In April 2005, Vargas and Charles Gibson temporarily filled in for Peter Jennings, who was receiving chemotherapy for lung cancer, on ''World News Tonight'' until Jennings's death in August. After a period of mourning and indecision, she and Bob Woodruff were chosen as co-anchors on December 5, 2005. She anchored many broadcasts alone after Woodruff's injury in Iraq in January 2006. She also co-anchored ''World News Tonight'' with either Charles Gibson or Diane Sawyer.

On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from ''World News Tonight''. Gibson was then named sole anchor of the show, effective from May 29, 2006, replacing Vargas and Woodruff. To explain the sudden change, Vargas cited her doctors' recommendation to considerably cut back her schedule owing to a difficult pregnancy and her wish to spend more time with her new baby when he arrived. Most inside accounts, however, said she fully expected and wished to return to the anchor chair soon after giving birth, but Gibson threatened to quit ABC News if he was not made sole permanent anchor."Charlie the Conqueror"
. '' New York'', June 19, 2006. According to these sources, his gambit succeeded and she was left embittered, although not enough to sever ties with the network. In late 2006, Vargas returned as co-anchor of ''20/20'' and primary host of ABC News specials. In 2008, Vargas hosted ''Elvis: Viva Las Vegas'', a documentary that explored Elvis Presley's triumph in Las Vegas and his artistic legacy, and featured performances and interviews with various stars, including Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Dwayne Johnson, Faith Hill, David Lynch, Jon Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, and Priscilla Presley.

In 2013, Vargas won a Peabody Award for her contributions in ABC News' coverage of Hurricane Sandy on ''20/20.''

In a special edition of ''20/20'' that aired on September 9, 2016, Vargas opened up about her struggles with anxiety and alcoholism and further talked about her upcoming book ''Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction'', which discusses those struggles. In October 2016, she appeared in an episode of ABC's ''Designated Survivor''.

On December 22, 2017, Vargas announced she was leaving ABC News in May 2018. She officially departed ABC on May 25 after a dedication on ''20/20''.

2018–present: A&E Investigates and ''America's Most Wanted''

In April 2018, A&E Originals signed Vargas to a first-look and production deal. Vargas would serve as anchor of its A&E Investigates banner for new non-fiction prime time journalism programming. She broadcast her first A&E Investigates series, '' Cults & Extreme Belief'', in May 2018. ''The Untold Story'', a series focusing on the untold stories of influential people and events, premiered in April 2019. In January 2021, it was confirmed that Vargas would host a revival of '' America's Most Wanted'' on Fox, which premiered on March 15, 2021.

Vargas is now the anchor of ''News Cafe'' on A&E's FYI Network.

On September 19, 2022, Vargas will guest anchor NewsNation Prime during the week until September 23, 2022.

2022–present: iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas

On June 7, 2022, it was announced that Vargas would be hosting a new reality crime show iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas broadcasting in syndication to 95% of the U.S. in September.

Personal life

Vargas has explained that despite her multi-ethnic heritage, she identifies with her Hispanic roots. She is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in French.

On July 20, 2002, Vargas married singer-songwriter Marc Cohn after three years of dating. They have two sons, Zach and Sam. Vargas also has two stepchildren, Max and Emily, from Cohn's first marriage. In August 2014, '' Entertainment Tonight'' reported that Vargas and Cohn were divorcing after 12 years of marriage.

Vargas was introduced to Transcendental Meditation in 2014 by fellow ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Alcoholism

Vargas' battle with alcohol stemmed from her anxiety rooted in her childhood after witnessing her father join the Vietnam War and subsequently suffering daily panic attacks; her anxiety only intensified throughout her life after she was told early on that it would be in her best interest to hide her anxiety to avoid appearing weak. Her struggle culminated during a family vacation in 2012 when she realized she needed help. After seeking treatment in Utah and departing prematurely, she eventually relapsed. On November 6, 2013, ABC confirmed a '' New York Daily News'' story that Vargas was undergoing treatment for alcoholism. "I am dealing with addiction," Vargas said. After her second rehab admission, on January 24, 2014, Vargas described herself as an alcoholic. Vargas underwent rehabilitation for alcoholism in 2014 for a third time shortly before she and Marc Cohn divorced. In 2018, NBC News reported that Vargas had been sober since 2014.

In 2016, Vargas wrote a memoir, ''Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction''. It was published by Grand Central Publishing on September 13 and became an instant ''The New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' best-seller.

Further reading

*''Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction''; by: Elizabeth Vargas; Publisher: Grand Central; ASIN=B0169ATL3Q.

See also

* 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

References

External links

*

Elizabeth Vargas' Biography
– ABC News
*


– About.com profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Elizabeth
1962 births
Living people
20th-century American journalists
21st-century American journalists
ABC News personalities
American journalists of Puerto Rican descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Swedish descent
American people of German descent
American writers of Italian descent
American people of Spanish descent
American television reporters and correspondents
American women television journalists
Hispanic and Latino American women journalists
People from Paterson, New Jersey
Television anchors from Chicago
Missouri School of Journalism alumni
American expatriates in Germany
American expatriates in Belgium
21st-century American women
20th-century American women