Whatever Happened To Lisa Ling?

Lisa Ling is an American journalist with a long and impressive career. She began reporting at the incredibly young age of 18 and was reporting from the ground in Afghanistan by 21. Her career changed directions when she co-hosted the popular daytime television series "The View." Afterward, she went on to report for many other renowned news organizations. She's won three awards for her hosting and journalistic work and has been nominated for several others. Despite being in the field for several decades now, Ling doesn't seem tired of finding new ways to connect to people and report on issues affecting the U.S. and the world. 

If you've lost track of Ling since her early days as a reporter, it is time you catch up on the many exciting projects she has been part of. Lisa Ling has evolved a lot over the years and made changes in both her career and personal life, but through it all, she has continued to share the stories most important to her. 

Many of us first got to know Lisa Ling during her time on "The View." She joined the American talk show as a co-host alongside Star Jones, Joy Behar, and Meredith Vieira in 1999 for the series' second season. Behar later spoke about Ling coming onto the series as the youngest member of the cast, saying that she pushed herself out of her comfort zone many times. "Lisa Ling immediately brought a rare combination of youthful exuberance and worldliness to the table," Behar said during a segment on the 25th season. "She was always prepared and seldom caught off guard ... and although she was an up-and-coming journalist when she came aboard, she wasn't above mixing it up and having a little fun."

Lisa Ling stayed on the show until 2002, when she left to pursue other opportunities as a journalist. Like many former cohosts of "The View," Ling expressed gratitude for her time as she went on to other exciting opportunities. Looking back on her time there, she said she was glad to no longer be a host. She reflected on her experience on "Jimmy Kimmel Live", saying, "You really have to express your opinion so vociferously on that show, and in the age of social media, you're just scrutinized so severely." 

If you lost track of Lisa Ling after her departure from "The View," then you may have missed one of the most pivotal moments in her career. After leaving the talk show, Ling committed to her work as a journalist. She had many notable accomplishments, such as hosting "National Geographic Explorer" and working as a correspondent on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In 2014, she started an exciting new chapter in her career, hosting the primetime documentary series "This Is Life with Lisa Ling" on CNN.

Through the series, Ling traveled across the U.S., covering a range of pressing issues. Some of her most popular episodes delved into gangs in Mississippi, the meth epidemic, gender fluidity, and many, many more topics. In the documentary-style series, Ling was able to dive deep into a new topic in each episode, giving viewers a close look at often undiscussed problems affecting many Americans today. Her storytelling and investigative reporting for the series made it a memorable show that ran for several seasons. It also earned two award nominations for best episodic series from the International Documentary Association and best ongoing documentary series from the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards. 

After leaving "The View" in 2002, Lisa Ling had many exciting career experiences, but she never forgot her time on the show. In 2021, she returned to the series as a guest host to celebrate the 25th season of the ABC program. While speaking with the current hosts, Ling recalled that during her time as a host, she was a young reporter who was often shot down when she wanted to discuss politics and other serious issues on the more lighthearted show. Returning as a more experienced journalist with almost 20 more years of experience, she shared how excited she was to see how the daytime program had adapted to include those topics. "Now 'The View' has just become this part of the cultural and political zeitgeist for doing exactly that." 

Ling continued to talk about how much "The View" had changed from when she was on it while speaking with Access Hollywood, admitting that she prefers it now to when she was on it every day. "It's definitely taken on a much more serious tone," she said. "That show has become an undeniable force in pop culture [and] in politics. I mean, you can't run for office without making a stop at 'The View.'"

After her brief return to "The View," Ling confirmed some of our suspicions about the difficulty of working with Joy Behar; however, she did clarify that she gets along well with all the women on the show. 

"This Is Life with Lisa Ling" was one of the most memorable accomplishments of Lisa Ling's impressive journalistic career. The series ran from 2014 to 2022 on CNN, making it the longest-running original series from the network. But if you're wondering what happened to the informative and daring series, it was sadly canceled. The Los Angeles Times reported that the documentary series was cut from the network in an effort to trim costs. "We are extremely proud of the work we produced together and with our partners at Part2 Pictures," CNN said in a statement. "The important seeds planted by Lisa will continue to grow at CNN as we remain committed to shining a light on underreported stories and the people who make up the fabric of America."

Speaking to the L.A. Times, Ling shared her disappointment over the series' cancellation. "I was hoping to get to 10 seasons, but we fell short of that," the reporter said. "I would like to do many, many more seasons, especially right now, when we are existing in these bubbles and we follow people who espouse what we believe. In some ways, we've cut ourselves off from really getting to know people who might be different or think differently than we do." Unfortunately, Ling had to go on to tell those stories elsewhere.

Although "This Is Life" was canceled, Lisa Ling continued sharing her avid curiosity and knack for storytelling through other venues, like her HBO Max series "Take Out with Lisa Ling," a docuseries highlighting one of America's favorite cuisines. The show follows Ling as she explores Asian American stories through food. Speaking about the new project to Access Hollywood, Ling explained that it was an incredible experience to explore the history and real stories of communities around the US through their food. "Food is the best way to connect people to ... lost history or to culture," Ling said. "It's the one thing that transcends challenges, struggle; it transcends discrimination." 

This series, in particular, is one that Ling is proud of due to her own family and background as an Asian American. "My 10-year-old self would have never thought that I'd be able to do a show like this," Ling said. "I never thought that anyone would be interested in knowing about Asian American stories. And it wasn't even a dream. I never even dreamt it could be possible ... it's been so exciting to do." She added that it seems everyone in America loves Asian food, so it's only fair to learn about the people and history that created those popular dishes. "My thinking was: If you love our food, take the time to know our stories a bit."

Lisa Ling's HBO Max docu-series "Take Out with Lisa Ling" allowed her to explore the stories of Asian families across the nation and allowed her to open up about her own history like never before. While on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," she shared that her family, like many Asian families, opened a restaurant to survive after moving to the U.S. Her grandfather immigrated to California in the 1940s but could not get a job in finance because, according to Ling, nobody wanted to hire a Chinese employee. So despite having no experience in cooking, her grandparents opened a Chinese restaurant. During "Take Out," Ling had the opportunity to visit her grandparents' restaurant for the first time to reconnect and share those family roots. 

Despite being a journalist and storyteller for decades, this is the first time Ling has opened up about her own history in such a public way. Speaking to Access Hollywood, she expressed that it was difficult for her to have pride in her heritage and feel accepted as a child. "I was one of the few Asian kids in my school," she said. "When you're in middle school and high school, all you want to do is fit in, and anything that gives people a reason to tease you is something that you don't want any part of." Through the series, Ling is reclaiming that history and making it a larger part of her story.

Lisa Ling has been reporting from all parts of the world since she was a teenager. So when her CNN series was canceled, CBS was quick to offer the award-winning journalist a position with their network. Neeraj Khemlani, president of CBS News, announced that Ling would be joining as a contributor in 2023. "Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers. It gives her and us a chance to communicate the pulse of the country and the world in a more experiential way," Khemlani praised Ling.

For her part, Ling was equally enthused about joining the CBS team. She commented, "I can't think of a better home for my style of reporting than CBS News given its tradition of exceptional news gathering and thoughtful storytelling. I'm honored to be working with this venerable organization to tell the stories of people behind the headlines whose voices need to be heard." Since joining the network, Ling has continued her style of personal and in-depth reporting with stories on topics, including for-profit nursing homes, the struggle of unpaid caretakers. 

Lisa Ling's career has taken her around the globe — from Afghanistan to North Korea. Through these travels and many others, she has shared essential stories over the decades. But in more recent years, she has taken time for more relaxing travel experiences. 

When Ling has had time off from her busy schedule, she has taken some well-deserved time for herself and her family. On her social media, the reporter has shared several photos from an August 2024 trip to Belize with her daughters. She shared one Instagram post about the family on a snorkeling adventure, stating in the caption that Belize had been a longtime dream travel destination for her. In another post, she captured their adventures in horseback riding. Ling captioned her final post from the trip, saying, "Farewell Belize. Thank you for the incredible adventure, the illuminating education and the deep and literal warmth."

Taking time to travel is just one of the ways that Lisa Ling has decided to prioritize her family in recent years. As a young journalist, Ling seemed to have no fear. She took many risks, putting herself in dangerous situations for the sake of telling vital stories. But now, as a mother of two, she has become more mindful of the situations she puts herself in. "My life is not my own anymore and I have a responsibility to do everything that I can to ensure that I am available and that I'm there for my kids. They need me and I need them. So that has changed," Ling told The Skimm about the decision-making that goes into what jobs she takes.

But that doesn't mean that she regrets going into those situations or that she won't at any point in the future. Ling considers her work valuable, which is why it is sometimes worth precarious situations. "What I always thought about when I would go to places that might be considered contentious — I'm going to these places for maybe a week, or two weeks max. And the people who have to live under these conditions have to do so every day of their lives," she explained. "So if I can go and communicate some sense of what their lives are like to a bigger audience like that, that is my objective."

Even if you've missed some of Lisa Ling's more recent work with HBO and CBS, you can keep up with her by following her on social media. Ling shares snippets from her life and career, as well as her opinions on recent events. Ling has never made a secret of her politics, and the longtime journalist has continued sharing her view points on social platforms. In a photo shared to Instagram of her shaking hands with President Joe Biden on July 21, 2024, she wrote, "Thank you Mr.President for a lifetime of putting country first." 

In another post from that month, Ling shared a clip of Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance speaking to political commentator Tucker Carlson. Ling criticized Vance for his statement that the country was being run by, in his word, "childless cat ladies," writing, "How a wanna be VP of this country could harbor these views utterly baffles me. Usha Vance, tell me you didn't have anything to do with this preposterous messaging." Ling is one of many celebrities who shared their point of view on Vance's viral claim. Taylor Swift even referred to Vance's comment in her official endorsement of Kamala Harris. 

Along with her responsibilities as a journalist and mother, Lisa Ling has had another role as a caregiver. She was able to explore this role and some of the burdens that come with it through her CBS series, "Cost of Caregiving." The series followed families, including Ling's own, who are taking care of both young children and elderly parents — a population referred to as the "sandwich generation.

"We take these responsibilities seriously but it can certainly take emotional and financial tolls," Ling wrote in the caption of an Instagram post, which shared a segment from the series. Many of Ling's followers were going through similar experiences and appreciated Ling's thoughtful reporting on the topic. One commented, "Thank you for shining a light on this matter. ... As a society, we don't do enough for our elderly people."

In another Instagram post showing her young daughter help care for her grandmother, Ling wrote, "Paul Song and I had kids very late so the last couple of years have meant taking care of them but also of our parents. ... Our dinner time conversations are always about painful episodes and navigating our deeply broken healthcare system." She continued, writing, "Both of our moms are needing a lot of help right now and I'm just so touched by how the girls are rising to the occasion to help their beloved grandmothers." Ling has used this challenging experience to continue reporting on important stories.