The Stunning Transformation Of Fox News' Harris Faulkner

The following article contains mentions of mass violence.

Those who catch up on the latest headlines with Fox on weekday mornings might be familiar with Harris Faulkner and her shows, "Outnumbered" and "Faulkner Focus." Some folks have followed her since the early days on the network in Kansas City, while she caught others' attention when announcing the firing of a certain news anchor who just wouldn't go away (AKA Tucker Carlson). Through it all, Faulkner has risen the ranks and become one of the most recognized Fox News anchors today.

Not only has she impressed countless viewers with her analyses of current events, but the network's host had a stunning transformation over her multi-decade career that has everyone turning heads. From Faulkner's humble days as the child of an Army combat pilot to her sweet relationship with a fellow reporter and many mic drop-worthy moments on air, there's no question that she has earned her spot at Fox News' anchor desk.

As a self-described "military BRAT" — which originally stood for British Regiment Attached Travel but now commonly stands for Born, Raised, and Transferred — Harris Faulkner knows that there are pros and cons to growing up as the child of a parent in the U.S. Army. She's moved around a lot since she was a young child in Georgia, and one of her many takeaways is her capacity "to adjust and be resilient," she told IN Kansas City Magazine in February 2024. Today, Faulkner prides herself in her ability to make the most out of the cards she's dealt.

"I can be dropped down in the middle of nowhere with like five things in a suitcase, make a friend, make a connection that's important strategically, use everything in that suitcase and still have more purposes for everything I packed in 15 minutes," the Fox News anchor explained. Faulkner also holds her patriotism close to her heart, which she says she was born with, thanks to her experiences growing up on military bases.

Faulkner's fighter pilot father grew up in poverty and, having excelled in the military, he taught her to always reach for her goals, no matter how difficult. Similarly, her mom, who was a kindergarten teacher, served as another source of inspiration for Faulkner. As the television personality told Your Teen Magazine in December 2019, "[My mom] raised me to always be looking for a way to be the solution."

After receiving her bachelor's degree in business economics and mass communications from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Harris Faulkner embarked on a career in television. Her passion for current affairs was evident from early on, and after getting her start at a station in North Carolina, she moved in 1992 to Kansas City and joined an affiliate of the network that would make her a star.

"By the time I got to Kansas City, I was part of a community," Faulkner said during her interview with IN Kansas City Magazine. Her role at WDAF-TV allowed the anchor to lean on her faith, and she found that many of her viewers supported this. "We had things happen in that market. We had horrible floods. We had tornadoes and everything you could imagine," Faulkner explained. "And I would say, 'I'm going to pray.'"

She soon moved into the primetime slot on the station and became something of a local celebrity. Faulkner still attributes the eight years she spent in Kansas City as one of her most transformative, as it's where she "first realized bigger parts of [her] dream as a journalist" and was surrounded by "great friends and mentors."

From Rihanna to Jodie Foster, many celebrities have had terrifying experiences with stalkers, and sadly, Harris Faulkner has, too. After moving to Kansas City and joining a Fox affiliate network, the anchor earned several awards for her stellar reporting and it seemed like she was living her best life. However, Faulkner's life quickly turned upside down when an ex-boyfriend followed her from North Carolina to her new home.

The Fox News host was so concerned about what others would think about the way she was handling things, as she explained on Lydia Fenet's podcast "Claim Your Confidence" in April 2024, that she waited some time to tell anyone she was being "hunted."

The man eventually broke into Faulkner's apartment and as she was trying to escape, he stopped her and attempted to kill her. Fortunately, the neighbors heard the Fox News host's screams and police arrived shortly after to apprehend her stalker. When news of the incident broke in 1995, Faulkner said, "I have never lost my confidence as much as I lost it then," describing the entire ordeal as "humiliating." However, she fortunately didn't let the incident deter her from carrying on with her public-facing work.

Shortly before Harris Faulkner finally made the move to Fox News, she joined KSTP-TV, an ABC affiliate news station in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Despite this being yet another stepping stone toward her soon-to-be worldwide fame, the reporter loved working at this smaller station. "I have so many amazing memories of being in Minnesota," Faulkner said during a phone interview with The Pioneer Press in November 2020.

Before she broke through the predominantly white news world at Fox, the anchor started setting records in Minneapolis, becoming the first Black woman to host the evening news. "I busted through some barriers there as a woman of color," she said. It was at KSTP that Faulkner refined her reporting skills, leaning away from opinion pieces and delivering the news to her viewers with hard facts. When it eventually came time to move on in 2004 to Fox News, Faulkner realized how much she'd grown to love her position with the station. "It wasn't just a job assignment. It was hard for me to leave," the reporter remarked.

Over two decades ago, Harris Faulkner joined the list of news anchors who have really gorgeous husbands. She first met Tony Berlin when she was working for an ABC affiliate and he was an anchor at a competing CBS station in Minneapolis. They were just pals for about six months before Faulkner finally took him out of the friend zone and gave him a real shot. "I like to say that May 10, 2001 was the last first date I ever had," the Fox News host told IN Kansas City Magazine.

Faulkner and Berlin dated for about a year before he popped the question. "He proposed, on Lake Superior, in Duluth, on the warmest day that summer," she recalled. The two news anchors officially tied the knot in 2003, and they've been inseparable ever since. Faulkner and Berlin have since commemorated their wedding anniversaries on Instagram, and they celebrated a whopping 20 years of marriage in April 2023.

Harris Faulkner and Tony Berlin had been married for a few years when they welcomed their first daughter, Bella Grace, to the world. Two years later, Danika arrived and solidified their sweet family of four. The truth about Faulkner and her husband is that, as parents, they've prioritized instilling important ethics and principles in their biracial daughters, which they felt was especially critical after the killing of George Floyd.

"I'm teaching my girls that you've got to come into the center of the room if you want to find peace," Faulkner explained during a June 2020 interview with People. The Fox News anchor takes great pride in her family's mixed background. In fact, they celebrate both Christian and Jewish holidays, as Berlin is of Jewish descent. "I teach my girls ... 'You are the example of what society can do together if we all pulled together in a unified way,'" Faulkner added.

In June 2022, Faulkner shared a selfie on Instagram of herself and Berlin, alongside a caption that emphasized her pride for her two daughters. "Cheering on both our daughters this week. Our [15-year-old] Bella Grace is a fabulous Camp Counselor in her first job," she wrote. "[13-year-old] Danika is crushing it at USAIGC World Championships winning a silver medal ... and two bronze medals!" The news anchor enthused that they would be awarding their daughters' achievements with a movie and a trip to Universal Park.

After two decades of reporting experience under her belt, Harris Faulkner finally secured her first solo network newscast. In April 2011, former CEO of Fox News Roger Ailes announced that Faulkner would be taking over as anchor of "Fox Report Weekend." During the press release, he said, "[Faulkner] handles breaking news well and exhibits great journalistic instincts. We're proud to see that she will lead a program that is so vital to our network."

Previously, Faulkner had been the anchor for "Happening Now" on the network, but this new position on Fox's Saturday and Sunday evening program was a massive step up for her career. Time and again, the anchor has proven her determination and grit when it comes to shattering expectations. "When anybody looks at you and looks at your position and think they know who you are, you have the advantage of being able to surprise them," Faulkner told AP News in July 2020. Whatever her viewers might've thought about her promotion initially, the Fox News host's reporting demanded respect when she showcased her journalistic integrity on "Fox Report Weekend" until an even more incredible position came her way a few years later.

On December 14, 2012, 26 people were tragically murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, including 20 students between the ages of 6 and 7. The tragedy rocked not just the community but the country as a whole, as it was named the second-most deadly mass shooting in American history at the time.

Harris Faulkner has endured some tragic circumstances in her time, but reporting on the Sandy Hook shooting is up there. "I have broken down [on air], and Sandy Hook was hard," she told The Washington Post in November 2022. As Faulkner relayed the horrific details of the shooting to the Fox News audience while on the ground during the aftermath of the shooting, you could hear the emotion in her voice. While on the air, she spotted several hearses showing up and decided to hold a moment of silence for the many victims.

"I think because I'm used to that feeling of kind of all eyes on me as I tell a story, I'm okay with people seeing the truth about me. As long as they know I'm going to tell them the truth," the anchor continued.

If you have been impacted by incidents of mass violence, or are experiencing emotional distress related to incidents of mass violence, you can call or text Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for support.

Not many have accomplished all that Harris Faulkner has, and given that she was the first Black woman to have a weekday cable news show, it's clear she's paved the way for many reporters to come. "I started pitching shows I wanted to do. And if I'm going to do something, I want it to resonate, because time is so valuable," she told The Pioneer Press in November 2020. What resulted was "Outnumbered," which premiered in 2014 with the anchor attached as co-creator and co-host. In the hour-long episodes, four female contributors and one male guest discussed the day's current events, leading to fresh takes and moving debates.

"Outnumbered" was different from anything else Fox News was broadcasting at the time, giving Faulkner the opportunity to shine. Just a few years later, the host was granted her own television show, "Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner."

In May 2024, Faulkner discussed celebrating 10 years on the talk show with People, saying, "From the moment the studio doors opened for the first time, it was obvious to me that this would be a hit. I could just feel it." The anchor added that her hope for "Outnumbered" today remains the same as it was when she pitched it: "To bring non-scripted, spicy discussion to an audience that appreciates the truth and good TV."

Harris Faulkner's look is distinct, with her chic shoulder-length hair and big eyes, which she often defines with dark eyeliner and long lashes. So, when Hasbro produced a toy through their Littlest Pet Shop brand that resembled the Fox News anchor, eyebrows were raised. If the plastic hamster only resembled Faulkner, there may not have been a lawsuit — however, Hasbro went as far as to name the toy Harris Faulkner, leaving little to interpretation.

In August 2015, the news reporter filed a lawsuit against the toy manufacturer for $5 million, citing the use of her name on the toy "caused substantial commercial and emotional damage" (via The Hollywood Reporter). In addition, the suit claimed that Hasbro's use of Faulkner's name implied she had approved of or endorsed the toy in some way and "has violated [her] right to control the use of her name and likeness."

Several celebrities have trademarked their names to prevent this sort of situation from occurring, including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Beyoncé. Unfortunately, Faulkner wasn't under such protection, as she claimed her contract prevented her from trademarking her name. Although Hasbro argued against the anchor's claims, the lawsuit was ultimately settled the following year, with the Littlest Pet Shop character being removed from shelves.

There's a lot that can be said about Fox News' reporting of headlines about president Donald Trump. However, Harris Faulkner received an abundance of praise for leaving politics and insincere verbiage out of her candid interview with Donald Trump in June 2020.

Just a couple of weeks prior, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis after police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes. Protests emerged not just throughout the city, or even the country, but the world. Unfortunately, Trump's response to Floyd's death did little to subdue the public's outcry for justice, as he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to write, "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts" (via Deadline). Faulkner was granted the honor of speaking with the then-president in his first sit-down since the infamous remark he made on social media, and she ran with it.

"I'm a Black woman. I'm a mom," Faulkner began. In referencing Trump's tweets, she asked pointedly, "Why those words?" The former president didn't give much in the way of his reasoning behind his tweet, and when the anchor questioned whether he knew the origin of the phrase, it was clear he didn't. "It comes from 1967," Faulkner explained. "It was from the chief of police in Miami. He was cracking down, and he meant what he said." Although Trump skirted around the topic, Faulkner's ability to hold him accountable for his words spoke volumes.

Harris Faulkner has been outspoken about the pride she feels for her father, Lt. Col. Bobby Harris, an Army veteran who served two tours in Vietnam. It felt right for the news anchor to honor him in a special way, and in May 2024, Fox aired the anchor's limited series "Vietnam: Footsteps of my Father with Harris Faulkner." In the three-episode series, she took audiences to the same prominent locations her dad would have visited while on duty, including Saigon, Vung Tau, and the Hue Citadel, while interviewing locals, as well as other veterans to gain perspective on what the war was truly like for those who lived through it.

"This is the most personal I have ever been in front of the camera. Trekking my dad's combat trail in Vietnam was almost too much for my heart to take at times," Faulkner told People shortly after the series premiered. She carried her father's burial flag with her the entire time and felt a whirlwind of emotions from the moment she landed in Vietnam. Sadly, her father died on Christmas day in 2020, so he wasn't around to see the lengths Faulkner was willing to go to celebrate him.

"Vietnam reminded me of my faith and my singular purpose to live a life that will deliver me to heaven to thank Dad with renewed vigor and understanding, for his service of our great nation," the Fox News anchor shared.

After establishing herself as a thought leader for women's issues in her "Outnumbered" show, Harris Faulkner carried on the work in her titular show "The Faulkner Focus" from 2021 onward. In addition to providing the day's headlines to audiences, from interviews with political leaders to updates on California's wildfire disaster, the anchor has also used her prominence at Fox to highlight women's issues.

Faulkner was announced as the presenter of a town hall with Donald Trump on women's issues in October 2024, and said, "Women constitute the largest group of registered and active voters in the United States, so it is paramount that female voters understand where the presidential candidates stand on the issues that matter to them most" (via Business Insider). Faulkner emphasized her interest in learning more about where the presidential candidate stood on issues such as abortion, immigration, health care, and the economy.

Around the same time, the anchor spoke in a segment on Fox News, during which she outlined how the presidential candidates were resonating with female voters. "Women know their power in every election ... They also know that every issue is their issue," Faulkner explained.