Shepard Smith Bio, Wiki
Shepard “Shep” Smith ( birth name David Shepard Smith Jr.) was born on January 14th, 1964. He is an American broadcast journalist. He is best known for his former role as a chief anchor on the Fox News Channel and managing editor of its breaking news division. Smith is the former host of Fox News’ evening newscast, The Fox Report with Shepard Smith, and Studio B.
Smith announced he is leaving Fox News on the October 11th episode of his show. He had been with Fox News since the network was founded in November 1996.
Shepard Smith Parents
Shepard Smith was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, to parents, Dora Ellen Anderson, an English teacher, and David Shepard Smith Sr., a cotton merchant.
Shepard Smith Education
He attended Marshall Academy in Holly Springs. After high school, his parents split and he moved to Florida with his mother. He went on to attend the University of Mississippi, where he studied journalism but left two credits away from graduation. He frequently returns to the university during college football season and delivered the university’s annual commencement address on May 10th, 2008.
Shepard Smith Career in Journalism
Shepard Smith signed his first television contract with WJHG-TV in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 1986. He worked as a reporter for WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, reporter/anchor in Miami with WSVN, and as a reporter at WCPX-TV (now WKMG-TV) in Orlando. In Los Angeles, California, he was a correspondent for A Current Affair. He joined the Fox News Channel at its inception in 1996.
The Fox Report with Shepard Smith was a top-rated newscast in cable news and was ranked third in U.S. cable news programs. He tied for second (along with Dan Rather and Peter Jennings) as the most trusted news anchor on both network and cable news in a 2003 TV Guide poll. Besides anchoring Fox News Channel’s flagship news program, Smith also anchored most prime time news presentations provided by Fox News for the broadcast Fox television network.
On September 12th, 2013, Smith and Fox News announced that, along with another multi-year renewal of his contract, his role in Fox News would shift. He would become the managing editor of Fox News’s new breaking news division and the host of Shepard Smith Reporting. Both Studio B and The Fox Report were phased out, and in October 2013 Shepard Smith Reporting began airing in the 3 p.m. ET time slot.
In November 2017, as a Fox News host, Smith successfully attempted to debunk the alleged Uranium One scandal, infuriating viewers who suggested he should work for CNN or MSNBC.[12] Hannity later called Smith “clueless”, while Smith stated, “I get it, that some of our opinion programming is there strictly to be entertaining. I get that. I don’t work there. I wouldn’t work there.”
Shepard Smith Contract, Salary
On November 19th, 2007, The New York Times reported that Smith had signed a three-year contract giving him between US$7 million and US$8 million per year. This contract placed him in the same pay league as Brian Williams of NBC and Charles Gibson of ABC. He renewed his contract with Fox on October 26th, 2010, for another three years.
On March 15th, 2018, Fox News re-signed Smith to a new multi-year contract. At the time Smith told Time Magazine that part of the reason he had signed a new contract with Fox News was that he “was nervous about what would come on Fox’s air after he left.” Smith went on saying, “To stop doing it would be bad because I think that there is a need for it and I know the degree to which we care about it and focus on it and we want it to be as perfect as it can be. And I wonder, if I stopped delivering the facts, what would go in its place in this place that is most-watched, most listened, most viewed, most trusted? I don’t know.”
Shepard Smith Leaves Fox News
On October 11th, 2019, Shepard Smith stepped down from Fox News after 23 years of reporting with the network. The Friday afternoon showing of Shepard Smith Reporting was his last.
Smith made the announcement at the conclusion of his show. Smith said that he would not be reporting elsewhere, “for the time being.” Smith made reference to his boyfriend, Gio, in his message, saying that he looked forward to spending more time with him.
Neil Cavuto, whose show airs immediately after Smith’s, described himself as “shell-shocked” at the news. Cavuto’s surprise indicated that Smith’s departure came as a shock to even Fox anchors.
Shepard Smith Ex-Wife (Virginia Donald)
Smith married Virginia Donald, a University of Mississippi classmate, in 1987. They divorced in 1993 with no children.
Shepard Smith LGBT | Shepard Smith Gay
In 2017, Smith confirmed in a speech that he is gay, but never thought of himself as “in the closet”, stating, “I don’t think about it. It’s not a thing. I go to work. I manage a lot of people. I cover the news. I deal with holy hell around me. I go home to the man I’m in love with.” A reporter covering the speech wrote, “Smith believes his sexuality is a piece of his personal story, but not the most defining factor.
Shepard Smith Boyfriend (Giovanni Graziano)
Giovanni “Gio” Graziano is Shepard Smith’s boyfriend. Graziano, 32, a Fox Business producer, has been dating Smith, 55, since 2013.
