Cari Champion
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Early Life and Education
Cari Champion was born on June 1, 1975, in Pasadena, California. She is the daughter of Marian and Dylan Champion. While her father ran his own business and was frequently away due to work commitments, her mother primarily raised Cari and her three siblings—two younger brothers and one older sister.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1 Jun, 1975
- Age
- 44 yrs
- Occupations
- Television presenter
Journalist
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- Citizenship
- United States of America
- Birth Place
- Pasadena
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Gender
- Female
- Description
- American television host
- Net Worth 2021
- 4 million
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Selected for this profile
Champion completed her high school education in California. She then attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she majored in English and minored in Mass Communications. During her academic journey, she was an active student, participating in numerous events and university functions, often earning accolades for her performances. While studying at UCLA, she wrote for the Daily Bruin and earned an internship at Voice of America in Washington, D.C., which helped solidify her interest in journalism.
Career Beginnings in Journalism
Cari Champion began her professional career in journalism as a reporter in West Virginia. She later worked with several other news outlets, including Orange County Newschannel in Santa Ana, California, WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, and WGCL-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Her time at WGCL-TV was briefly interrupted when she was let go for using profane language on-air, although she argued she believed the microphone was off. After appealing the decision, she was reinstated but chose to leave the station shortly afterward to explore other opportunities.
Transition to Sports Broadcasting
During her initial reporting career, Champion developed a growing interest in sports, particularly tennis, and in 2009 she joined Tennis Channel as a reporter. She began focusing on sports journalism, which eventually led to a significant turning point in her career. In 2012, she joined ESPN as the host of the network’s debate show First Take. Her role expanded in 2015 when she was promoted to anchor on SportsCenter, the network’s flagship sports news program.
Champion left ESPN in early 2020. She then co-hosted the Vice TV series Cari & Jemele (Won't) Stick to Sports with Jemele Hill (2020–2021) and launched The Cari Champion Show on Amazon Prime Video in 2022. She also hosts the podcast Naked with Cari Champion, and in 2026 she and Hill launched the iHeartMedia podcast Flagrant and Funny.
