American Broadcast Journalist, Former Co-host of ESPN's 'SportsCenter' & 'SportsNation'

Cari Champion | Biography

Worked at ESPN from October 2012 to January 2020

• By Anuska
• Original : November 09, 2021

---

Cari Champion is the co-host of Cari & Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports with Jemele Hill on the Vice.

Who Is Cari Champion?

Cari Champion is an American journalist, podcast host, and television personality. She attended UCLA and graduated in 1998. Champion matriculated with a major in English and a minor in Communications. 

While writing for the Daily Bruin during her college days, she was inspired to pursue a career in journalism after hearing about their experience of UCLA alumni who spoke in one of her classes. During her junior year of college, Champion studied in Washington, D.C., which helped her earn an internship at CNN. 

Champion began her career in broadcasting at several television stations. First, she was a reporter at the Orange County Newschannel in Santa Ana, California. Later, she joined WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2002. Incidentally, Champion was fired for allegedly uttering profanity over the air in November 2009 while working as an anchor for WGCL-TV in Atlanta. She was rehired in January 2008, but she left the network in March for a broadcasting job outside Atlanta. 

In 2012, Champion joined ESPN, but she left the network after serving there for nearly eight years. She departed ESPN in February 2020 and joined the TV network. She now co-hosts Cari & Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports with Jemele Hill on the Vice.

What Is Cari Champion’s Real Name?

Cari Racquel Brooks, popularly known as Cari Champion, was born in Pasadena, California, on 1 June 1975. She was born to Dylan and Mariah Champion. Champion is 46 years old as of 2021. 

Career at ESPN

On 1 October 2012, Champion joined ESPN as the new host of ESPN2’s live debate show, First Take. On the show, she worked with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless. She proposed different ideas for stories to ESPN; eventually, Champion made her on-screen debut in the network on 4 November 2014. She profiled and interviewed American football quarterback Cam Newton in a segment for E:60 for her debut. 

ESPN promoted Champion to the post of SportsCenter anchor in June 2015 after a six-month petition to the network. On 19 June, she anchored her last episode of First Take, and in July, she began hosting morning versions of SportsCenter.

Then, in March 2018, she became the host of ESPN’s SportsNation. In the show, Champion and her co-hosts explored the day’s different sports subjects in 30-minute episodes. 

 Where Is Cari Champion Working Now?

Champion had a successful career at ESPN, but in January 2020, she announced she was leaving the network. She left the network to co-host Cari & Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports, a no-holds-barred talk show, with Jemele Hill. Hill is a fellow ESPN alum. 

In March 2021, Champion launched her podcast, Naked with Cari. Champion asks famous sports and entertainment celebrities to share their stories and become vulnerable with the audience in the podcast. The podcast has aired over 40 episodes as of November 2021. 

Net Worth & Salary

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Champion has a net worth of $4 million as of 2021. Similarly, she earns an annual salary of $1 Million. 

Is Cari Champion Married?

Champion is currently unmarried, and there is no information about her relationship. However, on 11 July 2020, she tweeted she did not want to share her relationship on social media. 

But in the past, Champion has openly talked about being in a relationship. She posted a picture of her then-boyfriend, Ryen Russillo, on 26 May 2014. 

How Tall Is Cari Champion?

According to Champion, she is 6 feet 1 inch tall “with heels.”