Elizabeth Vargas Bio & Wiki
Elizabeth Anne Vargas, born on September 6, 1962, is a television journalist from the United States. She serves as the primary investigative reporter and documentary anchor for A&E Networks and hosts the revived version of America’s Most Wanted on Fox. Commencing her role on May 28, 2018, she transitioned from her 14-year tenure as an anchor for ABC’s television news magazine 20/20 and ABC News specials. Additionally, Vargas is a news anchor for NewsNation, presently hosting Elizabeth Vargas Reports from her base in New York City.
Elizabeth Vargas Age and Birthday
Elizabeth Anne Vargas, born on September 6, 1962, entered the world in Paterson, New Jersey. She is 61 years old as of 2023.
Height and Weight
As of 2023, Elizabeth Vargas stands at a height of 5 feet 8 inches and weighs 62 kilograms.
Elizabeth Vargas Education
In 1980, Elizabeth Vargas enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where she pursued her studies. She successfully graduated in 1984, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Elizabeth Vargas Family
Elizabeth Vargas is the daughter of Rafael “Ralf” Vargas, a colonel in the U.S. Army from Puerto Rico with Italian-Spanish heritage, and Anne Vargas, an Irish-American mother who works part-time as an English teacher. Her family includes two siblings, Amy and Christopher, both of whom are employed in the tech industry in Silicon Valley.
Vargas Husband
On July 20, 2002, Elizabeth Vargas married singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, following three years of dating. Together, they have two sons named Zach and Sam. Additionally, Vargas is a stepmother to Max and Emily, Marc Cohn’s children from his first marriage. Unfortunately, after 12 years of marriage, Entertainment Tonight reported in August 2014 that Vargas and Cohn were divorcing.
Elizabeth’s Salary
She receives an annual salary of approximately $750,000.
Vargas’s Net Worth
Elizabeth Vargas, the American journalist, is reported to have a net worth of $6 million dollars.
Career
Following her college years, she began her professional career at Reno’s CBS affiliate, KTVN. She later transitioned to Phoenix, where she served as a lead reporter for the then-ABC affiliate, KTVK-TV. After spending three years in Phoenix, she moved to Chicago to work at the CBS station WBBM-TV. However, Vargas eventually left WBBM-TV in 1993.
NBC NEWS
In 1993, Elizabeth Vargas joined NBC News as a correspondent for “Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.” Subsequently, she took on the role of a correspondent primarily for “Dateline NBC.” Additionally, Vargas served as a substitute anchor for both “Today” and the weekend editions of “NBC Nightly News.”
ABC NEWS
In June 1996, Elizabeth Vargas joined ABC News’ “Good Morning America” as the newsreader. By June 1997, ABC promoted her to the position of a correspondent for prime time magazine shows. In 2002, she took on the role of one of the anchors for “20/20 Downtown,” which was later rebranded as “Downtown” before undergoing another rebranding in 2003 as “Primetime Monday” before its conclusion. Vargas also reported occasionally for “Primetime” during this period. She was appointed as the anchor of “World News Tonight Saturday” and was given the opportunity to develop specials for “Primetime.” In November 2003, Vargas assumed the position of anchor for “World News Tonight Sunday.” Later, in May 2004, she was named co-anchor of “20/20.”
Elizabeth Vargas furthered her journalistic endeavors by questioning the limited role of women within the Catholic Church. In 1999, she received an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Elián González story, and in 1998, she earned an Emmy Award nomination for her “20/20” investigation into the wrongful conviction of Betty Tyson.
On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from “World News Tonight.” She explained that her decision was influenced by her doctors’ recommendation to significantly reduce her schedule due to a challenging pregnancy and her desire to spend more time with her new baby upon his arrival. Despite her expectation and desire to return to the anchor chair after giving birth, internal accounts suggested that Charles Gibson threatened to quit ABC News unless he was appointed the sole permanent anchor, leading to the sudden change in Vargas’s role.
In 2013, Elizabeth Vargas received a Peabody Award for her notable contributions to ABC News’ coverage of Hurricane Sandy on “20/20.” Her departure from ABC was officially marked on May 25, 2018, following a farewell dedication on the program “20/20.”
A & E
In April 2018, A&E Originals entered into a first-look and production deal with Elizabeth Vargas. Under this agreement, Vargas would serve as the anchor for A&E Investigates, focusing on developing new non-fiction prime-time journalism programming. In January 2021, it was confirmed that Vargas would host the revival of “America’s Most Wanted” on Fox, which premiered on March 15, 2021. Later, from September 19 to September 23, 2022, Vargas guest-anchored “NewsNation Prime.” Subsequently, she became the host of a syndicated true crime series titled “iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas.”
On January 10, 2023, it was announced that Vargas would host a new show on NewsNation called “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” premiered on April 3, 2023.
Addiction Battles
Elizabeth Vargas’ ongoing struggle with alcohol traces back to anxiety rooted in her childhood. The daily panic attacks began when her father joined the Vietnam War. Early on, she was advised to conceal her anxiety to avoid appearing weak, but this only exacerbated the problem and fueled her alcohol addiction.
Recognizing the need for help during a family vacation in 2012, Vargas sought treatment in Utah, though she left prematurely and eventually experienced a relapse. On November 6, 2013, ABC confirmed reports from the New York Daily News that Vargas was undergoing treatment for alcoholism in Tennessee.
On January 24, 2014, she publicly acknowledged herself as an alcoholic. In the following years, she penned “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction.”
In 2018, NBC News reported that Vargas had maintained sobriety since 2014.
