Julie Banderas (born Julie Bidwell;) is an American television

news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

for the Fox News Channel, based in

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. She later took the professional name Banderas. She hosted '' Fox Report Weekend'' before moving to a weekday anchor role, and currently serves as a primary weekday fill-in anchor on programs such as ''

America's Newsroom ''America's Newsroom'' is an American television hard news program on Fox News Channel currently hosted by Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino live from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. on Monday through Friday. The show focuses on the development of the day's events w ...

'', ''The Faulkner Focus'', talk show '' Outnumbered'' and a guest host on ''The Big Saturday/Sunday Show''. She is also a regular guest on Fox News' late night comedy show ''

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''.

Early life

Banderas is the daughter of Fabiola R. and Howard Dexter Bidwell (1930–2010). Her mother is an immigrant from Colombia; her father was a Navy veteran and civil engineer who started a company called Consolidated Precast, Inc. Banderas has a sister and four half siblings from her father's first marriage. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Emerson College.

Career

Banderas began her career at

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in Boston. She went on to serve as a local news

anchorwoman A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

for

WHSV-TV WHSV-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two low-power stations: Class A dual Fox/ CBS affiliate WSVF-CD (channel 43) and dual NBC/ CW ...

in Harrisonburg, Virginia;

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Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

;

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in Hartford, Connecticut and

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in New York City. She joined

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in March 2005 as a general-assignment reporter. In 2008, she replaced Laurie Dhue as the anchor for '' Fox Report Weekend''. In 2010 she took maternity leave with

Harris Faulkner Harris Kimberley Faulkner (born October 13, 1965) is an American newscaster and television host who joined Fox News Channel in 2005. She anchors ''The Faulkner Focus'', a daily daytime show, and hosts '' Outnumbered''. Additionally, she hosts he ...

assuming her responsibilities. She returned to Fox News from leave near the end of 2010 and was reassigned to the position of general news correspondent.

Controversy

In June 2006, she gained international media attention for an on-air clash with Shirley Phelps-Roper, former spokeswoman for the

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, about which she later stated, "These people should be arrested, and I understand the right to protest, but when you disgrace not only our fallen soldiers, but when you disgrace innocent young children, I swear. Lock 'em up. Throw away the key. Give 'em the death penalty. I think it's disgusting."

Personal life

Banderas' husband Andrew J. Sansone, a member of the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity and founding president of both Old Rock Media and Big Apple Channel, proposed marriage to her with a message-in-a-bottle that he pretended to discover on the beach while

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on Long Island Sound. She announced their engagement during an episode of ''

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'' on September 21, 2008. They wed at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church on August 29, 2009. They have three children and reside in New York City. In December of 2022, Banderas announced on her

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account that she and Sansone had separated. Saying that he is her "soon to be ex."

References

External links