Tamron Hall (born September 16, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist, television talk show host and author. In September 2019, Hall debuted her
self-titled syndicated daytime
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
, which has earned her two
Daytime Emmy Awards. Hall was formerly a national news correspondent for
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, daytime anchor for
MSNBC
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
, host of the program''
MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall,'' and a co-host of ''
Today's Take'', the third hour of ''
Today''.
She hosts ''Deadline: Crime'' on
Investigation Discovery channel. In summer 2016, Investigation Discovery premiered the TV special ''Guns on Campus: Tamron Hall Investigates'', which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the
tower shooting at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
.
Early life and education
Hall was raised in
Luling, Texas.
Her mother was an educator and her father was career military, serving in the US Army for three decades. She received her
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in
Broadcast Journalism from
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
in 1992, after which she moved to the
Dallas-Fort Worth area to begin her broadcasting career.
Career
Hall first worked at
KBTX-TV in
Bryan, Texas, as a general assignment reporter, then moved to
KTVT in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, in 1994, where she spent four more years as a general assignment reporter.
From 1997 to 2007, she worked for
WFLD in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. She held several positions, including general assignment reporter, consumer reporter, and host of a three-hour program, ''Fox News in the Morning''. Hall frequently reported on issues related to Chicago politics, and she covered many "breaking news" stories, including one of the most
devastating Amtrak accidents in Illinois.
In July 2007, Hall joined the national news network
MSNBC
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
and
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
.
She also landed a one-on-one interview with
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
before he announced his run for
US President in 2008.
At MSNBC, Hall served as a general reporter and fill-in anchor, first achieving prominence as a substitute anchor for
Keith Olbermann on ''
Countdown with Keith Olbermann''. Hall then joined
David Shuster as co-host of a two-hour program, ''The Big Picture'', which premiered June 1, 2009, and concluded January 29, 2010. Hall anchored as a substitute for
Natalie Morales, and also anchored on the weekends.
''NewsNation with Tamron Hall''
In 2010, hosted ''
NewsNation with Tamron Hall'', which included high-profile interviews and coverage of US, global and entertainment news. Airing weekday afternoons, the show covered important American events, including a live television broadcast from
Ground Zero in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
after the death of
Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
, the
final space shuttle launch in 2011, and
Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Hall also encouraged viewers to express their opinions via
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
on prominent, controversial news stories.
''Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall''
In July 2013, it was announced that Hall would host ''Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall'' on
Investigation Discovery. The weekly
newsmagazine series features two crime occurrences per one-hour episode, and debuted on September 1, 2013. In each episode, Hall and her investigative team uncover details on why and how things happened within each case, obtaining information from as many reputable sources as possible. The series ran from six seasons, 2013 to 2019. Hall dedicates the series to her older sister, whose death was ruled a homicide in 2004 and remains unsolved.
''The Today Show''
On February 24, 2014, Hall premiered as co-anchor of ''Today's Take'' (''
The Today Show's'' third hour with
Natalie Morales,
Al Roker and
Willie Geist), becoming the first
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
woman to co-anchor ''Today''. On the day she signed the deal, she wore the jacket of American singer and civil rights activist
Lena Horne, which she bought from Horne's
estate sale. Horne remains a primary inspiration to Hall.
In February 2017, after the network gave her ''Today'' co-hosting slot to
Megyn Kelly, Hall opted out of her contract and decided to leave NBC rather than take a lesser role.
On February 1, 2017, with Hall's contract expiring within the month, NBC News and Hall released a joint statement confirming Hall's decision to depart from both NBC and MSNBC.
''Tamron Hall'' (talk show)
In July 2017, it was announced that Hall and
Harvey Weinstein were producing a daytime talk show that would be hosted and executive produced by Hall. However, Hall's partnership experienced a setback when the
Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal broke.
On August 8, 2018, Hall entered a new agreement with
Disney–ABC Domestic Television to executive produce and host a syndicated daytime talk show. The show was picked up by
ABC Owned Television Stations in late September 2018. In December 2018,
Hearst Television picked up the show for stations in 24 markets, and on January 22, 2019, ABC Entertainment named
Bill Geddie as executive producer for the show along with Hall.
On September 9, 2019, Tamron debuted her
self-titled syndicated daytime
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
. With more than 85% US coverage that includes 47 of the top 50 markets, on March 4, 2019, it was announced that ''Tamron Hall'' would debut on September 9, 2019.
In June 2020, ''
Tamron Hall'' was honored with three Daytime Emmy nominations by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, with Hall's hosting win marking the first time since the award's inception in 2015 that a freshman host was the recipient of that honor. Hall also received an
NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Talk Series for ''Tamron Hall'' in its freshman season and in September 2020, Hall accepted the
Gracie Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host and dedicated the honor to
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor (June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020) was an African-American woman who Killing of Breonna Taylor, was shot and killed while unarmed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three police officers who entered under the auspices of a No-kn ...
. In 2022, Hall won her second Emmy as Informative Talk Show Host.
On November 8, 2021, ABC announced that the show has been renewed for the fourth and fifth seasons, through 2024. On April 15, 2024, the series was renewed for the sixth season.
''Someone They Knew... with Tamron Hall''
In November 2021,
CourtTV announced that Hall would be the host of the true crime series, ''Someone They Knew... with Tamron Hall''. The show debuted on January 9, 2022. In June 2022, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered in February 2023.
Other appearances
Hall was featured on a 2014 episode of ''
Running Wild with Bear Grylls'' where she and
Bear Grylls hiked for two days in the
Pink Cliffs of southwestern Utah. They
rappelled down several cliffs, cooked a squirrel over a fire, and hiked over rugged terrain. She made a
guest appearance
The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting.
The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
as herself on ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' on September 13, 2019.
Author
Hall's debut novel, ''As the Wicked Watch'', was first published October 26, 2021, with a 100,000 copy first printing. It is the first book in her ''Jordan Manning'' mystery series. On March 12, 2024, Hall's second novel in the series, ''Watch Where They Hide'' was released.
Accolades
Hall's media awards and recognition include:
* An
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
nomination for her consumer report segment, "The Bottom Line," which first aired in 1999.
* 2010: Won the Lew Klein Alumni in the Media award from
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
and is an Alumni Hall of Fame Honoree.
* October 2010: Served as reporter of the
NBC News segment "The
Inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
of Barack Obama," which was nominated for an Emmy.
* 2011: Emmy nomination for a segment called
"Education Nation: Teacher Town Hall".
* 2016: Won an Edward R. Murrow Award for her report on domestic abuse.
* 2020:
NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Talk Series for her
self-titled talk show.
* 2020: Won a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
for
Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host for her
self-titled talk show.
* 2020:
Gracie Awards Honoree for Outstanding Talk Show Host-Entertainment presented by the
Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.
* 2021: NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Talk Series for ''
Tamron Hall''.
* 2022: Won a NATPE Iris Award for Award for Excellence, Television Performer
* 2022: Won a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
for
Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host for her
self-titled talk show.
* 2024:
NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Host in a Talk or News / Information for her
self-titled talk show.
Hall has also been featured in several major news publications, including ''
Ebony'', ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'', ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'', and ''
The Huffington Post''.
Hall was the 2017 Honorary Muse in the
Krewe of Muses parade during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Anti-domestic violence campaign
In 2004, Hall's sister Renate was murdered following bouts of
domestic violence. Although police officers initially informed Hall's family of their certainty regarding her attacker's identity, that person was not charged and the case remains unsolved. During an interview at the
Television Critics Association in January 2014, Hall described receiving the phone call that her sister had been found dead, noting that, in hindsight, there had been many signs of domestic abuse, but that she had done nothing to intervene, and partly blames herself for the death of her sister.
Hall credited her personal experience with domestic violence for the drive to host ''Deadline: Crime''. In a
blog
A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
post published by Hall for ''Today'', she wrote about the struggles of talking about her sister and her unsolved murder. Initially, she was afraid to speak out because she thought she "would be seen as exploiting the problem". She did not decide to take action until years later.
In 2014, ''
Today'' launched the "Shine A Light" campaign, where the show's anchors each picked a cause to support throughout that year. Hall chose to fight against domestic abuse, with the goal to create a
PSA for schools and camps that would spread awareness of emotionally and physically abusive teenage relationships. Hall's fundraising efforts raised over $40,000 and benefite
Day One New York which helps to fight dating abuse.
Personal life
In 2017, Hall began dating
music executive Steven Greener. In early 2019, the couple married and currently live in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
. On April 25, 2019, Hall announced that she had given birth to a son.
Hall is a member of the
National Association of Black Journalists.
She is a member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
References
External links
*
*
Tamron Hall (Official) talk show*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Tamron
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American women journalists
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American women journalists
American television reporters and correspondents
American women television journalists
African-American women journalists
African-American journalists
African-American television personalities
African-American television talk show hosts
American television talk show hosts
Television anchors from Chicago
Journalists from Texas
MSNBC people
Domestic violence awareness
Temple University alumni
20th-century African-American women writers
20th-century American women writers
20th-century African-American writers
21st-century African-American writers
21st-century African-American women writers
21st-century American women writers
People from Luling, Texas
1970 births
Living people