Gretchen Carlson Biography

Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American television personality who co-hosts the Fox News morning show Fox & Friends along with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. An accomplished violinist and winner of the 1989 Miss America Pageant while representing her native Minnesota, Carlson graduated from Stanford University before embarking on a career as a television commentator. Gaining experience as anchor and reporter for several local network affiliates before joining CBS News as correspondent in 2000, she later became co-host of the Saturday Early Show. In 2005 Carlson moved to Fox News and became the regular co-host of Fox & Friends a year later. Carlson continues to work with the Miss America pageant and serves as a national celebrity spokesperson for March of Dimes. On July 10, 2013, she announced her departure from Fox & Friends.

Early life

Carlson was raised in Anoka, Minnesota and graduated from Anoka-Hennepin School District 11's Anoka High School, where she was the 1984 class valedictorian. One of her childhood nannies was Michele Bachmann, the future Republican congresswoman. Growing up, Carlson was an accomplished violinist winning numerous local and national competitions. She performed as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra as an 8th grader and was the Concertmistress for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony. She spent five summers studying at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado. Winner of several Concerto Competitions at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, she was also featured as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

In 1984, she was elected as one of the Anoka Homecoming attendants. Carlson won the title of Miss Minnesota in 1988 and became the third woman from Minnesota to win the Miss America title. For the talent competition, Carlson played Zigeunerweisen, the violin composition of Sarasate.

Carlson graduated cum laude from Stanford University in 1990, with a degree in sociology (organizational behavior). While at Stanford University, she studied abroad at Oxford University.

In September 2011, Carlson was named to the inaugural class of the Anoka High School Hall of Fame.

Career

Carlson was previously the co-anchor of the Saturday Early Show, on CBS, along with Russ Mitchell. She joined CBS News as a correspondent in 2000, and began working on The Early Show in 2002. Before her tenure at CBS, Carlson served as a weekend anchor and reporter for KXAS-TV in Dallas, Texas, was an anchor and reporter at WOIO-TV in Cleveland, Ohio, and for WCPO-TV, in Cincinnati. She began her television career in Richmond, Virginia, as a political reporter for WRIC-TV. She began her media career in a franchise called Neighborhood News.

Carlson was moved to Fox & Friends initially as a weekend substitute host. But on September 25, 2006, a shifting of anchors, which included E.D. Hill moving to the 10 a.m. hour of Fox News Live opened a weekday slot on Fox & Friends, which Carlson filled. She currently co-hosts with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade.

She announced on Fox & Friends on June 9, 2009 (also repeated on Glenn Beck's Fox News program) that her parents' car dealership had been selected for closing as part of the General Motors reorganization and bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. A year later the Star Tribune reported that " It took an act of Congress, a national TV appeal and maybe a little bit of history on the owners' side. But Main Motor, the Anoka car dealership that Lee and Karen Carlson's family has owned for 91 years, will keep its General Motors dealership after all."

Carlson will leave Fox & Friends to anchor a one-hour daytime program beginning in the fall of 2013. She will be taking the slot opened by Megyn Kelly.

Personal life

On October 4, 1997, Carlson married sports agent Casey Close. They live in Greenwich, Connecticut, with their two children.