Elizabeth Vargas: Biography
Elizabeth Vargas is an anchor of ABC News' "World News Tonight Saturday," a correspondent for the newsmagazines "20/20" and "Primetime Thursday" and a co-anchor of "Primetime Monday," which debuted in September 2003. She has also served as a co-anchor of the newsmagazine "Downtown" and is a frequent substitute anchor on "Good Morning America" and "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings."
Mr. Vargas has covered breaking stories, reported in-depth investigations and conducted newsmaker interviews for "20/20," "Primetime Thursday" and "Good Morning America." She has reported on topics ranging from the Maryland/Virginia sniper shootings to the use of steroids in the Olympics by female German athletes in the 1970s. She interviewed legendary rocker Mick Jagger about his storied career, explored the world of Las Vegas high rollers and reported on the unusual murder mystery surrounding a suburban Oklahoma couple. Her exclusive interview with the owners of two dogs that killed a San Francisco woman was so revealing that prosecutors in the case say it was critical to winning convictions against the couple.
In 2000 Ms. Vargas won an Emmy for Outstanding Instant Coverage of a News Story for anchoring live coverage of the Elian Gonzales case.
In a special report, she anchored and reported on the Yosemite National Park murders that shocked the nation -- a special investigation revealing never-before-reported accounts of the four murders and exclusive interviews with alleged suspects. Other reports have included the disturbing battle between two teen factions in a Texas town that ended in the murder of 19-year-old Brian Deneke and a court case that divided the community; an interview with former Boulder Police Detective Steve Thomas about the JonBenet Ramsey case; a revealing profile of Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner; and the first broadcast interviews with the reclusive �70s icon, Cat Stevens.
In July 2003, Ms. Vargas hosted "In the Shadow of Laci Peterson," an ABC News special that examined the disappearances of several young women in northern California and why their stories failed to attract significant media attention.
Ms. Vargas was the narrator of the four-part, award-winning ABC News documentary series, "ICU," which provided a unique look at life inside one of the nation's elite pediatric cardiology intensive care units. She has anchored and reported several one-hour ABC News "Vanished" specials, most recently on the death of supermodel Gia Carangi. Other hour-long specials include "Same Sex Marriages," "Surrogacy" and "It Takes a Miracle." She has also been involved in ABC's Children First Program, participating in a Children First Safety Special and in ABC's March Against Drugs.
Ms. Vargas joined ABC News from NBC News, where she spent her last three years as a correspondent and anchor, primarily for "Dateline NBC" and the "Today" show. While at "Dateline," she reported on a wide range of issues, including breast cancer research, PETA's war against fur and the mysterious life and death of billionaire socialite Doris Duke. During her tenure at NBC, she also served as substitute co-anchor and news anchor for NBC News' "Today" show and as a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of "NBC Nightly News." She joined NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for the NBC newsmagazine "Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric."
Prior to joining NBC News, Ms. Vargas spent four years as a reporter and anchor for WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago. From 1986-89 she was the lead reporter for KTVK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix. Earlier she worked as a reporter/anchor for KTVN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Reno, Nevada.
Ms. Vargas graduated with a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where she began her broadcasting career as a reporter/anchor for KOMU-TV.
Mr. Vargas has covered breaking stories, reported in-depth investigations and conducted newsmaker interviews for "20/20," "Primetime Thursday" and "Good Morning America." She has reported on topics ranging from the Maryland/Virginia sniper shootings to the use of steroids in the Olympics by female German athletes in the 1970s. She interviewed legendary rocker Mick Jagger about his storied career, explored the world of Las Vegas high rollers and reported on the unusual murder mystery surrounding a suburban Oklahoma couple. Her exclusive interview with the owners of two dogs that killed a San Francisco woman was so revealing that prosecutors in the case say it was critical to winning convictions against the couple.
In 2000 Ms. Vargas won an Emmy for Outstanding Instant Coverage of a News Story for anchoring live coverage of the Elian Gonzales case.
In a special report, she anchored and reported on the Yosemite National Park murders that shocked the nation -- a special investigation revealing never-before-reported accounts of the four murders and exclusive interviews with alleged suspects. Other reports have included the disturbing battle between two teen factions in a Texas town that ended in the murder of 19-year-old Brian Deneke and a court case that divided the community; an interview with former Boulder Police Detective Steve Thomas about the JonBenet Ramsey case; a revealing profile of Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner; and the first broadcast interviews with the reclusive �70s icon, Cat Stevens.
In July 2003, Ms. Vargas hosted "In the Shadow of Laci Peterson," an ABC News special that examined the disappearances of several young women in northern California and why their stories failed to attract significant media attention.
Ms. Vargas was the narrator of the four-part, award-winning ABC News documentary series, "ICU," which provided a unique look at life inside one of the nation's elite pediatric cardiology intensive care units. She has anchored and reported several one-hour ABC News "Vanished" specials, most recently on the death of supermodel Gia Carangi. Other hour-long specials include "Same Sex Marriages," "Surrogacy" and "It Takes a Miracle." She has also been involved in ABC's Children First Program, participating in a Children First Safety Special and in ABC's March Against Drugs.
Ms. Vargas joined ABC News from NBC News, where she spent her last three years as a correspondent and anchor, primarily for "Dateline NBC" and the "Today" show. While at "Dateline," she reported on a wide range of issues, including breast cancer research, PETA's war against fur and the mysterious life and death of billionaire socialite Doris Duke. During her tenure at NBC, she also served as substitute co-anchor and news anchor for NBC News' "Today" show and as a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of "NBC Nightly News." She joined NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for the NBC newsmagazine "Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric."
Prior to joining NBC News, Ms. Vargas spent four years as a reporter and anchor for WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago. From 1986-89 she was the lead reporter for KTVK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix. Earlier she worked as a reporter/anchor for KTVN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Reno, Nevada.
Ms. Vargas graduated with a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where she began her broadcasting career as a reporter/anchor for KOMU-TV.
- Elizabeth Vargas: I think there's nothing better in the world than a spirited discussion about the Bible and Jesus and God and the Catholic faith, or the Jewish faith, or the Muslim faith--any religion.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas: (Speaking of the pregnancy of her second child and the on-going recovery of injured collegue, Bob Woodruff.) This is joyous news for Marc and our family. At the same time, our immediate concern remains with Bob (Woodruff)...and the entire Woodruff family as we hope and pray for continuing good news about his recovery.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas:
(Speaking of the death of Peter Jennnings.) He leaves an enormous legacy that all of us, not just Bob and myself, but every member of the news division remembers and takes to heart.(edit) - Elizabeth Vargas: They would tell you that they were just doing their soldierly duty. But in doing so they remind us again what a remarkable group of people can accomplish under the greatest of pressure and we are grateful.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas: It provides an opportunity for viewers to see a more in-depth coverage of the story and a more personal coverage of the story. It makes us better anchors to be out in the field reporting on a regular basis.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas is of the Catholic faith.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas also worked as a reporter for KTVN-TV, a CBS affiliate, in Reno, Nevada.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas worked as a lead reporter for KTVK-TV, the ABC affiliate, in Phoenix, Arizona, between the years of 1986-1989.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas worked as a lead reporter for KTVK-TV, the ABC affiliate, in Phoenix, Arizona, between the years of 1986-1989.(edit)
- With the marriage of Elizabeth Vargas and Marc Cohn, Elizabeth became the stepmother to Max and Emily Cohn.(edit)
- With the marriage of Elizabeth Vargas and Marc Cohn, Elizabeth became the stepmother to Max and Emily Cohn.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas was born in 1962, which was the year of the Tiger, according to Chinese horoscopes.(edit)
- Elizabeth's father was a colonel in the U.S. Army, and because of that, Elizabeth spent a good portion of her adolescence moving from base to base in the countries of Germany, Belgium, and Japan.(edit)
- Elizabeth has been co-anchor of 20/20 with John Stossel since 2004.(edit)
- Marc and Elizabth received their first baby, son Zachary Raphael Cohn on January 31, 2003, and in February 2006, the couple announced that Elizabeth was pregnant again, and expecting their second son. Elizabeth eventually gave birth to a healthy baby, Samuel Wyatt Cohn, on August 16, 2006.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas is currently married to Grammy award-winning singer Marc Cohn, whom she was met at the 1999 U.S. Open.(edit)
- On the date of May 23, 2006, Elizabeth Vargas announced her official resignation from World News Tonight. Charles Gibson was thereafter named sole anchor of the show, finally replacing Elizabeth Vargas and her injured co-anchor Bob Woodruff.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas was nominated in 1998 for an Emmy Award on her 20/20 investigation into the illegitimate conviction of Betty Tyson.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas was the first female to anchor an evening newscast in the U.S. since Connie Chung, and the first female of Puerto Rican and Irish-American descent to be appointed as a major network nightly news anchor.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas worked four years as a reporter and anchor for WBBM-TV in Chicago, Illinois.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism after years of study at the University of Missouri, where she worked as a reporter for KOMU-TV.(edit)
- Elizabeth Vargas was born into a Puerto Rican/Irish-American family; her mother, Irish-American and her father, Puerto Rican.(edit)
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