Betty Nguyen

Betty Nguyen
Born (1974-09-01) September 1, 1974
Saigon, Vietnam
Ethnicity Vietnamese mother
Scottish American father
Alma mater University of Texas at Austin
Occupation Broadcast journalist
Years active 1996–present
Home town Fort Worth, Texas
Board member of Help the Hungry, co-founder[1]
Website www.bettynguyen.org

Betty Nguyen is an American news anchor with NBC News and MSNBC. Prior to joining NBC in 2013, Nguyen worked for CBS News where she was news anchor for CBS This Morning Saturday, correspondent for The Early Show, and anchored the CBS Morning News.[2][3]

Life and career

Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She is of Vietnamese and Scottish American descent. Nguyen and her family left Vietnam for the United States April 1975 during the Fall of Saigon. She grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and attended the University of Texas at Austin. Nguyen was a cheerleader during her younger days, and a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority in college.[4] Nguyen graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.[5]

Betty joined NBC in 2013. She anchors Early Today on NBC, First Look on MSNBC, and is a correspondent for the Today Show.[6] Prior to that, she worked at CBS News where she was news anchor for CBS This Morning Saturday, correspondent for Early Today, and anchored the CBS Morning News. During her tenure, she also substitute anchored the weekend edition of The CBS Evening News and took on the additional role of Special Correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.[7]

Before becoming a network anchor and correspondent for CBS News in 2010, Nguyen anchored the weekend morning edition of CNN Newsroom. She spent six years at CNN covering major news events including the earthquake in Haiti, presidential elections in Africa, hurricane Katrina, the death of Pope John Paul II, and went on an undercover assignment in Myanmar. Prior to that, Nguyen was an anchor at KTVT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Dallas, where she covered numerous breaking news events, including the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Nguyen began her career as a morning anchor and reporter at KWTX-TV, the CBS affiliate in Waco, Texas.[2]

She was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution in 2007 as the first Vietnamese-American to anchor a national television news broadcast in the United States.[8] According to Maxim.com, Nguyen was named one of "TV´s 10 Hottest News Anchors" in 2008.[9] In 2011, she was listed as one of "The 10 Most Stylish Anchors & Reporters" by The Huffington Post.[10]

She spent a short time as a freelance correspondent for E! Entertainment Network. Nguyen has hosted several specials and was featured as a reporter on episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. She can also be seen in Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts".[11]

Nguyen is a Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Texas Longhorns fan.[12]

Fleeing Vietnam

Nguyen was "not even a year old" toward the end of the Vietnam War when her family fled South Vietnam.[13][14] From a CNN videotape, she speaks about her father.[15]

“ He was an American serviceman who fell in love with a Vietnamese college student. They married and had me, a child who was given life, when so many were losing theirs in the war.

We fled Vietnam, crammed into a packed C-130 cargo plane. It was stepping into the unknown. Nothing was guaranteed except that turning back was not an option. And that meant leaving behind my grandparents…As hard as it was, fleeing not only saved my life, it gave me a new one, in a place called America.

 ”

Personal life

In July 2015 Nguyen announced she was pregnant with her first child.[16] She also mentioned that she had previously suffered a miscarriage.[17]

Board Membership and Affiliations

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Help the Hungry - About Us
  2. 1 2 "Betty Nguyen". CBS News. 2010-04-07. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ Ariens, Chris (April 6, 2012). "Betty Nguyen Leaving CBS News". Media Bistro. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  4. ↑ Fontenot, Rebecca (January 1, 2009). "Word-Perfect". Texas Exes. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ Do, Anh (2004-11-25). "Profile: Betty Nguyen". Nguoi Viet. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  6. ↑ http://www.today.com/video/today/56841940#56841940
  7. ↑ http://www.whosay.com/status/bettynguyen/190899
  8. 1 2 "CNN Anchors & Reporters: Betty Nguyen". cnn.com. 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  9. ↑ Burchette, Jordan (2008-11-18). "TV´s 10 Hottest News Anchors". Maxim.com. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  10. ↑ Krupnick, Ellie (2011-09-06). "The 10 Most Stylish TV Anchors & Reporters (PHOTOS)". Huffington Post.
  11. ↑ When the Levees Broke
  12. ↑ Haag, Matthew (2006-06-06). "CNN anchor loves her Mavericks". www.txcn.com. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  13. ↑ Moran, Jaymie (May 2008). "CNN's Betty Nguyen". asiancemagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  14. ↑ Kennedy, Kyle (2009-03-19). "CNN Anchor Turns the Tables, Tells Own Tale". TheLedger.com. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  15. ↑ "CNN NewsNight Aaron Brown: Operation Baby Lift, aired April 29, 2005" (transcript). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  16. ↑ http://community.today.com/post/parentingteam/who-says-being-pregnant-during-summer-is-miserable
  17. ↑ Today.com: "Who says being pregnant during summer is miserable?" July 14, 2015
  18. ↑ Staff and Wire Reports (2004-04-01). "People Watch: Newsmakers". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  19. ↑ http://www.asianweek.com/2005/05/27/betty-nguyen-on-unusual-course/
  20. ↑ http://tnjn.org/2009/oct/27/asian-american-association-to-/

External links

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