Carley Shimkus: 10 Facts About The Fox News Host
Delivering early morning news can be a challenging gig — that call time is no joke — but as far as Carley Shimkus is concerned, it's a dream job. "I always knew I wanted to work in TV news," she once told Fox News' Dana Perino. "As a matter of fact, it was around-the-clock Fox News at our house growing up."
Back in 2021, Fox announced the New Jersey native would be the new co-host of "Fox & Friends First" following the departure of Jillian Mele. Prior to taking on the role, Shimkus had already been a familiar face at Fox, having served as a fill-in anchor and reporter at Fox News. "Carley brings great experience to this role developed over nearly a decade at Fox News Media and we are excited to have her join 'Fox & Friends First,'" Gavin Hadden, Fox News Channel's then-senior vice president for morning programming (he has since been named the senior vice president of Fox Nation), said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter at the time.
In addition to being a fixture of the network's morning news program, Shimkus is a doting mom, a published author, and a diehard coffee fan. Here's what else you need to know about the "Fox & Friends" co-host.
Carley Shimkus had an idyllic childhood
Carley Shimkus grew up with her parents, Edward and Zulma Shimkus, and her sister, Margot Shimkus, in New Jersey. She was raised in Long Valley, a historic and picturesque community. "There's sort of a negative perception to New Jersey — the (New Jersey) Turnpike and the more crowded areas — but it's called the Garden State for a reason, and that reason is Long Valley," Carley once told NJ Starz.
For the Shimkuses, there was no better place to raise a family. After all, in Long Valley, the family lived a home situated on a 100-acre plot of land that is entirely protected. Living in Long Valley, Carley and her sister also grew up surrounded by nature with the area known for its Electric Brook and South Branch River. "When I grew up and I moved to the city, and then I went back to my parents' house, I was so appreciative of the area I grew up in because it's just gorgeous," she explained.
Carley also is grateful to her mom and dad, who have supported her every step of the way. "I've had so much help in my life, and the first two people who come to mind are my parents," she said in NJ Starz. "They're your heroes when you're little, they're the only people you know, and aside from God and him being such a big part of my life, they're my shoulders to cry on."
She thought about becoming a model after high school
While a number of media personalities appear taller on TV, Carley Shimkus actually is rather statuesque on and off camera. The "Fox & Friends First" co-host is 5 feet, 10 inches — and that is without shoes. Before diving headfirst into the broadcast news world, she figured she might as well give modeling a shot. In the end, however, she decided not to pursue it. "It was a fun experience but not in the cards for me," Shimkus once told Fox Insider (via Market Realist).
Before she gave up modeling altogether though, the reporter did book a memorable gig where she got made up goth style to promote a Halloween costume for retail chain Party City. "My family still gets a kick out of this picture and likes to pass it around from time to time," Shimkus admitted. That said, she's still glad she took the gig all those years ago, telling NJ Starz, "I think it's pretty funny, and I will be forever grateful to Party City for hiring me." And while modeling didn't work out for Shimkus, the reporter has probably picked up some useful tips to looking good in front of the camera from that brief stint.
She is married to Peter Buchignani
Carley Shimkus and her husband, Peter Buchignani, did not meet on the job or at school. Rather, their paths crossed while out on the town. "It was my 23rd birthday, we were out...and he was with one of his roommates at the time who was kind of a jerk...and he came and saved the day," she said in an episode of Fox Nation's "Ride to Work." Evidently, sparks flew, and the two struck up a romance. Shimkus and Buchignani tied the knot in a wedding ceremony in New Jersey in 2015.
Since the couple are longtime fans of college football — Buchignani himself used to play football when he was at Princeton University, even earning an All-Ivy honorable mention at one point — they also figured out a way to showcase some team spirit at their wedding. Buchignani attended Princeton and Shimkus went to Quinnipiac University, but the University of Michigan is the school that rules their household. "My husband is a diehard fan," she dished to Fox News' Dana Perino. "We walked out to the Michigan fight song on our wedding day at his request!" In her aforementioned "Ride to Work" episode, she shared that they almost walked out to the "Game of Thrones" theme instead.
Carley Shimkus embraced a long-distance marriage
A long-distance marriage can be a tricky thing to navigate, but Carley Shimkus and husband Peter Buchignani make it work. Shimkus has to stay in New York for her "Fox & Friends" role, whereas Buchignani landed a job at Amherst Pierpont Securities, which is based in Chicago, in 2013.
"Our whole marriage has been between New York and Chicago. We're both very career-minded people right now, and because my career is here and his is there, we make it work," Shimkus further explained to NJ Starz back in 2020. Typically, Shimkus and Buchignani reunite every Friday (with Buchignani doing a lot of the traveling) and fly back to their respective cities again on Sundays. "It's always exciting to see each other," the "Fox & Friends First" co-host added. So long as things go as planned, the couple gets to see each other every week. "I would say it's about a 70/30 split, with him doing a majority of the travel to here," Shimkus shared. "One day it won't be like that anymore."
Carley Shimkus welcomed her first child in 2023
Carley Shimkus and her husband, Peter Buchignani, welcomed their first child, son Brock, in February 2023. Finding a work-life balance while raising a baby and keeping unconventional work hours certainly doesn't sound easy, but Shimkus makes as much time for her son as possible. "More than anything, I wanted to be a present mom while maintaining a rigorous work schedule," she said in First Time Parent Magazine.
Shimkus also soon discovered that raising a baby in a giant metropolis like the Big Apple can further complicate the life of any new mom. "My biggest frustration is something that anyone who currently or has ever lived in New York City will understand. We need more closet space for all of the gear!" Shimkus told the outlet.
By June 2023, Shimkus was back to work. "It feels like the first day of school," she said of her return to "Fox & Friends First." "I didn't sleep last night because I was so excited to be here." In her aforementioned chat with First Time Parent, she noted that hiring a nanny helped make this possible. What's more, the media personality has also become quite the expert in packing the perfect diaper bag. "I have water wipes, Vaseline, diapers, baby hand sanitizing wipes, a changing pad, washcloth, sunglasses, three lip glosses, and gum in mine!" Shimkus shared.
When she was in college, she interned on a famous morning radio show
As Carley Shimkus shared with Fox News' Dana Perino, her family watched "Fox & Friends" every morning. "I thank God every day for allowing me to now work on the very show I used to watch," she said. When Shimkus was still in school, she took a huge step that would turn her dream of being on Fox News a reality. While studying broadcast journalism at Quinnipiac University, Shimkus got the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at Fox News in Washington D.C.
The experience was everything she ever wanted and more. "They really put me to work in such a positive way and taught me a lot about TV," Shimkus recalled in the NJ Starz interview. Meanwhile, upon graduation, the veteran reporter also found her way back to Fox as she worked for the late Don Imus (the controversial radio personality who, among many other things, openly mocked former President Bill Clinton at the White House Correspondents' Dinner) and his hit radio show "Imus in the Morning," which had also been picked up for syndication by the Fox Business Network. Here, Shimkus started as a production assistant before eventually getting promoted to associate producer. She also became the field producer of the show's "Man on the Street" segment. When Imus died in 2019, Shimkus posted a photo she took with her former boss on Facebook and wrote, "Rest in peace I-Man. Thank you for everything."
At Fox Business, she started as a greenroom greeter
From the start, Carley Shimkus was determined to get as much experience as possible while working at Fox News. Early on in her career, the media personality even jumped at the chance to work as a greenroom greeter for Fox Business after HR told her about the opening. "Your job is to coordinate with the producers and bring the guests from when they first come into the lobby to different greenrooms and let the producers know that they're there," Shimkus explained during an interview with Barrett News Media. "It's an entry-level position, but a very good job'. I loved it, and I loved being a part of it."
As the Fox Business greenroom greeter, she also got to meet some of the network's most famous talents. Since then, Shimkus has become one of the recognizable faces in news television. The New Jersey native has also chosen to remain at Fox, which is where it all began for her. "I feel so blessed to have the career that Fox News has afforded me," Shimkus gushed in her aforementioned NJ Starz interview.
Carley Shimkus is a morning person
When Jillian Mele announced her final day at "Fox & Friends First" in October 2021, she told the audience she was looking forward to waking up at a decent hour for a change. "I'm going to ... sleep past 1 a.m. for the first time in 15 years," she quipped. Fortunately, Mele's successor, Carley Shimkus, seems to be something of a morning person.
Shimkus got used to getting an extra early start on the day when she joined the Fox team. For instance, back when she was working for Don Imus, the New Jersey native typically reported to the Fox Business Network in Manhattan around 3:30 to 4 a.m. during her work days. At the same time, Shimkus also has to report early to work to do "Fox and Friends First," which is why this co-host has to be up and at 'em around 1a.m. on most days.
And while some may struggle with that kind of schedule, Shimkus loves it. Er, she loves at least one part of it: the java. "I drink so much coffee that sometimes I'm going to bed at night and I get excited about waking up and drinking coffee in the morning," the media personality once told Daily Mail. We don't know how she takes her coffee, but if it makes waking up in the wee hours of the morning easier to digest, then it must be a good cup of coffee indeed.
At work, she's known as The Foodie
For Carley Shimkus, coffee isn't enough to get her going throughout her long and busy day. At some point, the New Jersey native has to sit down and enjoy a good meal. Luckily for Shimkus, "Fox and Friends First" has a segment called "Cooking With Friends" where anchors and other reporters take turns sharing some of their favorite meals on air. Once they're done taping the segment, everyone also gets to try the food, which is the part that Shimkus enjoys the most. "There's all this leftover food, and it's gonna go to waste if you don't eat it," she explained during an interview with The Sun. This is also how she earned her nickname, "The Foodie." "Well, they call me 'The Foodie' because I just stuff my face all the time," Shimkus remarked.
Aside from indulging in all kinds of food prepared for her show's segment, Shimkus also enjoys going somewhere nearby and dining with the show's meteorologist Janice Dean, who is also as much of a food lover as Shimkus. "Janice [Dean] and I are definitely big eaters," Shimkus even revealed. Sometimes, the women like to go to the nearby Flame Diner at Fox. Shimkus also has a hilarious way of letting Dean know about her dining plans. "I'll just text her like, three flame emojis," the New Jersey native revealed. "And she's like: 'Oh, yeah, we're getting food today.'"
Carley Shimkus has a cookbook out
Over the years, the "Fox & Friends First" segment "Cooking with Friends" has featured so many incredible recipes. Evidently, Fox News Books recognized that this segment could work well on paper and approached Carley "The Foodie" Shimkus with a cookbook idea. She embraced the project, and "Cooking with Friends: Eat, Drink and Be Merry" hit shelves in October 2023.
The book features recipes from Shimkus, her fellow Fox reporters, and some of the show's guests. One of the recipes is Shimkus' tater tot casserole, which features a base made with frozen tater tots, breakfast sausage, cheese, egg, and sour cream. The book also includes a grilled donut recipe by Janice Dean, a linguine dish by Shimkus' dad, and her family's go-to corned beef plate. There are also recipes from Fox media personalities like Ainsley Earhardt, Rachel Campos-Duffy, Steve Doocy, Pete Hegseth, and Brian Kilmeade.
"None of the people who contributed are expert chefs," Shimkus explained to the Daily Mail. "They have that one recipe that they love and is meaningful to them. If you're a Fox viewers you watch these people on TV all day around the clock so it's kind of cool to see them in a different light."