Tragic Details About Former CNN Anchor Jim Acosta's Life

Award-winning journalist Jim Acosta spent almost 18 years on CNN delivering the latest headlines to the nation. Acosta left the network in January 2025 (and threw in a few Donald Trump jabs with his parting words), but, sadly, while the TV personality is used to sharing heartbreaking stories, he also has a few of his own.

Acosta's life has been full of ups and downs, including the difficult childhood period when his parents split. The future news anchor was just 5 when his parents divorced, and his hardworking single mom then raised him. Acosta's mother supported him and his sister by tending bars, while his dad provided via his supermarket job. Although Acosta hasn't spoken too much publicly about what was surely a turbulent time, like so many children of working-class families, he knew he'd have to work hard to put himself through college and made sacrifices to educate himself. "I majored in mass communications and minored in political science. I wish I had stayed an extra year and graduated with a double major also in political science, but I was putting myself through college and couldn't afford it," he told Quill. He'd go on to face many more tough moments as an adult.

Jim Acosta was devastated when his fellow CNN commentator Alice Stewart died suddenly in 2024. The political commentator passed away at age 58 after experiencing a medical emergency.

Acosta shared a sweet tribute to his co-worker and friend of more than a decade on Instagram, posting several images of them together on-air and at events. "My heart is broken over the passing of our dear colleague Alice Stewart," He wrote in the caption. "We spent so many weekends talking politics with the wonderful [Maria Cardona] — they always spoke so passionately but with kindness and civility. Alice was my friend and I will miss her so much."

Shortly after the sad news broke, an emotional Acosta also called into CNN to pay an on-air tribute to his late friend. "I'm really heartbroken over this," he said. "Alice was a friend. She wasn't just a panelist or an expert. I loved her so much."

After weathering the storm of his parent's divorce as a child, Jim Acosta found himself on the other side of the sad story in 2017. The news anchor split with his now ex-wife Sharon Mobley Stow after 23 years of marriage and three children.

Though Acosta and Stow stayed quiet about their split in public, he hinted the year prior that his busy career may have gotten in the way of their relationship. While accepting the Ronald E. Carrier Distinguished Alumni Award at his alma mater, Virginia's James Madison University, he dedicated it to his family and said of his wife (who attended the same college) and children, "They've sacrificed so much for my career."

But while the split was likely difficult and a huge life change after more than two decades, a Page Six source claimed Acosta didn't wait long before dating again. "A friend lives in his building and [has seen] him with different women," they said.

Jim Acosta has spoken proudly about his Cuban heritage, including his real first name Abilio. His father emigrated to the United States amid political unrest at age 11 and tragically, because of historical tensions between the States and the Caribbean nation, couldn't keep in touch with his family who stayed in Cuba. That meant his Cuban relatives had no idea the CNN star was born or what the family was doing in the U.S.

In 2009, Acosta visited Cuba to cover then-president Barack Obama's visit after U.S. travel restrictions were lifted. While there, Acosta met his long-lost paternal family. "They had no idea I existed, had no idea what happened to my dad," he told Curio. "It was kind of like a living photo album, to see relatives that you'd never met before but knew everything about your dad and your grandparents and that sort of thing."

Acosta has since shared support for his relatives publicly, including in 2021 when he posted a photo on Instagram amid the Cuban protests. "Thinking about the people of Cuba today as there are rare protests on the island not seen in decades. I'm hopeful my relatives on the island are safe," he wrote in the caption. Acosta also shared he'd returned to the country with his dad in 2016. "Dad had not been back to Cuba in more than 50 years after leaving as a child just before the missile crisis. But his relatives recognized him right away," he wrote.

Though Jim Acosta's life as a journalist has allowed him to see the world, it also meant he spent long periods of time away from his family. More than a decade before he stepped away from CNN, the Virginia native spoke to Curio about the impact his work had on his nearest and dearest, including his three children, especially when he was reporting on national elections. "This has been a sacrifice on my family. But I tell my kids this will end, this too shall pass. November will come and daddy will be home more often," he said.

In 2019, the star told Variety about his grueling schedule and how hard it was to enjoy downtime. When asked what was left for him to do, he joked, "I'd like to take a vacation."

Not only have Acosta's family had to adjust to life away from him though, they've also had to worry about his well-being amid Acosta's notorious feud with President Donald Trump. "His attacks on me and my colleagues, dedicated and talented journalists, have real-life consequences. My family and friends worry about my safety. I hope at the end of the day the sacrifice will be worth it," he wrote in his 2019 book, "The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America."

Jim Acosta has been vocal about the bullying and harassment he received as a journalist, which even included death threats. He told The New Yorker in 2019 that a lot of the animosity stemmed from his lack of support for President Donald Trump, who was then in his first term. "I have received a number of death threats that come in on a weekly basis," he shared, noting he'd had to block negative messages on social media. "During the midterm-election cycle, I was in contact with the F.B.I., with local law enforcement, because of the various threats and threatening messages," he added. 

Some of that behavior has even been captured on camera, as Acosta was harassed during a CNN broadcast from the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021. As Acosta spoke to the camera, an onlooker shouted (via Independent), "Get him! Get him!"

Speaking to Variety in 2019, Acosta admitted he found Trump's take on his profession particularly hard to swallow and wished he was more supportive of the media. "We should not have people going around calling the press the enemy of the people, especially the President of the United States," he said. "The president is supposed to stand up for the First Amendment and stand up for the free press — not put us through the meat grinder."