What You Don't Know About Fox News' Sandra Smith
In the world of the 24/7 news cycle, it feels as if news anchors can become part of our families. People flocked to the screen, for instance, to watch Steve Kornacki (a.k.a. Map Daddy) cover the 2020 election. Rachel Maddow can be a voice of reason that cuts through any living room, and even Fox's Bret Baier has something distinct to bring to the table. Whatever your politics, on-air anchors provide just as much information as they do entertainment, and one such figure is Fox News' Sandra Smith.
Smith is arguably one of the lesser known anchors on Fox News — she doesn't have the household name fixture of the likes of Tucker Carlson — but we're here to say that her rise to the top of the ranks is imminent. Smith, as of publication, is one of the anchors of Fox's "America Reports," and has made quite a name for herself as the anchor who really doesn't put up with anyone's malarkey. To put it quite simply, she is one to watch.
But what is Smith's story? How did she get to one of Fox News' on-air desks and where does she see her career taking her? We're here with all the answers, because this is what you don't know about Fox News' Sandra Smith.
This is how Sandra Smith made history
First and foremost, you should know that Sandra Smith is a trailblazer within her own right. Not only is she the co-anchor of a prominent news program, but she made history during the 2016 election cycle in a really unique way. According to People, Smith was joined by Trish Regan of Fox Business Network, and the two women became the first female duo in history to serve as double-moderators for a presidential debate.
The debate in question was the fourth debate among then-hopeful GOP candidates, and Smith and Regan were there to guide the candidates through their debate experience. When asked about whether she had plans to ask the candidates questions about gender, Smith said that (despite her own history-making accomplishment), she would not be playing "the gender card." "We don't have to press the gender issue," she declared. "It naturally comes through in our conversations that we are women, and women naturally bring a different perspective. It's an organic thing." Smith went on to say that she and Regan brought varying skills and points of view to the table, making their moderating experience that much more dynamic.
Sandra Smith is the permanent co-anchor of this Fox News program
So what exactly does Sandra Smith do at Fox News? She isn't just a moderator for presidential debates, and she isn't a guest anchor, either. As noted by a press release provided by Fox, Smith was recruited in 2017 to serve as the co-anchor of "America's Newsroom," and appeared alongside co-anchor Bill Hemmer. After appearing on "America's Newsroom," Smith went on to serve as the co-anchor of Fox News' "America Reports," where (as of publication), she remains as host alongside John Roberts.
In this role, Smith has been behind the desk, reporting on some of the biggest stories in the news cycle — she has even taken to social media on a number of occasions to share behind-the-scenes looks at her life on "America's Newsroom." In October 2020, she shared a look at the set during the coverage of Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court, for example. In August 2020, Smith shared a snap of her behind the "America's Newsroom" desk, only to share that she was picking up an anchoring gig that very evening on the 4 p.m. news. One thing is for sure, Smith is a dedicated anchor.
Sandra Smith is a proud graduate of this university
A lot of people have an unconventional journey where college is concerned, and when it comes to Sandra Smith, she knew from the beginning that she wanted "something unique." She told New Orleans Living Magazine that she knew she wanted to pursue a degree in business, but she was also feeling drawn to the French language (something that she had really enjoyed while in high school). "Then I discovered there was a French-speaking area in the United States, so I thought, 'That's it — I'm going down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana!'" Smith shared.
Smith originally attended Illinois State University, where she took advantage of a program that allowed her to take classes at a different university; that campus just happened to be Louisiana State University, and in an instant, Smith was hooked. "After a semester, I called my parents and said, 'There's no way I'm leaving this place!'" she continued. "That summer I went back home and just knew in my heart that I belonged in Louisiana, so I transferred to LSU." Smith added that her experience at LSU was "100% wonderful," and it had a huge hand in shaping her into the person she is today.
Sandra Smith has been responsible for covering major events
There are some stand-out news stories that always get a lot of coverage — think the Mueller Report, (both) Trump impeachments, the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. There are also some very important, more popular culturally driven stories to cover. Think the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or the symbolic designer that First Lady Jill Biden chose to wear on her husband's inauguration day. These stories, no matter where they fall in the line of chronology, are important to cover, and Sandra Smith has been on the ground reporting on some of the biggest events of the last decade.
As per her official Fox News biography, Smith was responsible for co-anchored Fox News' coverage of Representative John Lewis' memorial service — if you recall, Lewis, a civil rights hero, was honored in a ceremony that carried his casket across the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama (via CNN). Smith also was responsible for covering the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and was on-site in London, England for the occasion. It's safe to say that if it's an important story to cover, Smith is on it.
Sandra Smith worked in a male-dominated business environment before television
To anyone familiar with the journalism and broadcast industry, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise to learn that women are still fighting for seats at the table. As noted by NPR, women and people of color "remain a sliver of those producing and reporting stories," but would it surprise you to learn that Sandra Smith came to the journalism industry from an even more gender non-inclusive environment?
According to New Orleans Living Magazine, Smith worked as a research associate at Aegis Capital before making the jump to journalism. From there, she worked for Hermitage Capital, and eventually became the director of institutional sales and trading for Terra Nova Institutional. She told the publication that she was "the only female at an all-male trade desk at Terra Nova," so Smith knows a thing or two about working in a male-dominated environment. In her line of work before switching over to journalism, Smith worked in portfolio analysis and was responsible for preparing different reports related to her field. It seems that journalism — and paving the way for other female anchors — is truly Smith's calling.
Before anchoring her own show, Sandra Smith appeared on these morning programs
Sandra Smith, like many journalists, worked up the ladder to get to where she is now. She told New Orleans Living Magazine that she received a call from Fox in October of 2007, informing her that the channel was launching Fox Business Network. As she put it, Smith was "reporting from day one," and thus set off a chain of events that would lead her to different on-air shows. After initially joining Fox, Smith made appearances on both Fox News and Fox Business, and two years later, she became a consistent fixture of "Imus in the Morning." In addition, Smith worked as a guest commentator on "Red Eye," "Fox Business Happy Hour," and "Hannity."
By the time 2014 rolled around, Fox News premiered the show "Outnumbered," and tapped Smith as co-anchor. She was joined by Harris Faulkner, and the show consisted of a number of panels that featured guest commentators. In addition, Smith also made appearances on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" as an occasional guest anchor.
Sandra Smith lives in this state with her family
Sandra Smith was born in Illinois, moved to Louisiana for college, and finally settled in New York City. Her career took off from there, but she has still found time to invest in her personal life. As noted by New Orleans Living Magazine, Smith lives in Westchester County, New York — which is located 35 miles outside of New York City — with her husband and two children.
Smith met her husband while she was working at Terra Nova in Chicago — it was at the all-male trade desk where she worked that they hit it off. She revealed that while with the company, higher-ups requested that she represent the company on the trading floor and give commentary to news networks, including CNBC and Bloomberg. It was there that they met, and the rest is history. The couple have two children, son John and daughter Cora, and they have a dog named Whiskey (who makes appearances on Smith's social media).
As far as maintaining a happy life at work and at home, it sounds like Smith has it down. "You can read some unfortunate things about Fox, but I can sincerely say it's really a supportive work environment," Smith explained.
This is how Sandra Smith starts her day
Even if you don't know that much about the journalism industry, chances are you know that a journalist's days start early and end late — the news never sleeps. Sandra Smith is no exception, and she told her alma mater, Louisiana State University, about her morning routine. She shared that her days start "very, very early," and she really wasn't kidding. Smith typically gets up around 4 a.m., and is usually out of the door 40 minutes later. She heads straight to work and likes to "hit the ground running."
So what exactly does that look like? Smith reads three different newspapers, does a social media and Twitter scroll to see what politicians and public figures alike have been talking about — as she put it, she has "to do a ton of homework" as soon as she gets into the office. What's more is that Smith makes a point to set intentions for her day. "I set out with a goal every day to deliver real, honest news to our viewers," she revealed, which is a fair and commendable intention. We just can't get over her 4 a.m. wake up — we wonder what her coffee order is.
Sandra Smith is passionate about this hobby, and does it as much as possible
Being in the news industry is a full time job and then some, but Sandra Smith still tries to make time for one of her favorite hobbies: running. She told Runner's World that she ran for Louisiana State University, and since her days in college, she has tried to maintain the sport. Smith's goal, she revealed, is to run every single day. Ambitious? Yes, but it also sounds like Smith is pretty easygoing about her hobby. "Some weeks I run seven days. Some weeks I run zero," she shared, which makes us feel better about not running, like, at all.
Smith pointed to her long days at work during the interview, and shared that running is an almost therapeutic way for her to let things go and have some alone time. "I love running — it's my escape, it's when I think best," she continued. "With so much going on, running is no longer a chore or a stress to me. It's a getaway." Of course, Smith added that health benefits are another attractive component of running, as she likes to keep herself fit.
This media outlet was first to be interested in Sandra Smith's television journalism career
The majority of people know that different news networks and outlets have varying political perspectives. For example, MSNBC is known to veer left on the political spectrum, whereas Fox News is known for existing much further on the right. It's hard at times to picture the same journalists working at different news outlets, given network affiliations and reputations, but Sandra Smith is an example of journalistic versatility.
As noted by Adweek, Smith started her television news career with Bloomberg Television — Bloomberg, of course, referring to Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City who has taken the media world by storm. Smith shared that Bloomberg Television called her and had "some very interesting things to say." Whatever they said convinced her, as Smith left her career path and made the big jump to television news. She was at Bloomberg Television for less than a year, but the company clearly made a huge impact on her career trajectory. "It was a very difficult decision, but that was my big break," she revealed.
This was the story that helped Sandra Smith get her big break
Every journalist has a story that defines their career, that they give every ounce of energy to in order to cover it as accurately and thoroughly as possible. For Sandra Smith, this story came in the form of the financial crisis, which was lined up perfectly with when she started working for Fox News. She told Adweek that she had left her job at Bloomberg Television "right at the peak of the bull market," an experience that she described as "nuts."
From there, Smith covered Bernie Madoff — the fraudulent former chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange. Smith shared that she became the reporter when it came to Madoff. She followed his every move, she stood outside his apartment, and she waited all hours of the day just to get a glimpse of him. Smith told Adweek that she was "on that story more than anyone," and honestly, we believe it. "I chased this guy everywhere," she added. "He got in a car, and we would get in a car and chase him down to his jail cell. That was just a huge story for me." Sounds a little fun actually, don't you think?
Sandra Smith wants to interview these world figures
One of the great aspects of having a career in journalism is the exposure and the interviews that come with it. Some journalists stay in the realm of entertainment, and interview celebrities and popular figures alike. Others venture into the political arena, and as such, sit down face-to-face with politicians and lawmakers. Sandra Smith falls into the latter category, and she shared with Adweek what kind of interviews she would love to conduct throughout her career.
After expressing her desire to interview the president of the United States (which seems like the threshold for political reporters), Smith shared that she has the goal of sitting down with major world leaders, particularly with those who govern the Middle East. "I would love to get inside their mind," she revealed. "Meeting with the heads of Middle Eastern countries while covering the commodities markets, oil markets and the Saudi government. There are just immense things happening in the Middle East right now." With goals like this and a career trajectory such as hers, it's safe to say that Smith will most likely reach this goal.
Sandra Smith maintains that she keeps her personal perspective out of her work
Journalists cover the events around the world, all while trying their best to keep their personal points of view out of their coverage. Unless an article or a segment is specifically labeled as an opinion or critique, personal opinion should remain at the sideline.
This is a memo that Sandra Smith has gotten, and she spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her career when it comes to opinion. She told the publication that she doesn't "include personal politics" in her work; and when pushed back upon, and asked how she could accomplish such a thing when her show, "Outnumbered," is an opinion-based show, Smith said that she plays a "moderator role."
"We are the journalists. We carry the breaking news for the show," she explained. "My job is to bring out the best in everybody that is sitting on that couch. Even if my personal belief is in line with the discussion, you'll see me play devil's advocate just to make sure the other side is represented." When asked if Fox News was more or less opinionated that other networks, Smith said that the network's news-based programming and opinion-based shows are distinct from one another.
Sandra Smith makes sure to take her sources to task
Fox News is known, by and large, as a network that swings to the right of the political spectrum. But just because the network is known for its political leanings, doesn't mean that Sandra Smith lets people off easy. In a clip of her show posted on YouTube, Smith is seen questioning former Trump administration press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who at the time was on Smith's show to discuss the fringe group QAnon.
Smith asked McEnany, plain and simple, if former president Donald Trump was "supporting this conspiracy theory." McEnany quickly pivoted and said that she had never heard Trump even mention the fringe group, but Smith (to the surprise of a few, we're sure) pushed back. "But just to be clear, Kayleigh, he was asked about it yesterday," Smith shared. "He's said that he's heard about the online conspiracy theorists ... and that they are people that love our country. It was puzzling to many people." McEnany was clearly a bit shaken by the line of questioning, particularly because it was poignant. Smith certainly didn't trip over her words, and it is just one example of a good journalist at work.