Kristine Leahy

Kristine Leahy (born October 16, 1986) is an American television host and former sports reporter.[1][2][3] She is most known as a former host on NBC's American Ninja Warrior. She is the former co-host and newswoman of Fox Sports 1's simulcast of The Herd with Colin Cowherd and was also a former anchor and reporter for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

Kristine Leahy
Born
Kristine Leahy

(1986-10-16) October 16, 1986
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBoston University
OccupationTalk show host
Years active2012–present
Known forThe Herd, American Ninja Warrior

In 2018, Leahy began hosting Fair Game with Kristine Leahy on Fox Sports 1. The show was cancelled in December 2019.

Early life

Leahy was born in Chicago,[4][5] where she became interested in sports. She graduated from Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois in 2005.[6] She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Boston University.[4]

Career

After college, Leahy got a job at the sports radio station WEEI in Boston. After a two-year stint at WEEI, she transitioned to a position as an official reporter of the Boston Celtics and Celtics.com. She turned that into a job at FOX Boston, where she covered all Boston area sports teams.[7][8]

Leahy moved to Los Angeles in 2012 and covered a variety of different sports, most notably as a sideline reporter for Turner Sports' March Madness coverage. She worked for a variety of CBS affiliated sports outlets, including the local CBS Los Angeles news. Leahy then became the sideline reporter for American Ninja Warrior on NBC.[9] In September 2015, she took a job to join former ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd on his new show after his exodus to FOX. Cowherd cited a lack of female voices in sports talk radio as a reason for Leahy's addition to the show, as well as Leahy's history of developing useful sources as a sports journalist.[10]

"I asked him a question. That is my job as a reporter. And he came back at me in a very dismissive and inappropriate way. So, I had two choices: I could either sit back and take it … Or I could stand up for myself and talk to him. Still, with complete respect. And for the record, I've actually supported him being such a strong voice for his son, and we talk more about his son than anyone else because of what he's done for him."

—Leahy on her exchange with LaVar Ball on The Herd[11]

On May 17, 2017, Leahy received what were seen as potentially sexist remarks from LaVar Ball on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.[12] He never faced in Leahy's direction for the whole interview, apparently trying to talk only with Colin Cowherd on the other side of the studio.[13] Ball argued with Leahy about whether or not Big Baller Brand should market to both men and women and when she asked him how many shoes he had already sold, he said, "Stay in your lane."[12][14] During the segment, Leahy expressed that she believed Ball was disrespecting women, and he responded by calling her a "hater" for her previous criticism of his parenting.[15] He also commented, "She scares me. I don't look over there because I'm scared of her. I'm thinking assault right now. Leave me alone."[13] Later that day on The Herd, Leahy issued a response about her argument with Ball, saying, "So he was upset at me for what I said there, and that's completely fine. But you can't come at me and disrespect me and not look me in the eye and threaten me. That's just not OK."[11] Ball, however, denied threatening her.[11]

On November 20, 2017, Leahy criticized CNN for inviting Ball on the air to discuss his feud with US President Donald Trump.[16]

References
  1. "Kristine Leahy Is Having Way More Fun Than You Right Now". The Big Lead. April 18, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  2. "Kristine Leahy". PressPass. Fox Sports. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  3. O'Donnell, Jake (October 21, 2015). "Kristine Leahy Details More Examples of How Female Reporters Are Objectified in Locker Rooms". SportsGrid. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  4. Garcia, Brittany (October 2, 2017). "Woman in Sports: Kristine Leahy". LaPalme Magazine.
  5. "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  6. Gowins, Hilary. "On the Record With...Kristine Leahy," Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL), Friday, September 9, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2018
  7. Radloff, Jessica (June 26, 2017). "Kristine Leahy of 'American Ninja Warrior' Dispels 10 Misconceptions About Women and Sports". Glamour.
  8. "Kristine Leahy". NBCUniversal Media Village. NBCUniversal.
  9. Goldberg, Lesley (March 12, 2015). "'American Ninja Warrior' Taps New Co-Host for Season 7 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  10. Warner, Ralph (May 2016). "Kristine Leahy Has Colin Cowherd's Back". Complex Media. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  11. Joseph, Andrew (May 17, 2017). "Kristine Leahy responds to LaVar Ball's threatening comments on FS1: 'That's just not OK'". For The Win. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. Davis, Scott (May 17, 2017). "LaVar Ball tells Fox Sports' Kristine Leahy 'stay in your lane' after question about how many shoes he has sold". Business Insider. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  13. Whitfield, Kristian (May 17, 2017). "LaVar Ball disrespects FS1's Kristine Leahy: 'Stay in your lane'". SB Nation. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  14. Brazillier, Zach (May 17, 2017). "LaVar Ball attacks Fox Sports reporter in sexist rant". New York Post. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  15. Woo, Jeremy (May 17, 2017). "Fox Sports host Kristine Leahy calls LaVar Ball comments 'disrespectful to women'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  16. McCarthy, Michael (November 20, 2017). "FS1's Kristine Leahy rips CNN, LaVar Ball for interview amid feud with Trump". Sporting News. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
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