Tamron Hall has been working in broadcast journalism since the early ‘90s after graduating from Temple University in 1992. She started her career at KBTX in Bryan, Texas, before working her way up at Chicago’s WFLD and eventually joining MSNBC and NBC News in 2007.
The Texas native, 50, became the first Black female coanchor on the Today show in 2014 when she worked on Today’s Take alongside Natalie Morales, Al Roker and Willie Geist. After leaving NBC in 2017, Hall landed her own talk show, Tamron Hall, which premiered in 2019. The show has since earned three Daytime Emmy nominations with one win and was renewed for a third season in October 2020.
Outside of her reporter and hosting duties, however, how much do Hall’s fans really know about her? The As the Wicked Watch author opened up to Us Weekly exclusively about herself — including which foods she didn’t eat until she was 30 and what her nickname was growing up.
Read on to learn more about the talk show host!
1. I own more sneakers than high heels, including a much sought-after pair of Air Jordans.
2. I cook most days of the week.
3. I’ve had a pet bird since I was a teenager. My current [one is] a Senegal parrot named Jojo. She is the most colorful part of our family.
4. The idea to reveal that I was pregnant [back in 2019] with the song “Baby Shark” came to me after hearing it all day at a family function where kids would not stop playing it.
5. I do a face mask every day — or at least I try to.
6. I’ve been told that I look like Bruno Mars, and that my son [Moses] also looks like him.
7. I ran track every summer [until] the age of 18. I was even on the record-breaking relay team in [my] Texas high school, running the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter relay.
8. I played the clarinet in middle school and took piano lessons from ages 9 to 12.
9. If I could appear on any show, I would want to be on The Mandalorian.
10. I grew up in a rural area, so at one point in time, I had three ducks and two rabbits.
11. I love gardening.
12. My nickname as a kid was “Not Necessarily,” because I was always challenging what was told to me. (Hopefully, my son doesn’t get this from me!)
13. If I wasn’t a journalist, I would be a blackjack dealer.
14. My favorite bike ride is across the Brooklyn Bridge.
15. I don’t really like popcorn.
16. I didn’t eat blueberries or Brussel sprouts until my late 30s.
17. My favorite thing to cook is anything with chicken thighs or recipes suggested by Ina Garten.
18. I don’t drink dark liquor, but I love margaritas.
19. I’ve recently become obsessed with turmeric.
20. I did humanitarian work in South Africa.
21. I’m a [big fan of] fashion designers and clothes from Cartagena, Colombia.
22. Whenever I go to the beach or to the park, my bag always has Off! Family Care in it.
23, I spent a week at a retreat alone without friends and family to reset right before starting my talk show. It was the first time I traveled alone.
24. My husband [Steve Greener] proposed to me in Paris.
25. Despite having a toddler, I have yet to give up my white sofa — although that’s probably coming soon!
Season 3 of Tamron Hall premieres on ABC Monday, September 6.
