Stephen James Doocy (/ˈdsi/; born October 19, 1956) is an American television host, political commentator, and author. He is a co-anchor of Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel.[1]

Steve Doocy
Doocy in 2019
Born
Stephen James Doocy

(1956-10-19) October 19, 1956 (age 68)
Alma materUniversity of Kansas (BS)
Occupation(s)Author, news anchor
SpouseKathy Gerrity Doocy
Children3, including Peter

Early life and education

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Doocy was born in Algona, Iowa, the first child and only son of James "Jim" Edward Doocy, who worked in sales and construction, and JoAnne Doocy, née Sharp. His paternal grandfather was of Irish descent, and his maternal grandmother of Swedish descent.[2][3] He was raised in Industry, Kansas, and attended Kansas grade schools in Russell, Salina, and Industry.[4] Doocy went to junior high in Wakefield and high school in Clay Center, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, with a Bachelor of Science in journalism. He was the first on-air disc jockey for KJHK radio, the student-operated radio station in Lawrence.[5]

Career

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Doocy started his television career with reporter jobs at TV stations in Topeka, Des Moines, Wichita, and Kansas City.[6] His first major market assignment was as a features reporter for WRC, in Washington, D.C. In 1990, Doocy was named the host of NBC's nationally syndicated program House Party with Steve Doocy, a remake of the 1960s Art Linkletter show, which was followed by the syndicated kids' series Not Just News.[7]

In 1994, Doocy got his first morning show job, as the co-host of Wake Up America on NBC's America's Talking channel.[8] He then anchored the morning newscast on CBS-TV's flagship station, WCBS-TV, in 1996 in New York City.[6] He was the live Times Square reporter on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC-TV for four ball drops.

Doocy joined the Fox News Channel in 1996[9] and began co-hosting the network's morning show Fox & Friends in 1998.[10] In 2004, he helped launch Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve special, All American New Year, whose hosts have included Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly.

Fox & Friends regularly interviewed Donald Trump, before and after his election as president. After the election, Trump called it "the most honest morning show."[11] During his first year as president, Trump continued to watch and often quoted the program on Twitter.[12] This prompted The New York Times to call Fox & Friends "the most powerful TV show in America."[13]

In 2019, it was reported that Trump ranked many reporters' loyalty on a scale of 1 to 10. Doocy received a "12 out of 10."[14]

On September 15, 2020, Doocy made news when he challenged President Trump's announcement of a series of weekly appearances on Fox and Friends. Doocy responded: "You may want to do it every week, but Fox is not committed to that. We're going to take it on a case-by-case basis."[15] Doocy extended an invitation for Joe Biden, at the time the Democratic nominee for president, to appear on the program, offering him equal airtime to Trump.[16]

Doocy earned attention in 2022 and 2023 for challenging his co-hosts about the Joe Biden-Ukraine Investigation,[17] arguing that there is no evidence to support an impeachment.[18][19] Because of this, Trump has attacked him,[20] and Rep. James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, has stopped appearing on the show.[21]

Doocy has earned TV reporting and writing awards from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists (formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi),[22] and 11 Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[23][6]

Published works

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In 2020, Doocy and his wife Kathy published the Happy in a Hurry Cookbook, which debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list[24] and became one of America's top cookbooks of that pandemic year.[25] It was a sequel to their successful 2018 Happy Cookbook: A Celebration of the Food That Makes America Smile.[26]

The Doocys also authored The Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook and Tales from the Dad Side.[27] All four books were published by William Morrow and Company, a division of HarperCollins, and all were New York Times bestsellers.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Doocy is married to Kathy Doocy (née Garrity), a former model and TV sports reporter who starred in a TV commercial for the Chatty Cathy doll.[28] The couple have three adult children: Mary, Sally and Peter Doocy, the Fox News White House correspondent.[29] He lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey.[30] Kathy Doocy is a cancer survivor.[9] They have one granddaughter, Bridget Blake Doocy, daughter of Peter Doocy and Hillary Vaughn, born on February 1, 2023.[31]

Doocy is Roman Catholic and serves as a lector in his church.[32]

Doocy was named Distinguished Kansan of the Year by the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas in 2014.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Steve Doocy". Fox News. March 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Doocy, Steve. "Tales from the Dad Side" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ^ "James E. Doocy – Obituary – Danner Funeral Home". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Fox News host Steve Doocy to be honored as Distinguished Kansan of the Year". Topeka Capital-Journal. January 24, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Journalism School Grad to be Honored". January 21, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Kansapedia: Steve Doocy".
  7. ^ "Steve Doocy Bio".
  8. ^ Schneider, Michael (December 1, 2020). "America's Talking: 2 years (1994–1996)".
  9. ^ a b "Never mind Sean Hannity. Steve Doocy is the rare host at Fox promoting vaccines". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Meet the Doocys, the first family of Fox News". Deseret News. June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "Transcript: President Trump's exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta". CNN Business. February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  12. ^ Silva, Danielle (April 3, 2017). "Trump praises 'Fox & Friends,' renews old feuds in early morning tweets". NBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  13. ^ Savransky, Rebecca (July 27, 2017). "Trump quotes New York Times: 'Fox & Friends' is 'most powerful TV show in America'". The Hill. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  14. ^ Mayer, Jane (March 4, 2019). "The Making of the Fox News White House". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  15. ^ Morrow, Brendan (September 15, 2020). "Trump says he'll be on Fox & Friends every week — but host Steve Doocy doesn't agree to have him". The Week. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Balluck, Kyle (September 15, 2020). "Fox News host says network 'not committed' to weekly segment after Trump mentions it". The Hill. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  17. ^ Barr, Jeremy (March 19, 2024). "On Fox News, Steve Doocy has become the unexpected voice of dissent". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Fox & Friends Fight Over Biden Impeachment Evidence". Mediaite. February 28, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "Steve Doocy Confronts Rep. James Comer Over Biden Investigation: 'Did They Break Any Laws?'". Mediaite. May 10, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Trump Tears Into 'Terrible' Fox & Friends Host Steve Doocy: 'He's Not Nice Like He Should Be'". Mediaite. September 27, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Mastrangelo, Dominick (December 13, 2023). "Comer says he won't go on 'Fox & Friends' because of Doocy". The Hill. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Steven Doocy Books & Biography". www.harpercollins.ca.
  23. ^ Peasley, Sarah (June 20, 1988). "WRC TAKES 22 LOCAL EMMYS". The Washington Post.
  24. ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books Best Sellers". The New York Times. October 18, 2020.
  25. ^ Severson, Kim (March 2, 2021). "How the Cookbooks of 2020 Tell the Stories of Our Pandemic Kitchens". The New York Times.
  26. ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books Best Sellers". The New York Times. October 21, 2018.
  27. ^ "Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood by Steve Doocy". goodreads.com.
  28. ^ Cadelago, Christopher (May 7, 2021). "Is Fox's Peter Doocy Just Asking Questions — Or Trolling the White House?". Politico. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  29. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (March 4, 2021). "Fox News' scrappy White House correspondent grills Biden, who plays along". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "New Jersey's Map of the Stars".
  31. ^ Coggins, Madeline. "Peter Doocy and Hillary Vaughn celebrate the birth of their daughter". Fox News. Fox Interactive. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  32. ^ "A FOX Friends Christmas". December 25, 2013.
  33. ^ "kualumni.org: Steve Doocy".
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