Alison Morris
Alison Morris (born October 30, 1979) is an American journalist who has worked as an on-air news anchor at NBC News since 2019.
Alison Morris | |
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Born | Long Island, New York, U.S. | October 30, 1979
Education | Yale University (BA) |
Occupation | Journalist, news anchor |
Employer | NBC News, MSNBC |
Spouse(s) | Scott Roslyn (m. 2013) |
Early life and education
Alison Morris was born and raised on Long Island, New York, where she attended Our Lady of Mercy Academy, an all-female private Catholic college preparatory school. She later graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from Yale University in 2001.[1]
Career
Morris began her career in 2002 when she worked for CNBC Europe and The Wall Street Journal Europe as a reporter in Paris, France.[1] In 2005, Morris returned to the United States and became a reporter for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. In 2010, she moved to FoxCT (now known as WTIC-TV), where she became one of the channel's news anchors. In 2014, Morris switched to Fox 5 New York, working as the channel's business news anchor. In July 2019, Morris was then hired by NBC News, where she has been a news anchor for the network's streaming service NBC News Now.[2] In January 2020, Morris additionally became a weekend anchor for MSNBC.
On her January 26, 2020 broadcast on MSNBC, Morris was reporting on the death of retired basketball player Kobe Bryant, who was one of nine people killed in a helicopter crash earlier in the day. When Morris referred to Bryant's former team of the Los Angeles Lakers, she verbally stumbled and said "Los Angeles Nakers", immediately self-correcting to "Los Angeles Lakers". This caused many people to accuse her of using the racial slur nigger, which she denied. The controversy led to the starting of a petition to have her fired, which gained over 180,000 signatures.[3][4] Morris explained that she had stuttered, combining the words "Knicks" and "Lakers" into "Nakers".[5][6]
Personal life
Alison Morris lives in Manhattan with her husband, Scott, a businessman who serves as the CEO of a media strategy and design firm based in New York City.[7]
Morris is fluent in French and regularly travels to Paris to visit friends she made while working in the French capital. She is also a fan of the New York Yankees.[1]
References
- "Alison Morris". Fox 5 NY. WNYW-TV. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- Spangler, Todd (July 1, 2019). "NBC News Hires Alison Morris From Fox's NYC Station as Full-Time Anchor for Streaming Service". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- Heldman, Breanne (January 27, 2020). "MSNBC's Alison Morris Denies Using Racial Slur During Kobe Bryant Segment, Claims She Said 'Nakers'". Yahoo Entertainment. People Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- Walsh, S.M. (January 26, 2020). "Reporter Says She 'Did Not' Use Racial Slur During Kobe Bryant Report". Heavy. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- "Alison Morris Twitter profile". Twitter. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- Cruse, Ellena. "MSNBC anchor Alison Morris denies using racial slur after mispronouncing Kobe Bryant's team 'Lakers'". Evening Standard. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- "We Are Bill". We Are Bill. Retrieved 2020-01-31.