- published: 14 Jun 2016
- views: 387832
Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American television commentator and author. She was crowned the 1989 Miss America while representing her native state of Minnesota. She continues to work with the Miss America Pageant and has served as a national celebrity spokesperson for March of Dimes.
Carlson graduated from Stanford University before embarking on a career in television. Gaining experience as anchor and reporter for several local network affiliates, she joined CBS News as a correspondent in 2000 and became the co-host of the Saturday Early Show. In 2005, Carlson moved to Fox News Channel and became the co-host of the morning show Fox & Friends along with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. In 2013, she announced her departure from Fox & Friends and soon thereafter launched a new program called The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson.
Carlson was raised in a Lutheran family in Anoka, Minnesota, the daughter of Karen and Lee Carlson. She is of Swedish descent. Her father owned a car dealership with her uncle. She has two brothers and one sister. Her grandfather was the pastor of the then second-largest Lutheran church in the United States. She graduated from Anoka-Hennepin School District 11's Anoka High School, where she was the 1984 class valedictorian. One of her childhood nannies was Michele Bachmann, the future Republican congresswoman.