Elizabeth Vargas
Elizabeth Vargas – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes
Discover the full life story of Elizabeth Vargas — from her multicultural upbringing and journalistic breakthrough to her battles with anxiety and alcoholism, and the inspiring insights she shares today.
Introduction
Elizabeth Anne Vargas (born September 6, 1962) is a prominent American television journalist, investigative reporter, and documentary anchor. Over decades in broadcasting, she became a trusted name through her work on ABC News, 20/20, and a variety of investigative series. She also openly shared her struggles with anxiety and addiction, turning her personal journey into a beacon of hope and transparency. Vargas’s blend of credibility, empathy, and resilience has earned her widespread respect — not just as a news anchor, but as a human voice behind the headlines.
Early Life and Family
Elizabeth Vargas was born on September 6, 1962 in Paterson, New Jersey.
Because of her father’s military career, Elizabeth spent much of her childhood moving among posts in Germany, Belgium, Japan, and various locations in the U.S. Her upbringing across different cultures and environments exposed her early to diverse perspectives — a background that would later inform her reporting style.
Education & Formative Years
After high school, Vargas entered the University of Missouri in Columbia, a school with a strong tradition in journalism. 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
These early experiences cultivated her journalistic discipline, curiosity, and the ability to tell stories with both technical rigor and emotional resonance — traits that would mark her career heading forward.
Career and Achievements
Early Reporting Years (1984–1993)
Vargas began her career in local news. She first worked at KTVN (a CBS affiliate in Reno), then moved to Phoenix to work at KTVK (an ABC affiliate), and later to Chicago at WBBM-TV.
In 1993, she joined NBC News, contributing to Now with Tom Brokaw & Katie Couric and later serving as a correspondent on Dateline NBC. She also filled in as anchor for Today and weekend editions of NBC Nightly News. This stage gave her exposure to national audiences and sharpened her skills in investigative, feature, and anchoring roles.
Rise at ABC & National Prominence
In 1996, Elizabeth Vargas transitioned to ABC News, taking on roles in Good Morning America as a newsreader and gradually building toward primetime duties. 20/20, co-anchor for World News Tonight, and host for ABC News specials.
She was part of a lineage of women who led national evening newscasts. Vargas became the first national evening news anchor of Puerto Rican and Irish-American heritage, and one of the few women to anchor evening network news in the U.S.
Among her notable accolades, Vargas won an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Elián González story. 20/20 coverage of Hurricane Sandy, which contributed to a Peabody Award in 2013.
Investigative & Documentary Work (Post-2018)
In May 2018, Vargas officially departed ABC. Cults & Extreme Belief.
In 2023, she embarked on a new role as the host of Elizabeth Vargas Reports on NewsNation, a prime time news program. America’s Most Wanted in its 2021 revival.
Through these roles, Vargas expanded from news anchor into deeper storytelling territory — investigative documentaries, long-form journalism, and series with social impact.
Personality, Struggles & Strengths
Elizabeth Vargas is known for combining journalistic credibility with vulnerability. She is fluent in English, and also proficient in Spanish and French (reflecting her multicultural roots).
However, her professional success has coexisted with personal anguish. Vargas has candidly shared her longtime battles with anxiety, panic attacks, and alcoholism. Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction (published in 2016), she traces how she hid her anxiety for years, believing that openness would be seen as weakness, and how this silence contributed to her addiction.
She has spoken about entering rehab in 2013, relapsing, and eventually committing to sobriety. 2014, and since then she has used practices like meditation and seeking support as stabilizing tools.
Her willingness to speak on these deeply personal challenges has made her not just a journalist, but a public figure of empathy — someone whose life is layered, not sanitized.
In her personal life, Vargas was married to singer-songwriter Marc Cohn from 2002 until their divorce in 2014. They have two sons, Zach and Sam, and she also has two stepchildren from Cohn’s prior marriage.
Famous Quotes of Elizabeth Vargas
Here are several memorable quotes attributed to Elizabeth Vargas, reflecting her worldview, struggles, and heart:
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“We’re way overdue on a woman sitting in one of those Big Three chairs.”
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“I think there’s nothing better in the world than a spirited discussion about the Bible and Jesus and God and the Catholic faith, or the Jewish faith, or the Muslim faith — any religion.”
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“I am not a pregnant working mother wronged.”
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“For now, for this year, I need to be a good mother.”
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“I worked in three local news markets and in every single one of them, they said: ‘You’re a lousy anchor ... but we’re not going to have you anchor.’”
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“Denial is huge for any alcoholic, especially for a functioning alcoholic … I’m not living under a bridge. I haven’t been arrested.”
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“Everyone has something that scares them. Everyone must make a choice at some point whether to be brave. Everyone has a story.”
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“You cannot turn your brain off or stop your thoughts, but you can try ... not to become too invested in them.”
These quotes underscore themes of resilience, accountability, representation, and the hidden burdens people often carry.
Lessons from Elizabeth Vargas
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Bravery in vulnerability
Vargas’s openness about anxiety and addiction teaches that showing struggle does not diminish one’s strength — it can deepen connection and trust. -
Persistence beyond rejection
Her quote about being told she was a “lousy anchor” early in her career demonstrates that setbacks do not define one’s trajectory if one perseveres. -
Representation matters
Her drive to ascend to the “Big Three chairs” reflects the importance of pushing boundaries so that others (especially women and people of diverse heritages) see what is possible. -
Healing is continuous
Recovery from addiction and mental health challenges is not a one-time fix but an ongoing path, and Vargas models that through meditation, self-awareness, and seeking help. -
Journalism with empathy
Her style shows that news reporting can be incisive and factual, yet human — giving space to emotion, context, and story behind the lines. -
Life beyond the byline
Vargas’s transition into documentary and long-form storytelling underscores that one’s career can evolve in meaningful directions — not just staying in familiar roles.
Legacy & Influence
Elizabeth Vargas has left and continues to build a multifaceted legacy:
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She pushed forward in a field often dominated by men and challenged assumptions about who anchors national news.
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Her transparency about mental health and addiction has helped destigmatize those topics in public discourse.
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Through her investigative work and documentary projects, she has contributed meaningful, in-depth journalism on important social issues.
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Younger journalists and viewers see her as a role model who combines strength with authenticity — someone who doesn’t erase flaws but learns from them.
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Her book, Between Breaths, stands as a testament to resilience and invites readers into the complex life inside the public eye.
Conclusion
Elizabeth Vargas, born September 6, 1962, is a distinguished journalist whose life and career reflect courage, transformation, and voice. From the shifting landscapes of her childhood to her rise in network news, and from her darkest battles with anxiety to her reclamation of strength, her story is not only journalistic but deeply human.
If you’d like, I can create a timeline of her major career milestones, a visual gallery, or a collection of extended interviews and speeches. Which would you prefer next?