Thomas Roberts

Biography:

Thomas Albert Roberts (born October 5, 1972) is an American television journalist who has served as a news anchor for MSNBC. He spent seven years anchoring MSNBC Live on weekends from 5–7 p.m. ET and previously hosted Way Too Early while contributing to Morning Joe. Roberts also worked as an NBC News correspondent and occasional fill-in anchor for Today and NBC Nightly News. On November 18, 2017, he announced his departure from MSNBC to pursue other opportunities. On August 14, 2020, it was revealed that Roberts would host season four of DailyMailTV.

Roberts was raised in a Roman Catholic family in Towson, Maryland, and attended Catholic schools, graduating from Calvert Hall College High School. He earned a B.A. in communication with a minor in journalism from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1994.

His career began at a small cable station in Westminster, Maryland, before moving to San Diego to work as a writer and field producer for NBC affiliate KNSD. He then became a general-assignment reporter at ABC affiliate KLKN-TV in Lincoln, Nebraska. Roberts later anchored nightly news and served as an investigative reporter at Fox affiliate WFTX-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, and WAVY-TV, an NBC affiliate in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he co-anchored an afternoon newscast and worked as the station’s investigative and consumer correspondent.

In December 2001, Roberts joined CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, anchoring weekday editions of CNN Headline News alongside Judy Fortin, Sophia Choi, and Kathleen Kennedy. He covered major events including the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the Iraq War. In 2002, he earned an Emmy nomination for his investigative reporting on a puppy mill that was eventually shut down. Roberts left CNN on May 1, 2007, to explore new journalistic opportunities in Washington, D.C., and to be with his partner.

Roberts briefly worked in Los Angeles on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider but later transitioned away from tabloid journalism. He also worked as a CBS News correspondent in Los Angeles, covering aspects of the Conrad Murray trial. In April 2010, he began freelancing for MSNBC in New York City and became a full-time anchor in December, hosting Live with Thomas Roberts until its cancellation in 2016. The show won an Emmy for its coverage of the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision. Roberts also hosted Out There with Thomas Roberts, a weekly digital news program focused on LGBT equality, through 2015.

He made a cameo in The Avengers, reporting on an “extraterrestrial invasion” for MSNBC. Roberts frequently served as a fill-in anchor on Today and NBC Nightly News, and temporarily hosted Countdown with Keith Olbermann in 2010. In July 2015, he became the first openly gay evening news anchor on network television while anchoring NBC Nightly News. After a reduced role at MSNBC, Roberts left NBC in November 2017.

In June 2018, Roberts became the evening anchor at WGCL-46, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, resigning on August 16, 2019, citing a misfit with the role despite amicable relations with the station. His tenure faced controversy due to accusations of fostering a toxic work environment alongside co-anchor Sharon Reed, who also departed the station.

From September 2020 to August 2022, Roberts hosted The Daily Mail TV. He has also co-hosted major pageants, including the 2013 Miss Universe pageant with Melanie Brown, Miss USA 2014 with Giuliana Rancic, and the 2014 Miss Universe pageant with Natalie Morales.