Tamron Hall embodies many aspirational qualities; she's an award-winning journalist, lauded
TV host, and even finds time for serious activism.
But despite appearing so natural on the small screen, Hall hasn't always known the star-studded
world in which she thrives.
This is the stunning transformation of Tamron Hall.
When it comes to origin stories, Hall's is as humble as they come.
She told Digital Journal,
"And this is where my grandfather's home once stood.
In fact, these are the steps."
She was born to a single mother, and all of the people in her life nurtured her ambitions.
Hall revealed in a Google talk,
"I was always raised in an environment where I was surrounded by strong women.
Really, really strong women."
She also had her grandfather's support and eventually the love of a stepfather, whom
she views as the father she was meant to have.
Thanks to the support of those around her, Hall was able to thrive.
"They were just really salt of the earth people who never let me believe that winning wasn't
an option."
Hall hit the ground running, when it came to her career.
Her first job out of college was as a reporter at KBTX in Texas, according to MSNBC.
After that, she spent four years at KTVT Dallas, before later moving onto a ten-year stint
at WFLD Chicago in 1997.
She joked in Variety magazine,
She was also nominated for an Emmy award for her consumer report segment, "The Bottom Line."
Those early years set Hall up for success and helped her grow as a journalist.
She told the outlet,
But despite her success, Hall was about to experience something she could never prepare
for…
In 2004, devastating tragedy impacted Hall's life in a big way.
People reported that after enduring years of domestic abuse from multiple men, Hall's
sister, Renate, was found beaten to death in the pool of her Texas home.
"I called my dad.
And my dad ever so, you know, steady said Baby…
Renate is dead."
No arrest was ever made in the case of Renate's death.
But Hall had witnessed the man, who was later named as the only person of interest, act
violently toward her late sister, before.
Hall told People,
"We know who was responsible.
But separate, in part, from her death, we know and witnessed and I witnessed incidents
of violence."
It was much later that Hall was able to speak about domestic violence publicly, and advocate
for survivors.
Ten years after her sister's death, Hall decided that she wanted to do something, telling TheGrio,
"So how do you think we can save a life?"
In 2014, Hall participated in Today's Shine a Light series, to raise awareness of domestic
violence.
She wrote for Today,
After working over a decade in local stations in Texas and Chicago, Hall landed a gig at
MSNBC in 2007.
She held a variety of positions at the network, including anchoring NewsNation, hosting Dateline,
covering the 2012 London Olympics, and hosting the NBC News special The Inauguration of Barack
Obama, the latter earning her an Emmy for outstanding live coverage in 2010.
"That history was there in front of you, and history for the first time, looked like me."
Then in 2013, Hall signed on with Investigation Discovery to host Deadline: Crime with Tamron
Hall.
The show dove deep into true crime stories, something obviously near and dear to Hall's
heart.
She told TheGrio,
"I think the show is consistent with a lot of what you see on Discovery (ID)... they are just intrigued and really pulled in by real life drama."
2014 proved to be a major year for Hall, when she made history as the first black woman
to become an anchor on the Today show.
"There are days where I look through my phone at all the celebrity selfies and moments on
the show that we've snapped and it's like, 'That happened?'"
And as you might expect, Hall was thrilled to land the position.
She admitted to Essence,
"I'm like 10 or 12 years old, I'd never seen an African American, you know, anchor…
My dad said that could be you."
While Hall acknowledges how groundbreaking it is to be the face of change, she hopes
people can see her whole story, too.
She told Digital Journal,
For as much as Tamron Hall has evolved throughout her life, one thing has remained a constant
for her: her faith.
She shared with Good Morning Texas,
Her strong spirituality also provides Hall with a genuine sense of purpose in her life.
She added,
Everyone on Team Tamron was crestfallen when her departure from the Today show was announced
in 2017.
"As some of you may have heard by now, our good friend Tamron Hall has decided to leave NBC News."
The news came less than a week after NBC made public that they would be replacing Hall's
hour on the show, which she co-anchored with Al Roker, with programming hosted by Megyn
Kelly.
The decision to replace two successful black co-anchors with a white journalist who had
been criticized for offensive remarks about people of color in the past was met with ire
by the National Association of Black Journalists, who accused NBC of whitewashing.
Kelly has since been let go from Megyn Kelly Today for offensive remarks about donning
blackface, as reported by NBC News.
But despite what people might have speculated, Hall eventually came to terms with the turn
of events.
She told Variety,
In 2017, just three months before The New York Times broke the story on Harvey Weinstein's
alleged misconduct, Hall had signed a contract with The Weinstein Company for a talk show.
"The New York Times reporting allegations by numerous women who say the Hollywood mogul
sexually harassed them."
But when she found out about the allegations against the now-disgraced executive, she was
horrified.
She said in an interview with HuffPost,
In fact, Hall was apparently so furious that she picked up the phone and called Weinstein
at five o'clock in the morning to confront him about the allegations with a "take no
prisoners" approach.
Weinstein apologized to her and claimed he needed help.
In a 2018 interview with Black Enterprise, Hall revealed an unpleasant encounter she
had on social media.
She explained,
"I'm the girl next door.
I'm the girl from the underdog background, but that doesn't make me extraordinary.
That makes me like my neighbors who are also the girls and guys next door."
But it seemed not everyone was feeling so positive about Hall's statement, and they
took to social media to let her know just how they felt.
She continued,
She further elaborated on that sentiment, noting,
"I choose to use my voice for a greater good and if someone thinks it's exploitation or
they're tired of another celebrity telling their story, that's your problem."
As Hall has gotten older, she's realized that, while she's been very successful in her career,
there are a few things she'd like to spend more time appreciating.
She shared in her talk with Google,
"I've been on TV since I was 18… and I never truly stopped to smell the roses because I
was always looking for the next garden."
In fact, her hustle kept her so busy that she was once worked three separate gigs at
the same time!
Given that, it makes sense that she simply hasn't had time to appreciate other aspects
of her life.
So Hall is making sure to slow things down a little bit and cultivate a life outside
of work.
She said,
"It's like I'm stopping to smell the flowers and the garden, and individually what they
mean for my life…
We all owe it to ourselves, ultimately, to stop and smell the roses."
Hall blew up Instagram in March, 2019 with a double surprise announcement.
She posted a video and a picture of herself, revealing that she was pregnant, writing,
"Ultimately, with my schedule, with my life, I want to make sure that I'm a present parent."
But Hall wasn't done sharing the good news.
In the same post, she revealed that she was also married, writing,
She then asked her followers for prayers and good energy, assuring her followers that she
would have more to share when the baby arrived.
Fans finally got to meet her bundle of joy, a son, Moses, on April 25th, 2019.
So, what's next for this multi-talented award-winner, considering everything that's been going on
in her life?
Well, she's finally getting her very own show!
She gushed in a post to her Instagram,
And that's not all.
She's also making some other big moves.
She revealed,
Hall is finally truly taking the reins in regards to her career.
And Geddie has expressed his excitement about the venture, too.
He shared in an interview with Broadway World,
Considering the incredible life this talented woman has already lived, would you expect
anything less?
We can't wait to tune in for our favorite host!
"You're coming into our community, you're coming into our house, so let's talk about
it."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.