Connie Chung
A trailblazing journalist who broke barriers in the anchor chair and pursued tough interviews with a calm, groundbreaking tenacity.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American TV journalist·Birthday: August 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Connie Chung's voice and presence defined a era of network news, marked by both glass-ceiling-shattering firsts and headline-making interviews. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she began her career as a copy person at a Washington D.C. station, swiftly rising through the ranks as a reporter. Her big break came covering the 1972 presidential campaign, and her sharp, clear-eyed reporting led to anchor chairs at CBS, NBC, and CNN. In 1993, she made history as the second woman ever to co-anchor a network evening news broadcast, sitting beside Dan Rather on the 'CBS Evening News.' Chung was known for a deceptively gentle interview style that could elicit stunning revelations, as when NBA star Magic Johnson disclosed his HIV diagnosis to her in a 1991 prime-time special. While her tenure in the evening chair was brief, her impact was lasting, paving the way for a more diverse face of authority in American media and proving that a quiet question could be as powerful as a shout.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Connie was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Connie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Connie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the second woman to co-anchor a major network evening newscast (CBS Evening News with Dan Rather) in 1993.
- Conducted the first major television interview with Magic Johnson after he announced he was HIV-positive in 1991.
- Anchored prime-time news magazines and programs for three major networks: CBS, NBC, and ABC.
- Won multiple Emmy Awards for her news reporting and interview specials throughout her career.
Did You Know?
Her birth name is Constance Yu-Hwa Chung.
She was married to fellow talk show host Maury Povich from 1984 until his death in 2024.
She began her career as a secretary and copy person at a local TV station.
She interviewed Claus von Bülow after his acquittal in the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny.
“I never set out to be a pioneer. I just wanted to be a good reporter.”
