Tanya Rivero Bio, Age, Height, Husband, Children, Career, WABC-TV Eyewitness News Anchor, CBS News, AOC Interview & 2026 Facts

Tanya Rivero is the New York-born, Cuban-American journalist who traded the stage of the New York City Ballet for the anchor desk — and never looked back. Today she co-anchors WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News This Weekend at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. in the nation’s largest media market, after nearly a decade at ABC News and CBS News. She is also the broadcast journalist who took a chance on an unknown candidate named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and landed the first on-air interview with her — before anyone else saw it coming.

Quick Facts

In the world of New York broadcast journalism, Tanya Rivero stands alongside names like Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King, Robin Roberts and Liz Cho — anchors who built trust one newscast at a time. She also shares the profession with some of 2026’s most talked-about media figures, including Katie Zacharia, the commentator newly tapped as White House press secretary, and Maria Bartiromo, whose exit from Fox News dominated headlines this week.

Early Life & Education

Tanya Rivero was born and raised in New York City. Her mother is of Cuban descent, and Tanya grew up bilingual, learning Spanish at home — a skill that later made her a natural fit for ABC7’s Latino-focused programming. She attended Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School, the same institution that trains young performers balancing academics with professional careers.

Dance came first. Tanya earned a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet and, at 17, was offered an apprenticeship with the New York City Ballet. She deferred her college acceptance for three years — the longest deferral Yale University allowed — to dance in the corps, performing Balanchine classics such as Serenade, Symphony in C and Peter Martins’ production of The Sleeping Beauty. Recurring stress fractures eventually pushed her to trade pointe shoes for textbooks.

She entered Yale University, where she majored in literature and theater studies and graduated with the Class of 1995. On campus she wrote for the Yale Daily News, danced with Yale Dancers, acted in theater productions, edited a literary magazine, and taught ballet in the Payne Whitney gymnasium. After Yale she spent four years acting in New York — originating the title role in Sam Shepard’s Eyes for Consuela at Manhattan Theater Club in 1997 — before a summer job as a desk assistant at ABC News changed her plans. She went on to earn an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and it was her professors who suggested she adopt Rivero, her Cuban mother’s maiden name, as her professional name. Her birth name was Tanya Gingerich.

Career Journey

First Steps: NY1 and News 12 The Bronx (2004–2005)

Rivero started behind the scenes as a newswriter at NY1, then joined News 12 The Bronx and News 12 Brooklyn in June 2004 as a reporter — a classic “one-woman-band” shooting, writing and telling her own stories. Her hustle paid off fast: she was promoted to anchor after just six months on the job.

Local TV Breakout: WCBS-TV (2005–2007)

In July 2005 she moved to WCBS-TV (CBS 2), the flagship station of the CBS network, working as a reporter and fill-in anchor covering breaking news across New York City — crime, politics and culture. In October 2007, she was recruited for a national role.

National Rise: ABC News (2007–2013)

ABC News named Rivero an anchor and correspondent for ABC News Now, the network’s digital channel, where she hosted shows including Healthy Living and What’s the Buzz. She filled in on World News Now, America This Morning and Good Morning America, and reported for Nightline and World News with Diane Sawyer. She also hosted Good Morning America Health, where her women’s-health reporting earned her the 2011 Media Award from NAMS (The North American Menopause Society), and later hosted the finance show Good Money. During this period she anchored continuous coverage of Michael Jackson’s funeral and the 2011 Royal Wedding.

Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero: WSJ Live (2014–2017)

After a brief break, Rivero returned as host of Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero on The Wall Street Journal‘s digital network WSJ Live (April 2014–2017). The interview series put her across from leaders in politics, business and the arts — including Pete Buttigieg, Jimmy Carter, Richard Branson, Julianne Moore, Jeff Koons, Jane Goodall, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine and Tammy Duckworth.

CBS News & CBSN (2017–2024)

Rivero joined CBS News in 2017 as a correspondent and freelance anchor, and in September 2019 was named anchor of CBSN, the network’s 24/7 streaming service, hosting weekday afternoons from 12–5 p.m. ET. From the anchor chair she steered hours of breaking news through history-making events: the 2020 presidential election, the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, the release of the Mueller Report, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She anchored a one-hour CBS News special on COVID-19 and interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In the field, she was one of the first national correspondents on the scene of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting in 2022, and she covered U.S. politics extensively — including a first: booking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her first on-air interview while the unknown first-time candidate was still running against incumbent Joe Crowley in 2018. Rivero sensed AOC would overperform the polls — and she was right.

WABC-TV: Weekend Evening Anchor (July 2024–Present)

In July 2024, Rivero joined WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News as co-anchor of Eyewitness News This Weekend at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., reporting Monday through Wednesday. The move returned her to the ABC family and put her in front of the largest local audience in the country. In 2026 she remains a fixture of Channel 7’s weekend newscasts and contributes to Tiempo, WABC’s long-running Hispanic-community program — recent episodes have covered efforts to preserve Latino history in New York and New Jersey and the impact of ICE raids in Connecticut. She has called WABC “the best news station in the country” and says she plans to be there “for a long, long time.”

Career Stats

• Years in news: 20+ (career launched at News 12 in 2004)
• Newsrooms: NY1, News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn, WCBS-TV, ABC News, WSJ Live, CBS News, WABC-TV
• Signature interview: First broadcast journalist to interview Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (2018)
• Streaming firsts: Named CBSN weekday anchor in September 2019 (12–5 p.m. ET)
• Current role: WABC-TV Eyewitness News weekend evenings (5/6/11 p.m.) since July 2024
• Major events covered: 2020 election, January 6, Mueller Report, Roe v. Wade overturn, Queen Elizabeth II’s death, COVID-19 pandemic, Uvalde shooting

Personal Life

• Husband: Christopher “Chris” Warren — the couple married in a private ceremony (wedding date is private)
• Children: Two sons, Nico Warren and Silas Warren; Tanya celebrated Nico’s first published article in September 2024
• Home: The family lives in Manhattan, New York City, with a rescue dog and a Ragdoll cat
• Heritage: Proudly Cuban-American and a member of NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists)
• Community: Active in New York arts and education circles; she has lived or worked in four of the city’s five boroughs

Dating History and Affairs

Rivero is famously private about her romantic life. She has never publicly discussed a boyfriend or dating relationship, and no past affairs or rumored partnerships have ever been reported. Her only publicly known partner is her husband, Chris Warren, and the couple has kept their wedding date and family details out of the tabloids.

Controversies

None through 2026. Across more than two decades in local and national broadcasting, Tanya Rivero has built a clean record — no scandals, no on-air incidents, no public disputes. Her name shows up in the news for her reporting, not for headlines about herself.

Awards & Achievements

• 2011 Media Award from NAMS (The North American Menopause Society) for excellence in women’s-health reporting on Good Morning America Health
• First broadcast journalist to secure an on-air interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before her historic 2018 primary upset
• Anchor of record for CBS News streaming coverage of the 2020 election night, January 6, and other national breaking events
• Professional dancer with the New York City Ballet before her journalism career
• Graduate of Yale University and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

Physical Statistics

• Height: 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
• Weight: Approximately 125 lb (57 kg)
• Hair Color: Dark brown
• Eye Color: Brown
• Build: Slim and athletic — a legacy of her years in professional ballet
• Shoe Size: Private

Quotes

“There’s a huge element of performing in reporting. You’re not playing a part, but you’re a heightened version of yourself. It seemed like a natural progression to me.”

Tanya Rivero, quoted in “Tanya Rivero: Television News Anchor” career profile

“Dancing taught me the discipline and focus I use in my job every day. And of course, there are the hours. After the crazy schedule I had as a dancer, working evenings and weekends never fazes me.”

Tanya Rivero, Dance Magazine, “Beyond Performance” (2013)

Favorites

• Favorite City: New York City — “She loves New York City”
• Favorite Campus Spot: The Jonathan Edwards courtyard at Yale
• Favorite Ballet Works: Balanchine’s Serenade and Symphony in C
• Favorite Language: Spanish (spoken fluently from childhood)
• Pets: A rescue dog and a Ragdoll cat
• Favorite Kind of Story: Community-focused reporting and interviews with people making a difference

Earnings

Net worth: estimated $1–$3 million. Tanya Rivero has never publicly disclosed her finances, and published estimates vary — figures range from roughly $1 million to $3 million depending on the source, so treat any number as an estimate rather than a confirmed figure.

• WABC-TV anchor salary: Estimated around $230,000 per year (reported; unconfirmed)
• Prior network salaries: Years at CBS News and ABC News as anchor/correspondent
• WSJ Live: Three years hosting Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero
• Speaking & events: Moderator and panelist at arts and journalism events (including her 2013 symposium at the Professional Children’s School)

Interesting Facts

• She was a corps dancer with the New York City Ballet — performing under the name Tanya Gingerich — before she ever stepped into a newsroom.
• Her professional last name, Rivero, is her Cuban mother’s maiden name; her professors suggested the switch when she entered journalism.
• She was the only broadcast journalist to book Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for an on-air interview during the 2018 race — before AOC’s shock primary victory over Joe Crowley.
• She was among the first national correspondents on the ground in Uvalde, Texas after the 2022 school shooting.
• After graduating Yale, she spent four years as an actress and originated the title role of Sam Shepard’s Eyes for Consuela at Manhattan Theater Club in 1997.
• A guidance counselor once talked her into taking the SATs as a “plan B” — “It never would have occurred to me,” she has said. That plan B became Yale.
• She has lived or worked in four of New York City’s five boroughs and speaks fluent Spanish.

Did You Know Already?

• Did you know Tanya Rivero was a professional ballerina before she became a journalist?
• Did you know she is a Yale University graduate, Class of 1995?
• Did you know she anchored CBS streaming coverage of January 6, the Roe v. Wade overturn and Queen Elizabeth II’s death?
• Did you know she joined WABC-TV in July 2024 and now anchors Channel 7’s weekend evening news at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.?
• Did you know she hosts segments on Tiempo, ABC7’s Hispanic-community program, as recently as September 2026?

Social Media Links

• Official Website: tanyarivero.com
• WABC-TV Profile: abc7ny.com/about/newsteam/tanya-rivero
• IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm2929486
• LinkedIn: Tanya Rivero Warren

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Tanya Rivero’s story is proof that the road to the anchor desk can start anywhere — even at the barre of the New York City Ballet. From a one-woman-band in the Bronx to weekend evenings on Channel 7, via Yale, Columbia, ABC, The Wall Street Journal and CBS, she has covered the biggest stories of the era while staying refreshingly grounded. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with fellow Tanya Rivero and Eyewitness News fans!