Kari Ann Lake, born on August 23, 1969, in Rock Island, Illinois, is an American former television news anchor, politician, and Trump administration appointee.
She anchored the evening news at KSAZ-TV (Fox 10 Phoenix) for 22 years before entering Republican politics.
In 2025, President Donald Trump appointed her as a senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Who is Kari Lake?
Kari Lake is an American political figure and former television news anchor. Her full name is Kari Ann Lake, though she is known publicly by her maiden name. She served as the evening news anchor at KSAZ-TV (Fox 10 Phoenix) for more than two decades.
Lake stepped away from broadcasting in March 2021 and pivoted to Republican politics. She ran as the GOP nominee for governor of Arizona in 2022, with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
After losing the 2022 governor’s race and a 2024 U.S. Senate bid, Lake joined the Trump administration in 2025. Trump appointed her as a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the federal parent organization of Voice of America.
Her tenure at USAGM has involved significant legal controversy. In March 2026, a federal judge ruled that her actions as acting CEO were unlawful, voiding staff cuts and other decisions she made in that role.
She uses the professional name Kari Lake rather than her married name, Kari Halperin. The family has been based in Phoenix, Arizona for most of her adult life.
Early Life of Kari Lake
Kari Lake grew up in rural eastern Iowa as the youngest of nine children. Her father, Larry Lake, worked as a social studies teacher and a football and basketball coach. Her mother, Sheila Lake, worked as a nurse. Both parents were originally from Wisconsin.
When Kari was seven years old, her parents divorced, and her father won custody. Larry Lake taught at North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge, Iowa, where Kari was also a student.
Lake has spoken about her upbringing with warmth. She described her father’s influence as central to her confidence. Her mother, Sheila, whom she called an amazing human, played a nurturing role in her early years.
Lake graduated from North Scott Senior High School a year early, at age 16. This early graduation reflected both her academic drive and her eagerness to start her career. From Iowa, she went on to pursue higher education and eventually a career in broadcast journalism.
Kari Lake Age
Kari Lake is 56 years old as of 2026, born on August 23, 1969.
She is a Virgo by zodiac sign. Lake spent 22 years at Fox 10 Phoenix before leaving the anchor desk at age 51.
Kari Lake Ethnicity and Nationality
Kari Lake is American by nationality. Her family background is rooted in Midwestern European heritage, with ancestry tracing back to England, France, Norway, Wales, Scotland, and Irish roots through her parents, both of whom were natives of Wisconsin.
Lake has not made detailed public statements about her precise ethnic background, and her ancestry has been a topic of public speculation.
What is verified through genealogical records and reporting is that both of her parents were white Americans of mixed European descent.
Kari Lake Education
Lake attended North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge, Iowa, graduating at the age of 16. After high school, she enrolled at the University of Iowa, where she pursued communications and journalism.
Lake earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and journalism from the University of Iowa in 1991. This degree directly launched her media career, as she began internship work at KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, while still completing her studies.
Her journalism education gave her the technical and editorial foundation she would use across more than two decades on the anchor desk in Phoenix.
Kari Lake Career
Kari Lake spent more than 30 years working in television news and public life. Her career moved from intern work in Iowa to a leading anchor role in one of the country’s largest media markets, before a sharp pivot into Republican politics and federal government service.
Early Career
In May 1991, Lake began her television career as an intern at KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa. She transitioned to a production assistant role and later moved into on-screen work, reporting daily news and filling in as a weekend weathercaster.
By 1992, Lake joined WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois, where she worked as a daily reporter and weekend weathercaster. In August 1994, she was hired by KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona, as a weekend weather anchor. That move brought her to the market where she would build her reputation.
While at KPNX, she met Jeff Halperin, who worked there as a photojournalist. The two later moved together to Albany, New York, where Lake anchored at WNYT-TV. In 1999, the couple returned to Phoenix.
Major Positions Held
In 1999, Lake joined KSAZ-TV (Fox 10 Phoenix) as an evening news anchor. She remained at that station for 22 years, becoming one of the most recognized faces in Arizona television news. During her tenure, she interviewed prominent political figures including President Barack Obama in 2016 and President Donald Trump in 2020.
Lake covered a wide range of significant stories over her two decades at Fox 10, from Arizona political events to major national stories. By the time she left, she was the station’s top-rated anchor.
Lake announced her resignation from Fox 10 in March 2021. She cited dissatisfaction with the direction of the media industry. In the months before and after leaving, she attended anti-mask rallies in Arizona, signaling a political shift.
Current Role and Political Career
Lake announced her candidacy for governor of Arizona in June 2021. She won the Republican primary in August 2022, receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement. In the November 2022 general election, she lost to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs by 17,117 votes out of roughly 2.6 million cast.
Lake refused to concede the 2022 race and filed multiple legal challenges. Arizona courts rejected each challenge, finding no clear evidence of fraud or misconduct affecting the outcome.
In 2024, Lake ran for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona vacated by Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She won the Republican primary over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, again with Trump’s endorsement.
Democrat Ruben Gallego defeated her in November 2024 by more than 80,000 votes, a margin of 2.4 percentage points.
Following her second electoral loss, Trump nominated Lake as director of Voice of America in December 2024. Under federal law, that position requires Senate confirmation, which she did not receive.
Instead, Trump appointed her as a senior adviser to USAGM in March 2025.
Kari Lake Political Career and Notable Coverage
In July 2025, Lake was designated deputy CEO of USAGM. She then used that designation to assume the acting CEO role and, in March 2025, ordered Voice of America programs halted and placed more than 1,300 workers on paid administrative leave following Trump’s executive order to reduce VOA’s footprint.
Federal courts repeatedly challenged these actions. In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted a summary judgment finding that Lake’s acting CEO designation violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. The ruling voided all actions Lake took in that role, including the staff cuts, and ordered employees back to work.
In January 2026, Lake also appeared on Voice of America’s Persian-language service and praised President Trump, drawing a lawsuit from VOA journalists who alleged she violated federal laws protecting the broadcaster’s editorial independence.
Lake published a memoir in June 2023 titled Unafraid: Just Getting Started, released by Winning Team Publishing. The book detailed her career in Arizona journalism and her 2022 gubernatorial campaign.
Kari Lake Books and Publications
Kari Lake published Unafraid: Just Getting Started in June 2023. The book covers her journey from news anchor to political candidate and outlines her view of the 2022 Arizona governor’s race.
Business Insider reported that in the five months following publication, she earned $27,000 from book sales and $20,000 from a paid speaking engagement.
Kari Lake Husband
Kari Lake has been married to Jeff Halperin since September 26, 1998. The two met while working at KPNX in Phoenix in 1994, where Halperin was a photojournalist, and Lake had just joined as a weekend weather anchor. After moving to Albany, New York together, they married and later returned to Phoenix in 1999.
Halperin has worked as a photojournalist, videographer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of ZenHD, a video production company based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also listed as a principal at Awake Media LLC, where Lake is listed as manager per Arizona corporation records.
Lake was previously married to electrical engineer Tracy Finnegan, a marriage that lasted from 1991 to 1993. Her marriage to Halperin has been her second and much longer partnership, spanning more than 27 years by 2026.
Halperin supported Lake’s political campaigns, providing videography services for outreach efforts targeting the Latino community. The family lives in a Phoenix, Arizona gated community.
Kari Lake Children
Kari Lake and Jeff Halperin have two children together. Their daughter, Ruby Halperin, was born on March 30, 2003. Their son, Leo Halperin, was born on October 10, 2008.
Ruby joined her mother on the campaign trail during Lake’s 2024 U.S. Senate race and has worked as an executive assistant for Turning Point USA. Leo has been enrolled at Northern Arizona University studying Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communications.
Lake did not have children from her first marriage. She and Halperin confirmed no additional children during their divorce filing proceedings in 2022 and 2023 legal matters.
Kari Lake Net Worth
Kari Lake’s estimated net worth is $2 million as of 2026. Celebrity Net Worth, one of the most cited financial reference sites for public figures, places her net worth at this figure.
Her primary income source was her 22-year career as a television news anchor at KSAZ-TV in Phoenix, one of the country’s major local news markets. Speaking engagements and her 2023 book, Unafraid: Just Getting Started, have added to her earnings since leaving broadcasting.
Business Insider reported she earned $20,000 from a paid speech and $27,000 from book sales in a five-month window after the book’s release.
Disclosure reports also showed that Lake invested between $1,000 and $15,000 in Trump Media and Technology Group stock. The family’s home in a Phoenix gated community carries a publicly estimated value of over $1.2 million.
Kari Lake Social Media
Lake is active on X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @KariLake. She has used the platform consistently for political commentary, campaign updates, and public statements since her gubernatorial run in 2021.
Lake has also been active on Instagram, where she posted personal and campaign content throughout her political campaigns. Her Instagram handle during her Fox 10 years was @karilakefox10.
The Bottom Line
Kari Lake spent 22 years as the top-rated evening news anchor at Fox 10 Phoenix, interviewing Presidents Obama and Trump before walking away from broadcasting in March 2021. She went on to become the Republican nominee for governor of Arizona in 2022, becoming one of the most discussed political figures in the country that cycle.
Her dual Wisconsin-rooted upbringing in Iowa, her father’s emphasis on self-reliance, and her long career in local journalism shaped her public voice. She published her memoir, Unafraid: Just Getting Started, in June 2023, detailing her career and political journey.
As of 2026, Lake continues to serve as a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media following a federal court ruling in March 2026 that voided her actions as acting CEO of the agency. We hope you enjoyed reading about Kari Lake. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!