Kayna Whitworth, full name Kayna Logan Whitworth, was born on July 4, 1982, in Aurora, Colorado. She is an American broadcast journalist and correspondent for ABC News.
Whitworth has covered major national stories for over a decade, including the Idaho student murders and the Los Angeles wildfires.
Who is Kayna Whitworth?
Kayna Whitworth is a correspondent and anchor for ABC News, appearing regularly on Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, and Nightline. She has reported for the network since 2015 and is based in Los Angeles.
Whitworth built her reputation through breaking news coverage across the country. She has anchored stories ranging from criminal trials to natural disasters.
She also hosts the ABC Audio podcast The King Road Killings. The podcast covers the ongoing story of the University of Idaho student murders, a case she has reported on extensively since 2022.
Before joining ABC, Whitworth worked her way through local television newsrooms in four states. That path took her from Oregon to Idaho, then Arizona, then Massachusetts, before she reached the network level.
Early Life of Kayna Whitworth
Whitworth was born and raised in Colorado. Her father, Rocky Whitworth, worked as a high school football coach, and her mother, Mary Whitworth, helped raise the family alongside him.
She grew up moving frequently around the state because of her father’s coaching jobs. By her own account, the family relocated 16 times before she finished high school in Aurora.
Whitworth has a younger sibling named Kellen. Her father’s career instilled in her an early interest in storytelling and sports, which later shaped her path into journalism.
Kayna Whitworth Age
Kayna Whitworth is 44 years old as of 2026, born on July 4, 1982. Her zodiac sign is Cancer.
She has spent more than two decades in broadcast journalism since starting her first reporting job in 2005. That career began just months after she finished college.
Kayna Whitworth Ethnicity and Nationality
Whitworth holds American nationality and was born in Aurora, Colorado. She is of White American background, according to publicly available profiles.
Her family has deep roots in Colorado, where her father built a long career coaching high school football. That upbringing shaped her connection to small-town and rural America, a theme she has carried into her reporting.
Kayna Whitworth Height and Weight
Whitworth stands around 5 feet 8 inches tall, or approximately 1.73 meters. Her exact current weight is not publicly confirmed.
She has been described as having a tall, on-camera presence suited to field reporting. That physicality has served her well during assignments that involve outdoor and high-stakes conditions.
Kayna Whitworth Education
Whitworth earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies from Colorado State University in 2005. She began her studies at Arizona State University before transferring to Colorado State to complete her degree.
Her coursework in communication and media studies laid the groundwork for her career in broadcast journalism. She entered the field almost immediately after graduating.
Kayna Whitworth Career
Local News Beginnings
Whitworth started her journalism career in September 2005 as a reporter and morning anchor at KTVZ in Bend, Oregon. She worked there for roughly three years, covering both general news and sports.
She left KTVZ in 2008 and moved to Boise, Idaho, joining KBOI-TV as a morning anchor. At KBOI, she anchored a three-hour solo morning show and worked as a multimedia journalist, shooting, writing, and editing her own segments.
In November 2010, Whitworth relocated to Tucson, Arizona, to anchor at KOLD-TV, a CBS affiliate. She spent about two years there before her next move.
In December 2012, she joined WHDH in Boston, Massachusetts, as a weekend evening and weekday morning anchor. During her time in Boston, she covered the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the arrests of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez and organized crime figure Whitey Bulger.
Joining ABC News
Whitworth joined ABC News in June 2015 as a Los Angeles-based correspondent. Since then, she has reported across nearly all of the network’s programs, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, Nightline, and 20/20.
Her assignments have taken her into extreme and physically demanding environments. She has slept in a tent on an Arctic ice floe in sub-30-degree temperatures and spent time aboard the USS Pasadena, a nuclear submarine, during a U.S. Navy training exercise.
She also climbed 200 feet up a sequoia tree to report on how a changing climate is affecting some of the world’s oldest trees. In 2018, she covered the eruption of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii, an assignment that required her to leave her infant son at home while she reported from the field.
For her coverage of Washington state’s endangered Snake River, Whitworth received an Emmy Award. That recognition came from her reporting on rural and environmental issues, a subject she has said she is passionate about highlighting.
Recent Work
Since 2022, Whitworth has led ABC News’ coverage of the University of Idaho student murders. She has reported extensively on the case, including the arrest and prosecution of Bryan Kohberger, and hosts the ABC Audio podcast The King Road Killings, which follows the story.
In 2025, she reported on the funeral and memorial arrangements for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, working alongside ABC colleague Luke Barr. She has also covered wildfires in California, including reporting from the Pacific Palisades area during the 2025 Los Angeles fires.
Whitworth has anchored breaking political coverage as well, including reporting tied to a criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump. She continues to appear regularly across ABC News platforms as of 2026.
Kayna Whitworth Awards and Recognition
Whitworth’s most notable honor is an Emmy Award for her coverage of the endangered Snake River in Washington state. The recognition came during her tenure at ABC News.
She has built a reputation within the network for her willingness to take on physically demanding assignments. That includes extreme-weather reporting and coverage of high-profile criminal cases.
Kayna Whitworth Husband
Whitworth is married to Rhett Lewis, a sports broadcaster who has worked for the NFL Network and as a radio analyst for Indiana University football. The two met while both working at WHDH in Boston.
They married on May 15, 2015, in a private ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lewis has since built his own broadcasting career, including hosting duties on NFL Network programs such as Path to the Draft.
Whitworth often credits Lewis publicly for his role as a hands-on father. The couple balances two demanding broadcasting careers while raising their family in the Los Angeles area.
Kayna Whitworth Children
Whitworth and Lewis have two sons. Their first son, Conway, was born on August 23, 2017.
Their second son, Wylder, was born on April 13, 2019. Whitworth has described herself publicly as a boy mom and frequently shares family updates from hikes, holidays, and travel.
She has spoken openly about the challenges of balancing a demanding correspondent schedule with parenting.
Whitworth has said she relies heavily on her parents, who travel from Colorado to help with childcare during breaking news assignments.
Kayna Whitworth Net Worth
Kayna Whitworth’s estimated net worth is $1 million as of 2026. Her income comes primarily from her correspondent and anchor work at ABC News.
She has built her career steadily since 2005, moving through local newsrooms in four states before reaching the network level. That path has shaped a career now spanning more than two decades in broadcast journalism.
Kayna Whitworth Social Media
Whitworth is active on Instagram under @kaynawhitworth, where she shares both professional updates and family moments.
She also posts on X under @KaynaWhitworth, often sharing breaking news updates from her assignments.
Whitworth maintains a Facebook page under her name as well, where she shares her ABC News reporting.
The Bottom Line
Whitworth has led ABC News’ coverage of the University of Idaho murders since 2022, hosting the network’s podcast The King Road Killings on the case. She earned an Emmy Award for her reporting on Washington state’s endangered Snake River.
She grew up moving 16 times around Colorado as the daughter of a high school football coach, an upbringing she has said shaped her interest in rural American stories. Whitworth is known within ABC News for taking on physically demanding assignments, from Arctic ice floes to a Navy submarine.
She continues to report for Good Morning America and World News Tonight with David Muir in 2026, alongside hosting her true crime podcast.
Whitworth balances that career with raising her two sons, Conway and Wylder, alongside her husband, Rhett Lewis.
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