Daryn Kagan

Daryn Kagan

Daryn Kagan Biography

Kagan grew up in Beverly Hills. She is a 1981 graduate of Beverly Hills High School and a 1985 graduate of Stanford University, where she double majored in American Studies and Communication.

After graduating from Stanford, Kagan sent out hundreds of demo tapes. Kagan was hired for an on-air job at a Santa Barbara television station, KEYT-TV. Kagan's next move was to a general assignment reporting position at KTVK in Phoenix. Wanting to do something other than report typical local news stories each week day, she took on additional duties reporting sports news during the weekend.

After KTVK did not renew Kagan's contract , Jim Walton, the head of CNN/SI, hired Kagan as an anchor and a news reporter. She went on to cover events including the Super Bowl, the NBA Playoffs, and international figure skating championships. Kagan was later hired by CNN's news division and as a news anchor and a reporter. She served as host of People in the News when that show debuted.

Since becoming a CNN news anchor, Kagan reported on presidential and mid-term elections. She reported on-site from the Middle East during the second Gulf War and the Washington, D.C. sniper attack investigation. Kagan traveled to Africa with musician Bono where she reported on AIDS and famine for all of the CNN networks. While in Africa, Kagan maintained a daily blog on CNN.com of her reports and experiences. Additionally, she reported live, from the red carpet, of several Academy Award ceremonies and from the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Kagan is one of a handful of national news anchors who was on the air live during the terrorist attacks on the morning of September 11, 2001. She reported throughout that day and, in later days, covered the unfolding story from CNN headquarters in Atlanta and from the network's Washington, D.C. bureau.

Daryn Kagan's site serves as the base of a company that provides hopeful and inspirational news content for various media . Kagan has hosted a PBS documentary called Breaking the Curse that tells the story of an American woman who has changed the lives of thousands of leprosy victims in India. The documentary began airing in June 2007 . Kagan has also signed an agreement with Meredith Books to write a book of inspirational true stories called What’s Possible! Creating Possibilities Beyond Life’s Five Biggest Obstacles. The book will be released in spring of 2008 .

Kagan is Jewish. Her great-grandfather was a Russian immigrant named Eiser Cohen who came to the United States through Ellis Island. Cohen settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her grandfather, Jack Kagan, later moved to the Los Angeles area. Her mother, Phyllis Kagan, is a breast cancer survivor who has appeared on CNN discussing the disease. Kagan has a younger sister named Kallan Kagan, the co-owner of a Brooklyn coffee shop, and an older brother named Mark Kagan.

Daryn Kagan is an athlete. She was on her high school track team and remains an avid runner. Kagan has driven in the annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

As a former sports reporter, Kagan retains a strong interest in professional sports. She has been on ESPN sports radio providing her insight. Kagan has denied that she is a NASCAR "junkie" though she says she can chat as "a casual gearhead".

In September 2004, Kagan became romantically involved with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. During his October 6, 2005, show, Limbaugh mentioned he received an email message from his "mistress in Georgia" that praised a speech by George W. Bush. CNN subsequently denied Kagan made the statements attributed by Limbaugh to his "mistress in Georgia." Kagan and Limbaugh broke up in February 2006.

Kagan has adopted two three-legged cats, Tripod (whom she has had for 14 years ) and I-Lean, and a dog, Darla Louise, from rescue shelters.