News Anchors Who Were Caught Cheating

The following references sexual assault allegations.

Whether we like it or not, infidelity is a part of life. Now, that's not to say everyone will be impacted by infidelity, just that it's perhaps more common than one might realize. University of Utah professor Nicholas Wolfinger told LiveScience in 2016 that about one-fourth of married men will step out, while a smaller, still significant, fraction of married women will cheat. 

As anyone who follows celebrity news knows, public figures are not immune to adultery. From Jay-Z and Adam Levine to Anthony Weiner and Prince Charles, plenty of public figures throughout history have been accused of being unfaithful to their spouses. And sometimes, the people who usually report on the stories about public figures cheating on their significant others end up being the ones doing the cheating. And sometimes, following those affairs (pun intended) can almost be as juicy as following the affairs of A-list Hollywood stars. Whether the anchor cheated with a co-host or another local public figure, the details can be wild and almost unbelievable. But trust us, the stories are all, amazingly, quite real.

Many extramarital affairs are complicated, but few contain nearly as many details as the affair between Alycia Lane and Larry Mendte. The former Philadelphia news anchors were engaged in an affair that reportedly began sexually in nature and eventually became criminal.

In the mid-aughts, Lane and Mendte were employed by the same CBS affiliate. Per the Daily Mail, their relationship reportedly became more than just professional, though the details given by either party were too dissimilar to make sense of what actually happened. Mendte claimed Lane came onto him, while Lane maintained the opposite, and even denied the affair entirely. Despite disagreeing on the specific details of their alleged affair, both parties confirmed the aftermath: Mendte hacked Lane's email and sent messages that damaged her career. Mendte lost his job and spent six months on house arrest due to his actions.

Lane sued her former employer and Mendte over the hacking ordeal, and a decade after the alleged affair occurred, the lawsuit was settled. "I repeatedly and illegally invaded [Lane's] personal email accounts, obtained personal information and fed stories to the press to make it appear as if she was carrying on inappropriate relationships with men, which was untrue and unfair," Mendte said in a statement, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. If there's a lesson in this story, we're not sure what it is.

In 2020, T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach joined forces on "GMA 3," but two years later, their tenure as co-hosts came to an abrupt end. In late 2022, the Daily Mail reported that the news anchors, who are both married to other people, had struck up an affair while preparing for a marathon in March of that year. The outlet shared paparazzi photos of the two canoodling at bars, riding in cars together, and taking trips to furtive locations. Though Holmes and Robach maintained their hosting duties initially upon the news break, they were soon pulled from the "GMA" desk. 

Per CNN, ABC President Kim Godwin said in an email to employees, "While that relationship is not a violation of company policy, I have really taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organization. And so, for now, I am going to take Amy and TJ off the air, while we figure this out."

Not long after Holmes's and Robach's departures, Page Six reported that Holmes had been unfaithful to his wife with more than just his co-host. Sources alleged that Holmes pursued relationships with several women working at ABC, one of them noting, "T.J.'s cheating with ABC staffers was definitely one of the reasons why they were yanked off. It has become a distraction."

On November 29, 2017, Savannah Guthrie began "Today" with a somber message from former NBC Chairman Andy Lack. "We received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer ... As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment. While it is the first complaint about his behavior ... we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." More women soon came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against the anchor. 

The public soon learned more about Lauer's behind-the-scenes behavior, which was evidently an open secret. Per Variety, in Ronan Farrow's "Catch and Kill," former NBC employee Brooke Nevils accused Lauer of sexual assault; Lauer acknowledged he had a sexual relationship with Nevils, though he claimed everything was consensual. In 2019, Page Six reported that Lauer allegedly had an affair with a fellow star anchor who said she had to sign an NDA when she left NBC in 2012. In 2017, former "Today" PA Addie Collins told Variety that she and Lauer engaged in an affair when she was a staffer. "Even though my situation with Matt was consensual, I ultimately felt like a victim because of the power dynamic," she said.

In 2019, Lauer's wife of over 20 years, Annette Roque, filed for divorce. Their marriage was officially over some months later. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

In 2005, Fox 5 anchor Holly Morris divorced her husband, CNN weatherman Tom Sater. But the public had to wait 10 years to learn the details of their split. Morris appeared on the "I Still Have a Keycard" podcast and told host Sarah Fraser all but the name of the woman she caught her ex-husband cheating with.

"I came to Fox 5 and I was married to one person, and then that person I was married to left married to another person that worked here," Morris stated. She went on to share that her then-husband was struggling with addiction and apparently struck up a relationship with one of her coworkers, whom many believe to be Gurvir Dhindsa. Per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dhindsa and Sater later married each other.

Morris also detailed the discomfort she felt at work while anchoring the news with the woman her husband was sleeping with. "So it would be one of those things where we'd do the noon show, and then the two of us walked down, and you know the newsroom — everyone's talking, and then all of a sudden they stop," she said. Although Morris was mortified by the actions of her ex-husband and former co-anchor, she did say, "It's the best damn thing that ever happened to me."

Some people get caught cheating while others reveal their affairs on their own. The latter was the case for Lauren Sanchez, the former news anchor of multiple shows who gained further notoriety by leaving her ex-husband Patrick Whitesell for one of the world's richest men, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Sanchez and Bezos first crossed paths when they became neighbors on Mercer Island, Washington. The couple connected over shared interests, and their relationship flourished from there. Sanchez and Bezos told their respective partners about their affair, and soon after, thanks to the National Enquirer, text messages between the two were revealed. "I love you, alive girl. I will show you with my body, and my lips and my eyes, very soon," one from Bezos read.

Both Sanchez and Bezos divorced their spouses, though the latter proved to be far more expensive than the former. Per The Abrams Law Firm, Bezos's ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, was given stake in Amazon, her awarded shares worth over $38 billion at the time. As of December 2022, Bezos and Sanchez are still dating. As Sanchez told CNN, "We're really great teammates, and we also have a lot of fun together. And we love each other ... We always look at each other and we're the team."

Jesse Watters has his career to thank for both his wives. Jesse met his ex-wife, Noelle Watters, at Fox News. They married in 2009, and their divorce was finalized in 2019. Per the Daily Mail, two years prior to their divorce's finalization, Noelle learned that Jesse had been having an affair with another woman he met at Fox News, Emma DiGiovine. DiGiovine had worked as an associate producer on Jesse's show, "Watters World," and after news of the affair broke, she was transferred to work on "The Ingraham Angle," but not much else concerning their relationship was revealed.

Not long after his divorce, Jesse announced he and DiGiovine were set to be wed. "Emma and I would like to announce our engagement! Thanks to all of our family and friends who've shown us so much love. We are so grateful," he said on Twitter. Soon after, the couple married in Naples, Florida. In 2021, DiGiovine gave birth to their first child together, Jesse's third, a son named Jesse Bailey Watters. In 2022, Jesse shared on "The Five" that his wife is expecting another child, a girl due in 2023.

We've got yet another messy one. Per CBS News, the saga of news anchor Maria Athens and former Anchorage, Alaska, mayor Ethan Berkowitz began when the two started texting each other in 2016. Four years later, Berkowitz resigned from his position and said in a statement, "I apologize to the people of Anchorage for a major lapse in judgment I made several years ago when I had a consensual, inappropriate messaging relationship with reporter Maria Athens. I'm embarrassed and ashamed for the hurt I've caused my family and our community."

Prior to his resignation, Athens accused Berkowitz of sexual misconduct with minors, per Anchorage Daily News. A portion of Athens's expose came by way of a photo of a nude man she posted to Facebook, claiming it was evidence of the mayor's wrongdoing. She also uploaded a video promoting her impending expose, and reportedly left Berkowitz an aggressive voicemail warning him of her plan prior to making any public moves.

That same day, Athens was arrested for entering the studio despite a ban, as well as assaulting a police officer. No further information was shared about Berkowitz's and Athens's affair, but it's all for the best, as we're still trying to wrap our heads around the information we do have.

The United States' history with Cuba is long and complicated, and as noted in Politico Magazine, is partially thanks to the late journalist Lisa Howard. The outlet pieced together a major part of Howard's life — and a largely untold part of American history — from accounts she detailed in personal journals, as well as government documents, and not even a journalist as prolific as she could've written what happened.

Howard's career began in Hollywood, but she turned from her life of acting to focus on journalism. She soon became employed by ABC, and she hosted her own program, "Lisa Howard and News with the Woman's Touch." In 1963, Howard was given the opportunity to travel to Cuba to interview then-leader Fidel Castro. Prior to the interview, Castro and Howard met at a nightclub, and a spark lit between them immediately. Castro agreed to his first television interview in years, conducted by Howard.

Thanks to frequent visits to Cuba, Howard's political relationship with Castro continued, as did her personal relationship, all while she was married to another man. "You are right, Fidel. Our intellectual relationship is the essential one. Though the other one is rather pleasant too," Howard once told Castro. The dissolution of Howard and Castro's dalliance isn't well-documented, but it appeared to be due to her losing her position of influence on the United States government regarding Cuba. Not long after, Howard lost her job, miscarried a pregnancy, and became depressed. Howard died on July 4, 1965 from an overdose.

In 2016, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell shared that he and his wife of over 30 years were divorcing. Though he didn't share many details, this came just after reporter Jessica Moran left her position at Comcast SportsNet New England. "I have stepped away from Comcast SportsNet as I thought it was in my best personal and professional interest to do so," she told the Boston Globe. Many suspected Farrell's divorce was brought on by an affair between him and Moran, though neither party confirmed those suspicions.

Farrell is not the first Red Sox employee to be accused of having an affair with someone from the media. In 2008, per the Boston Herald, Hazel Mae, a former anchor of "SportsDesk," reportedly married former Red Sox manager Terry Francona. And per the Boston Globe, reporter Jenny Dell and third baseman Will Middlebrooks began dating in secret in 2013. The two later confirmed their relationship and got married in 2016. What's more, former catcher Jason Varitek and former infielder Nick Green both allegedly were involved with former New England Sports Network reporter Heidi Watney, per Think Progress, though neither relationship was ever confirmed.

In 2020, Ed Henry was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct. A memo was sent to Fox News staff with details of his release. "We received a complaint about Ed Henry from a former employee's attorney involving willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago ... Based on investigative findings, Ed has been terminated," the note read. Henry has been married to Shirley Hung since 2010.

Henry also reportedly engaged in at least one consensual extramarital affair with a coworker, but that is not to say it was not without issue. Of her relationship with Henry, one unnamed Fox staffer told the Daily Beast, "I felt like I was taken advantage of because I was much younger than him." What's more in 2016, InTouch reported that Henry had maintained a nearly year-long relationship with a hostess in Las Vegas named Natalie Lima. Following this news, Fox News temporarily suspended Henry, stating, "We recently became aware of Ed's personal issues and he's taking some time off to work things out."

Henry is still working in media today, and he is reportedly still married to Hung. Henry now works for Real America's Voice, and the conservative news network's willingness to bring him aboard has been called out. "This recent hiring decision is yet another example of why so many survivors of abuse are afraid to come forward while their perpetrators are often rewarded in the workplace," Wigdor LLP, the law firm representing one of Henry's accusers said.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).