Carley Shimkus Is Unrecognizable In Throwback Pics Before Fox News

Carley Shimkus started working at Fox News right after college, so it only makes sense that she looks a little different in photos taken prior to her time at the network. That said, some things certainly haven't changed, like her winning smile. 

Though Shimkus became a co-host on "Fox & Friends First" in 2021, she'd worked at the network for more than a decade prior to that. And, while she started in behind-the-scenes positions, she began making appearances in front of the camera during her time as a producer on "Imus in the Morning." Carley started working on the show in 2012, and as she revealed in a Fox Nation YouTube video, it was thanks to the show's host that she started moving in a new direction. "Don Imus ... had a huge part of my story, putting me on the air," she recounted. It's no surprise, then, that when the polarizing shock jock died in 2019 aged 79, she took to Facebook to gush, "Thank you for everything."

With that timeline in mind, the below-left throwback pic is from Shimkus' Instagram circa 2012 — and let's just say, with her effortlessly tousled blond locks, sun-kissed skin, and killer smile, the then-25-year-old could easily have passed as a doppelganger for Candice Swanepoel. In fact, it bears mentioning that she and the Victoria's Secret angel are the same height. Fitting, as some may remember that Shimkus once told Fox News Insider she'd tried her hand at modeling during her teens. However, as she shared with Fox Nation, she'd always been a fan of the network, so it's safe to say her decision to go in another direction was for the best. 

While Carley Shimkus' Instagram only goes as far back as 2012, she's also shared snaps of herself from before then with Fox News Channel. In honor of the "Fox News Yearbook" series, she offered up a selection of her high school photos, from her yearbook picture to group shots with friends. Understandably, she looked a little different then, and Shimkus herself commented on that. "I just can't believe how young I looked," she mused. Granted, she didn't look entirely different. Sure, she looked younger, and her hair was a darker shade of blond, but she still had her signature bright smile. Plus, not one to be pictured without makeup, Shimkus also sported the beginnings of her trademark cat-eye. Well, sans the major lashes she's known to sport nowadays. 

As far as senior yearbook photographs go, there's no question that Shimkus' was pretty close to the ideal. As such, it's probably no surprise that she told Fox News Channel she didn't dislike it. However, she also wasn't jumping for joy over it. "I thought it was fine. If I had to grade it back then I would give it a 'C,'" she said. 

In addition to sharing memories of football games and cafeteria shenanigans, Shimkus also reflected on her go-to style during her high school years. It may come as a surprise to some, but she told the outlet, "I went through a hippie phase ... so I wore a lot of flowy skirts and headscarves and beads, and I am currently laughing thinking back on it." Given that boho style was the trend du jour in the early aughts, Shimkus' outfits weren't among her most inappropriate. Even so, we're not banking on her re-wearing them on air anytime soon.