Charissa Thompson Bio, Wiki
Charissa Thompson, an American television host and sportscaster, currently works at Fox Sports. Prior to that, she had roles at ESPN, Versus, GSN, and the Big Ten Network.
Thompson co-hosted SportsNation with Marcellus Wiley before leaving ESPN for Fox Sports in June 2013. She took on the role of hosting Fox Sports Live on the inaugural day of the Fox Sports 1 network, which was August 17, 2013. Additionally, she served as one of the American hosts for Ultimate Beastmaster. From 2014 to 2017, Thompson co-hosted the syndicated entertainment news show Extra.
Charissa Thompson Age
Thompson was born in Seattle, Washington, U.S. on May 4, 1982. She is 41 years old as of 2023.
Charissa Thompson Height
Thompson stands at a remarkable height of 1.75 meters.
Charissa Thompson Family
Thompson was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, as the youngest of three children, she had a clear ambition to become a broadcaster from a young age.
Charissa Thompson Husband
In January 2020, she became engaged to sports agent Kyle Thousand. They tied the knot on December 30, 2020. However, it was revealed that they separated after just one year and were in the process of getting a divorce by April 2022.
Before this, she was previously married at the age of 25. She also had a past relationship with ESPN analyst and former Chicago Bulls player Jay Williams.
Charissa Thompson Education
Thompson went to Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington. Afterward, she relocated to California to attend community college and establish California residency. Later, she transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a B.A. in Law and Society in 2004. Although Sports Illustrated stated that “she left Washington State (WSU) to attend community college in California before transferring to UC Santa Barbara,” Thompson has clarified that she did not attend WSU.
Charissa Thompson Career
Big Ten Network and Fox Sports Net (2007–2010)
Early in her career, Thompson appeared on college sports shows for Big Ten Network and Fox Sports Net (FSN). She worked as a sideline reporter for college football and basketball games on both networks. Later, she became an NFL sideline reporter for NFL on Fox.
On Big Ten Network, she was part of shows like Big Ten’s Best and Friday Night Tailgate.
For FSN, Thompson featured on baseball programs, including The 2007 MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade and The Baseball Report. She also appeared on FSN’s BCS Breakdown and The BCS Show. She co-hosted FSN’s The Best Damn Sports Show Period until 2009, when the show was canceled. Additionally, she hosted FSN’s rodeo show, Toughest Cowboy.
In 2008, she began her role as an NFL sideline reporter. She briefly changed her hair color to black during the season but returned to blonde. Thompson’s appearance and sex appeal received media attention.
Outside of Big Ten Network and FSN, she graced the cover of Access DirecTV’s April 2009 issue and interviewed Cole Hamels for the feature story. In 2009, she co-hosted Big Saturday Night on Game Show Network (GSN) and served as a sideline reporter on Shaq Vs. In the fall of 2009, she reported for NHL on Versus.
Continued career growth and ESPN years (2010–2013)
In 2010, Thompson appeared on the NFL Network’s “NFL Now Updates” and covered the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games for Yahoo Sports. She also co-hosted the Speed Network’s “Fast Track To Fame” with retired NASCAR driver-owner Michael Waltrip.
Thompson continued her sports reporting journey by covering the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the BCS National Championship game in early 2011. She also reported on the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game for Yahoo Sports. Later, she covered the NHL All-Star Game for Versus but was replaced after the NBC-Comcast merger.
In June 2011, Thompson joined ESPN, co-hosting “Numbers Never Lie” with Michael Smith. She filled in as a host on shows like SportsNation and First Take. In July 2012, she became the host of SportsNation, replacing Michelle Beadle. Thompson left ESPN in June 2013 to return to Fox Sports.
In 2013, Thompson co-hosted the ABC reality TV series “Splash” with actor Joey Lawrence, where celebrities dived from Olympic-style platforms and were judged by Olympic divers and the TV audience.
Rejoining Fox Sports for FS1 launch (2013–present)
Thompson returned to Fox Sports in 2013 when Fox Sports 1 (FS1) was introduced. She initially served as a host on Fox Sports Live and later became a presenter for Fox NFL Kickoff. In 2018, she took over as the host of NFL Films Presents on FS1, succeeding Katie Nolan.
Thursday Night Football (2022–present)
Thompson is the host for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, which marks the NFL’s inaugural package of streaming-exclusive games. She oversees pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage.
Other broadcasting appearances
Thompson’s involvement extends beyond sports broadcasting. In 2014, she became a co-host on the syndicated TV show Extra, alongside Mario Lopez and Tracey Edmonds. She also took on the role of host for the “Barstool Spelling Bee” in May 2015. In 2016, it was revealed that she would host the Netflix reality show Ultimate Beastmaster. Additionally, Thompson joined Top Rank’s broadcasting team for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas pay-per-view event.
She can also be seen in local TV commercials for her father’s car dealership.
Charissa Thompson Salary
Her annual salary is estimated to range between $ 100,000 – $ 500,000.
Charissa Thompson Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million – $5 Million which she has earned through her career as a journalist.
