• Sharon Reed is an American journalist, anchor, sideline reporter and talk-show host born on 12 May 1978 in Cleveland, Ohio USA.
• She has a Masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and began her career in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to Atlanta, Georgia.
• In 2004, she appeared nude on-air for a joint WOIO and Sharon Reed project to bring awareness of art and nudity.
• She is known for her viral video pushing back against a racist fan in 2017.
• She has a daughter named Ava, and has a net worth of approximately $650,000 as of late 2019.
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Who is Sharon Reed?
Born under the earth sign of Taurus on 12 May 1978, in Cleveland, Ohio USA, Sharon Reed is an American journalist, sideline reporter, anchor and talk-show host. With a Master’s degree in journalism and several years of experience both in the studio and on the sidelines, Sharon is considered to be one of the most prominent reporters in the nation. The beginnings of her career can be traced to stints at WOIO and WUAB, both sports oriented networks in her hometown. Afterwards, she would move onto NBA sidelines, reporting for CBS, before finally settling down in Atlanta, Georgia, where she’s a host and anchor specializing in sports and politics. In 2017, she also became a viral star after being insulted by a racist fan via email, mostly due to her spectacular response on-air.
Early Life and Education: Growing Up in Ohio
Reporters are usually some of the best known celebrities, so it’s usually easy to find out anything you want about them, however, with Sharon this is not the case. There is no information about her family, siblings or anything even remotely related to her early life. In one interview, she did admit to harboring an interest in journalism ever since she was a child. ‘I used to watch football and basketball with my parents all the time’, recalls Reed. ‘From the very first time, I admired sideline reporters who seemed unfazed by all the fanfare and chaos around them.’ Upon matriculating from an unspecified high school, she enrolled at Georgetown University, an acclaimed institution in Washington, D.C. She majored in both English and Government (also known as Political Science).
She also has a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University, one of the finest journalism schools in the country.
Career Beginnings: WOIO, WUAB and Cleveland 19
The beginnings of Sharon’s professional journey can be traced to 2002, when she joined the WOIO team. This Cleveland-based network specializes in delivering the latest news from the state of Ohio, plus the entire Midwest region. Reed’s first duties included reporting on the spot, being dispatched to minor accidents and public events. In just a few weeks, she’d got the hang of everything involved with her job, and became a local star. Around the same time, she had a stint at WUAB, another Ohio network, dedicated to reporting news to the general public.
Cleveland 19 is also connected to this station, so Reed had a few instances of being a news anchor, talk show host and a sideline reporter. Her knowledge of sports, politics coupled with her unique charisma made her one of the most popular journalists in the region. Even though she was one of the best paid TV personalities at the time, Sharon felt that she’d accomplished everything she could, and it was time to move on, and so she did, in 2010.
Appearing On-Air Naked
In 2004, Sharon attracted a lot of attention when she appeared in a segment completely nude. Was this some kind of protest, or an elaborate scheme?
Actually it was neither, but about art. Reed has previously collaborated with famous photographer Spencer Tunick on a nude photography installation in Cleveland. The on-air nudity stunt was a joint idea of both WOIO and Sharon, as a means to bring awareness of Tunick, his art and the notion that nudity is freedom. Initially, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommended a $500,000 fine for Reed’s lack of clothing during a live segment, however, attempts to sanction both her and WOIO failed, as they followed procedure perfectly. They had disclaimers in the hours preceding the segment, and it aired between 10pm and 6am, which is the window of time during which non-pornographical stations may feature nudity.
The overall result of this newscast was a success, as it achieved a 17.1 viewership share, which is even more than the 13.6 for WOIO’s special post-Super Bowl segment, plus it literally brought Sharon wider ‘exposure’.
Becoming a Star: CBS and CBS 46
In 2010 she joined CBS’ team of sports reporters. Due to her extensive resume, the network immediately assigned her to be a sideline reporter for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Her duties included interviewing players and coaches during home games, with often guest appearances in post game talk shows. Even though the job by itself was dynamic and interesting,
Sharon felt limited in terms of the topics she would cover, so in 2012 Reed left CBS’s main network to join CBS 46, a subsidiary located in Atlanta, Georgia. Joining the third-largest CBS affiliate in the nation paid off, as she immediately became the main event reporter and anchor for evening shows and discussion panels. Working in the afternoon was something Sharon was used to, as she had spent many nights interviewing basketball players after late games. While she spearheaded the reporting crew, Sharon also switched between several shows centered around politics. Her objective views and composure made her the perfect mediator between Democratic and Republican politicians who appeared on-air with her.
From time to time, this reporter can be seen on CBS’ main channel, usually at times of elections and controversies.
The N-word Incident
Sharon’s objectivity sometimes didn’t sit well with her viewers. There were multiple instances of people calling in to criticize her for relating facts, or disapproving of a certain candidate’s policies. Knowing that discussing politics inevitably leads to arguments, Reed always refused to be provoked, and politely dismissed any personal attacks. However, in 2017 one viewer crossed the line, resulting in a viral video. Apparently, Sharon was the anchor of a segment devoted to two candidates vying for the position of Mayor. Both of them were guests on the show. and because one of them was African-American, they discussed racial problems with Sharon.
After the segment aired, a viewer sent Sharon an email, in which she accused her of favoring the African-American candidate because of his skin color, and called her a “n****r*. The woman, Kathy Ray, was publicly shamed by Sharon, who went on to talk about how harmful racism is. She even made fun of Ray’s misspelling of the racial slur she used. The video of Reed pushing back at the racist viewer went viral on Facebook and Twitter, before being shown in an episode of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”.
Personal Life: Is Sharon Reed Married? Does She Have Children?
As mentioned, Sharon is all about privacy. Reed has a daughter, Ava, of whom she regularly takes pictures to post on social media.
Numerous fans and fellow reporters have inquired about the identity of the girl’s father, but Sharon remained adamant in keeping her personal life concealed from the public eye. The girl’s birthday is on 26 November, without any indications of her actual age. Apparently, Sharon is currently single and focused on her career. During an interview, she described her ideal man: ‘I’m very domestic. I want a man to lead. I want to be a partner, a life partner, but I want my man to lead. We go out to dinner, I want him to order my food.’
An Affair with LeBron James?
Somewhere around 2014, rumors began swirling that Sharon Reed had an affair with LeBron James, now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.
Excellent finish by LeBron James, but what in the hell is this announcer talking about?!
“We saw these big shoulders without a shirt on at about 10 o’clock this morning.”
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 13, 2020
Usually, reporters have no problem revealing the identities of their partners, but Reed’s failure to do so led people to think that Ava’s father is someone very famous. And what better candidate than the man she actually worked with while being associated with CBS? Even though she has been with CBS 46, she actually returned to the sidelines during the Cavaliers’ successful runs deep into the play-offs. Some fans even went so far as to point out that Ava’s curly hair is similar to the hairdo of LeBron James Jr., LeBron’s eldest son. This created quite a lot of controversy, mostly because James is a devoted family man, and is married to Savannah James, his high-school sweetheart. In typical fashion, Reed remained silent about the whole thing.
In 2017, she sat down for an episode of “Ryan Cameron’s Show” on V-103, during which she stated: ‘There’s no baby with LeBron. I wish him the best.’ This public denial caused the rumors to die down the last year or so.
Net Worth: How Rich is Sharon Reed?
Have you ever wondered how affluent is this famous reporter? According to several credible sources, Sharon Reed has a net worth of approximately $650,000, as of late 2019, accumulated by becoming one of the most prominent experts in both sports and politics. It seems that she has finally found her ideal environment at CBS 46, which means that we can expect her net worth to rise in the near future.
Social Media Presence
Sharon is no stranger to this media, as her dedication to posting updates on her public profiles and engaging with her fans is at an all-time high. She is popular on Twitter and Instagram, with 20,000 and 36,000 followers, respectively.
