Charissa Thompson, an American television host and sportscaster, is currently associated with Fox Sports. Prior to her tenure at Fox Sports, Thompson had worked for ESPN, Versus, GSN, and the Big Ten Network. Notably, she co-hosted SportsNation alongside Marcellus Wiley until her transition from ESPN to Fox Sports in June 2013.
Bio/Wiki
Age- 41 years
Height- 1.75 m
Weight- 58 Kg
Full name- Charissa Jean Thompson
Born- 4 May 1982
Birth place- Seattle, Washington, United States
Spouse- Kyle Thousand (m. 2020; div. 2022)
Profession- American television host and sports commentator
Nationality- American
Parents
Cathy Thompson and Scott Thompson are her mother and father, respectively. Raised in Seattle, Washington, Thompson is the youngest among three siblings.
Husband
At the age of 25, she had a prior marriage. Additionally, she was previously romantically involved with ESPN analyst and former Chicago Bulls player Jay Williams. In 2019, Thompson addressed inaccuracies in her Wikipedia article, specifically refuting the claim that she was a trapeze artist.
In January 2020, she became engaged to sports agent Kyle Thousand, and the couple tied the knot on December 30, 2020. Unfortunately, their marriage faced challenges, and it was announced in April 2022 that they had separated and were in the process of divorcing after a year of marriage.
Education
She enrolled in Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington. Subsequently, Thompson relocated to California to attend community college with the aim of establishing residency in the state. She later transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a B.A. in Law and Society in 2004.
Career
In the early stages of her career, Charissa Thompson made appearances on various college sports shows for Big Ten Network and Fox Sports Net (FSN). Her roles included serving as a sideline reporter for college football and college basketball games on both networks. As she advanced in her sports media career, she became an NFL sideline reporter for NFL on Fox.
For Big Ten Network, Thompson featured on shows such as Big Ten’s Best and Friday Night Tailgate. On FSN, she participated in baseball programs like The 2007 MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade and The Baseball Report. She co-hosted FSN’s The Best Damn Sports Show Period with Chris Rose and John Salley until its cancellation in 2009, and also hosted FSN’s rodeo show Toughest Cowboy.
In the fall of 2008, Thompson completed her first run as an NFL sideline reporter, during which she temporarily dyed her hair black to change her image. Despite drawing attention, she later reverted to her blonde hair. Thompson’s appearance and sex appeal have been topics in various media outlets.
Beyond Big Ten Network and FSN, Thompson appeared on the cover of Access DirecTV’s April 2009 issue and interviewed Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. She co-hosted Big Saturday Night on Game Show Network (GSN) in 2009 and appeared on Shaq Vs. as a sideline reporter. In 2010, she covered the NFL Network’s “NFL Now Updates,” reported for Yahoo Sports during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, and co-hosted Speed Network’s “Fast Track To Fame.”
Thompson joined ESPN in June 2011, co-hosting Numbers Never Lie with Michael Smith. She filled in as a host on SportsNation and First Take, eventually replacing Michelle Beadle as the host of SportsNation in July 2012. However, she left ESPN in June 2013 to return to Fox Sports.
In 2013, Thompson co-hosted ABC’s reality TV series Splash with actor Joey Lawrence. She rejoined Fox Sports in the same year for the launch of Fox Sports 1 (FS1), hosting Fox Sports Live and becoming a presenter for Fox NFL Kickoff. She replaced Katie Nolan as the host of NFL Films Presents on FS1 in 2018.
Currently, Thompson hosts Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, the NFL’s first streaming-only game package. In a November 2023 interview with Barstool Sports, she admitted to fabricating aspects of her sideline reporting, drawing criticism from fellow reporters and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Outside of sports broadcasting, Thompson joined Extra as a co-host in 2014 and hosted the “Barstool Spelling Bee” in May 2015. She was announced as a host on the Netflix reality show Ultimate Beastmaster in 2016 and joined Top Rank’s broadcasting team for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas pay-per-view event. Thompson also appears in local television advertisements for her father’s car dealership.
Net Worth 2023
As of 2023, Charissa Thompson’s financial worth is estimated to be $3 million.
Charissa Thompson’s Latest News
Charissa Thompson Faces Backlash for Admitting to Fabricating Coaches’ Comments
Sports journalist Charissa Thompson triggered a controversy by admitting to fabricating coaches’ comments during her time as an NFL sideline reporter. However, she later backtracked, asserting that she never “lied” or engaged in anything “unethical.”
Thompson, currently employed by Fox Sports and Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football,” disclosed this on the “Pardon My Take” podcast’s Wednesday episode. She revealed, “I would make up the report sometimes because A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime or it was too late, and I was like, ‘I didn’t want to screw up the report,’ so I was like, ‘I’m just going to make this up.’”
The 41-year-old justified her actions by claiming that her fabricated comments closely aligned with what a coach might actually say in an interview. She explained, “No coach is going to get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.’ Like, they’re not going to correct me on that. So I’m like it’s fine, I’m just going to make up the report.”
NBC News has sought comments from Thompson, Fox, and Amazon regarding the situation.
Thompson’s revelation quickly drew criticism from colleagues in her field. Fox Sports broadcaster Laura Okmin, a colleague of Thompson, expressed her dismay on Twitter, stating, “Devastated w/the texts I’m getting asking if this is ok. No. Never.” She emphasized the importance of the sideline role, highlighting the unique opportunity to ask coaches about the unfolding moments and the trust-building process.
CBS Sports broadcaster Tracy Wolfson deemed Thompson’s podcast comments “absolutely not ok, not the norm, and upsetting on so many levels.”
