Alisyn Camerota certainly brings a smile to her fans’ faces, but that’s not to say her life has always been easy. Quite the contrary, the CNN anchor has dealt with a number of heartbreaks over the years. However, she’s also made a point of using her experiences to help others feel less alone.
First up is Camerota’s mental health. The CNN anchor summed up her experience with anxiety and depression best in a 2021 interview with Forbes. “I know I can present as somebody who has had an easy life or who doesn’t struggle with these things. But it’s just not true,” she said. Going into more detail, Camerota shared that she’d dealt with mental health issues for years, especially as a teenager and young adult. She also pointed out that because of the silence surrounding mental health struggles at the time, she often felt incredibly isolated — even though she’s since realized that many people go through the same thing. As such, she explained, “The more we talk about mental health, the more we normalize it and help remove the stigma. The fact that people feel like they’re the only ones who have certain feelings, that they’re alone, is a problem.”
Given Camerota’s desire to speak more openly about mental health, it only makes sense that she was part of HBO’s “I Know This Much is True: The Truth Within the Story” interview. Speaking of her part in the interview in a Facebook post, Camerota doubled down on her belief that speaking about it was the only way to move forward. “Talking openly about this is the best way to lift the stigma and isolation that come with mental illness. Know you’re not alone,” she wrote, adding that she could relate because of her own past struggles. Talk about using personal experiences for good!
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
She was sexually harassed by Roger Ailes
This article contains references to addiction and sexual assualt.
While Alisyn Camerota marked a decade with CNN in 2024, she had famously spend 16 years on Fox News. Sadly, she revealed in 2017 that part of the reason why she left the latter was due to the poor treatment she received from the then-head of Fox News, Roger Ailes. In particular, Camerota shared that she had been one of Ailes’ many sexual harassment survivors — an aspect of the behind-the-scenes culture that became one of Fox News’ biggest scandals ever.
Camerota shared her story in a 2017 interview on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” Speaking of the time she’d approached him to discuss career opportunities, she recounted, “He said, ‘Well, I would have to work with you … I would have to work with you really closely. And it may require us getting to know each other better. And that might have to happen away from here. And it might have to happen at a hotel.” Ick.
Though Camerota made it clear that she never went to the hotel, she also said she opted not to say anything about it to anyone. Her reasoning? She’d been humiliated enough by listing all her professional accomplishments to Ailes, only for him to proposition her. In fact, she started off her “Reliable Sources” interview by pointing out that she still wasn’t particularly keen on talking about it. However, she also said that if the Murdochs wanted to know the depths of what had gone on behind the scenes, “I don’t know how you get that from silence.” Once again, using her past experiences to highlight a serious issue.
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).
Roger Ailes bullied Alisyn after she rejected him
Sadly for Alisyn Camerota, turning down Roger Ailes’ revolting offer wasn’t the end of her issues with the Fox founder. As she explained on “Reliable Sources,” her rejection led to him picking her apart professionally at every turn. Camerota revealed that he pestered her to take on a more conservative perspective. In fact, she shared that on one occasion, when she pointed out that she thought it was her responsibility to provide alternative, balanced viewpoints, his response was, “There is no other side.” Camerota added, “In Roger’s worldview, there was no other side. Liberals were always wrong, conservatives were generally right, and that’s what he felt that we should be reflecting on the air.” It does bear mentioning that Ailes’ opinion on that matter wasn’t generally expressed calmly. Instead, Camerota noted that he would call her into his office and scream at her.
As for why Camerota didn’t leave Fox News sooner, it turns out that it wasn’t because of a lack of trying. In an article she wrote for Vanity Fair two years after the Fox founder’s death, the now-CNN anchor shared that every time she tried to find employment elsewhere, Ailes would find out and sabotage her attempts. By threatening lawsuits against anyone who tried to poach her and firing news directors who hinted at hiring her, Ailes always found a plan to foil her attempts to leave Fox News.
One of the clearest signs that she was stuck, though, came after she’d done a secret audition with another network. Even with everyone present told to keep the audition under wraps, Camerota wrote, “That Monday morning, my phone rang. It was Roger. ‘How did your audition go?’ he asked. Message received: Roger had eyes everywhere.” Yikes.
Alisyn Camerota struggled to fall pregnant
Unfortunately, workplace difficulties weren’t the only issue Alisyn Camerota had to contend with during her time at Fox News. During her tenure at the network, she married her husband, Tim Lewis, but sadly, their attempts to start a family didn’t go according to plan.
Speaking to Shape back in 2010, Camerota shared, “Like a lot of women I thought, ‘When it’s time, I guess I’ll just have a baby.’ We are not well educated about fertility.” What followed was a years-long process with IVF, and Camerota told the outlet that it began taking a toll on her marriage — though she also made a point of noting that Lewis had been open to adoption, which helped alleviate some of the pressure. Luckily, the couple finally conceived twins after four rounds of IVF. And, just over a year later, she found out she was pregnant once again.
Reflecting on the experience more than a decade later, Camerota appeared alongside many of her CNN colleagues for “Represented by CNN” and spoke about what had helped her during the lengthy journey to parenthood. In particular, she mentioned that hearing other people’s success stories helped give her a glimmer of hope. As such, she reiterated throughout the special that speaking about it was more powerful than some may think. “I think that shining some light onto these previously really dark spaces makes everybody feel less alone,” she mused, giving a shout-out to Chrissy Teigen, who has been open about her own tragic pregnancy loss. Camerota also received a shout-out of her own, as fellow CNN reporter Chloe Melas credited her with inspiring her to be more open about her own experience with difficulty conceiving. Talk about a full-circle moment.
Alisyn’s husband passed away
Heartbreakingly, in September 2024, Alisyn Camerota announced the tragic loss of her husband, Tim Lewis. In an Instagram post sharing a black-and-white image of the couple on their wedding day, she shared that Lewis had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years prior to his July 2024 passing. “I cannot imagine any human being soldiering through a devastating diagnosis with more humor, humility and bravery than Tim,” she wrote. Heartbreak aside, she shared that she was grateful for the time she shared with her late husband.
Camerota also shared in her post that she planned to return to work after a few weeks — and around two weeks later, she did. Unsurprisingly, everyone was saying the same thing about Camerota’s return: messages of encouragement and well-wishes flooded her Instagram comments section. However, true to form, she also used her experience to help others going through something similar, as well as those supporting someone dealing with grief. In particular, Camerota has spoken about the surprising things that upset her in the wake of Lewis’ passing, and penned an article for CNN’s website titled, “5 Things Not to Say to a Grieving Friend.” She followed that up with a CNN segment centered on grief. As with her openness about infertility, the clinical psychologist she spoke with for the segment thanked her for speaking about her experience so that others could learn from it.
It’s heartbreaking knowing that Camerota has gone through so many difficult periods, but it’s safe to say she has a gift for turning her personal pain into helpful talking points for the greater good. We’re keeping her and her family in our thoughts as they navigate their grief.
