Jim Acosta Biography
Jim Acosta is a well-known American broadcast journalist, recognized for his extensive career at CNN, which spanned from 2007 to 2025.
Throughout his time there, he took on the role of chief White House correspondent, covering the administrations of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. He really made a name for himself with his fiery exchanges with President Trump during press briefings, which caught the attention of the nation.
In January 2021, Acosta was elevated to anchor and chief domestic correspondent, a position he held until January 28, 2025. That day marked his final broadcast on CNN, as he chose to step away rather than accept a proposed change to the time slot of his CNN Newsroom program.
Jim Acosta CNN (2007-2025)
In April of 2007, Acosta joined CNN. He mostly appeared as an anchor of CNN’s weekend political show “Ballot Bowl” during the 2008 presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Acosta joins CNN’s “American Morning” show as a correspondent, helping the network cover the 2010 mid-term congressional election.
CNN promoted Acosta to the post of a national political reporter in February 2012. He was the network’s primary correspondent in covering Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign as a national political correspondent, and then the senior White House correspondent for CNN.
Jim Acosta Career
Jim Acosta kicked off his journalism journey in radio at WMAL in Washington, D.C. In 1994, he made the leap to television, starting as a desk assistant at Fox affiliate WTTG-TV. The next year, he stepped in front of the camera as a reporter and substitute anchor for NBC affiliate WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he stayed until 1998.
From 1998 to 2000, Acosta reported for CBS affiliate KTVT-TV in Fort Worth, Texas. He then moved to WBBM-TV in Chicago from 2000 to 2001. Between 2001 and 2003, he worked as a correspondent for CBS News’ Newspath service, based in both Dallas and Chicago. From 2003 to 2007, he served as a CBS News correspondent, first in New York City and later in Atlanta.
During his time at CBS News, Acosta covered significant national and international events, including John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, the Iraq War from Baghdad, and Hurricane Katrina. He made the switch to CNN in April 2007.
At CNN, Acosta reported on the 2008 presidential election campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, often appearing on the network’s political shows, including Ballot Bowl. He also contributed to American Morning and provided coverage for the 2010 midterm elections.
In 2012, he was elevated to national political correspondent, taking the lead during Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. He later became the senior White House correspondent. During this time, he had notable exchanges with political figures, such as questioning President Barack Obama in 2015 about the strategy against ISIS and challenging Cuban President Raúl Castro during Obama’s 2016 visit to Cuba.
In January 2018, Acosta was named chief White House correspondent, gaining recognition for his confrontations with President Donald Trump during press briefings.
In January 2021, CNN promoted him to chief domestic correspondent and weekend anchor, reflecting the changes in coverage that came with the transition to the Biden administration.
Before he joined CBS Newspath, he spent time as a reporter and substitute anchor at WBBM-TV, a CBS station in Chicago, from 2000 to 2001. Prior to that, he was a reporter for KTVT-TV, another CBS station, in Dallas from 1998 to 2000. Interestingly, he also worked as a reporter and substitute anchor for WBBM-TV in Dallas during the same period. His journey in journalism kicked off at WMAL-AM radio in Washington, where he eventually made the leap to television..
Jim Acosta Age
How old is Jim? Acosta is 55 years old as of 2026. He was born on 17 April 1971 in Washington, D.C., United States. He celebrates his birthday on the 17th of April every year.
Jim Acosta Education
He graduated in 1989 from Annandale High School, a public senior high school in Annandale, Virginia. In 1993, Acosta graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a minor in political science.
Jim Acosta Nationality | Ethnicity
What ethnicity is Jim? he belongs to the mixed ethnicity/heritage ( Irish and Cuban). He was born and raised in Washington, D.C. the United States and he holds American nationality and citizenship by birth.
Jim Acosta Height
Acosta stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches.
Jim Acosta Family | Siblings | Parents | Father
Born and raised in Washington, D.C, Acosta’s father arrived in the United States as a displaced person from Cuba when he was 11 years old, three weeks after the Cuban Missile Crisis, and was raised in Virginia. His mother had Irish and Czech ancestors.
Jim Acosta Wife | Married
Acosta met Sharon Mobley Stow a registered nurse at James Madison University in Virginia, where they were both students. They dated for a few years before marrying in a private ceremony in 1994. Acosta and Stow secretly later filed for divorce in July 2017 after 17 years of marriage.
Jim Acosta Children
Jim and Sharon are parents to two amazing kids, a daughter and a son.
Jim Acosta Salary
How much does he earn? Acosta earns an annual salary ranging between $90,000 – $ 119,500.
Jim Acosta Net Worth
Acosta has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $3 Million which he has earned through being an anchor and chief domestic correspondent.
Jim Acosta Books
- 2019 The Enemy of the People \ El enemigo del pueblo (Spanis edition) Jim Acosta
- 2019 The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America
