Elizabeth Vargas joins NewsNation for nightly news show

Former “20/20” host Elizabeth Vargas has found a new home alongside Chris Cuomo on upstart network NewsNation.

The longtime ABC News reporter will anchor “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” an hour-long weekday news program from New York that will debut at 6 p.m. April 3, NewsNation said Tuesday.

She joins a stable of talking heads that includes ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams, Ashleigh Banfield, who had stints at CNN and MSNBC, and Cuomo, who was dismissed from CNN in 2021.

Vargas, who spent 14 years as an anchor at ABC News’ “20/20” and “World News Tonight,” left the network in 2018.

She has since hosted a new version of “America’s Most Wanted,” as well as the syndicated program “iCrime” and has led some investigative documentaries for A&E. 

Vargas, who has won Emmy and Peabody awards, said she’s looking forward to “delivering the news and newsmakers to all of America, and to cover the issues that truly matter to everyone, everywhere.”


Elizabeth Vargas interviews 19 of the women making their victim impact statements at the Larry Nasser trial from Lansing Community College in Lansing Michigan. The interview will air on "20/20" Friday, January 26, 2018 (10:0111:00 p.m. EST), on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network.
Elizabeth Vargas, who left ABC News in 2018, will host a 6 p.m. weekday show at NewsNation.
Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images/G.E. Anderson

She has also been open about her struggles with anxiety and alcoholism, revealing the details in her 2016 book, “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction.”

“I have been sober nearly a decade,” she told The Post. “I serve on the board of directors of the Partnership to End Addiction and try to help as many people as I can, because one time, years ago, I was one of those people who needed help.  I am not defined by this, although I am incredibly proud of my recovery because I fought like hell for it.”

NewsNation president of news Michael Corn, who worked with Vargas when they were both at ABC, called her “one of the most talented journalists working on television news today.”


Elizabeth Vargas
After her ABC career, Vargas hosted a slew of crime shows, including a new version of “America’s Most Wanted.”
Michael Becker/FOX

“We’re confident that Elizabeth’s honest and empathetic interview style, coupled with her determination to get to the heart of important stories, will strike a chord with viewers as we continue delivering on NewsNation’s promise to bring you news you can trust,” he said.

More hires are expected at the Nexstar Media-owned NewsNation as it seeks to become a 24-hour news network.