FOX Business NetworkOn Oct. 15, 2007, FOX Business Network launched as a channel devoted to coverage of the markets and the financial world.
Over the 15 years since, FBN has assembled a talented roster of experts and analysts who can discuss money matters and hold informative and entertaining conversations about the economy as it relates to pop culture, media and tech trends, real estate, travel, food, healthcare, politics and much more.
Former MTV personality Kennedy has been with FBN since 2012, first as a contributor and correspondent, then as host of The Independents. Since 2015, she’s been the host of Kennedy (Monday-Thursday at 7pm ET).
Kennedy believes the network’s success lies in its ability to recognize and develop talented people who can tell engaging stories. “The network just continues to cultivate authentic, really smart anchors and reporters, and it continues to attract really dynamic people, especially younger people as producers and researchers and writers,” she says. “It’s like we all have a common mission to really help people make sense of their lives. And for most of the business day, that means your financial life and your own personal economy. And for those of us who do shows later in the day, a lot of that has to do with politics and culture. And the mission is to tell the truth, to tell a story.”
One thing that Kennedy and FBN have demonstrated is that sense of dollars and cents doesn’t have to be graphs of gains and losses. “We want you to come with us, we want to tell you stories, we want to inform you on my show,” she says. “We want to have a good time. You are at the party with us, so let’s sit down and dish and talk and learn and figure it out together.”
Kennedy dished with us for this edition of our “5 Questions.”
1. Can you tell us about a strange or interesting fan encounter?
I was at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, and I was doing segments after the show where we were at the afterparty going around talking to people, recapping the event. And these were segments that were in between music videos the next day. And there was a guy in a tux who was waiting to talk to me. I went over and he said, “I’m a really big fan. I just wanted to say hi. I won’t bother you.” And it was George Clooney.
2. Can you tell us about a time when you were starstruck?
I was really excited to meet Wayne Gretzky at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano that I was covering for CBS. That was pretty cool. And I got to meet Madonna a couple times. It was very exciting.
3. What’s your favorite sports team?
I went to UCLA, so my favorite college sports team is the UCLA Bruins. And I also like the New York Yankees and the New York Rangers.
4. What’s a movie you can watch over and over again?
Caddyshack and The Devil Wears Prada. I can watch The Devil Wears Prada on a plane anytime I fly.
5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
The scariest thing I’ve ever done was go on a walking safari in Zimbabwe with a group of people and we got sandwiched in between two rogue male elephants. Everyone survived. But we were supposed to stay in a line and not move, and half the people got scared and ran away, which was a big no-no. I was not one of them. I stayed, I listened to the guide. The guide, oddly enough, was attacked and killed by a lion a few years later.
