The Short Answer
Hallie Jackson has one child — a daughter born on March 9, 2020, with her partner Frank Thorp, an NBC News producer.
Hallie Jackson: Early Life and Background
Hallie Marie Jackson (born April 29, 1984) is an American reporter and network anchor. She is the senior Washington correspondent for NBC News, an anchor for NBC News Now, and the anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News. She is also a substitute anchor for Today, Saturday Today, Sunday Today with Willie Geist, and NBC Nightly News. She worked in Salisbury, Maryland; Dover, Delaware; Hartford, Connecticut; New Haven, Connecticut; and Baltimore, Maryland, before joining NBC News in 2014.
Early life and education
Career and Rise to Fame
Jackson was born on April 29, 1984, in Yardley, Pennsylvania, the daughter of David and Heidi Jackson. In 2002, she graduated from Pennsbury High School. In 2006, Jackson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. degree in political science. As an undergraduate at JHU, she joined Phi Mu sorority.
Jackson started her journalism career at WBOC-TV, in Salisbury, Maryland and Dover, Delaware in 2006 until her departure for WFSB, in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut, during 2008. Her career led to Hearst Corporation in 2012, where she reported for their 26 stations from Washington, D.C. In 2014, Jackson became a reporter and journalist for NBC News, for which she covered the Ted Cruz presidential campaign for the network as their embedded reporter. In summer 2016, Jackson began anchoring the 1 p.m. ET edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News' daytime coverage platform. In January 2017, NBC named Jackson as its chief White House correspondent, while also stating that she would transition time slots and anchor MSNBC's 10:00 a.m. hour. On September 20, 2021, Jackson moved to the 3 p.m. hour of MSNBC Live. On November 17, 2021, Jackson began hosting Hallie Jackson NOW on NBC News' streaming channel, NBC News NOW, which streams Mondays through Fridays at 5 p.m. ET. In January 2023, it was announced that Jackson would depart her MSNBC show as part of an expansion of her streaming show to two hours, which began in March 2023. Her former 3 p.m. hour on MSNBC was taken over by Katy Tur. In March 2024, NBC News announced that Jackson would replace Kate Snow as anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News, while continuing to host her streaming show on Mondays to Thursdays, with Tom Costello hosting on Fridays.
Age and Birthday Details
Hallie Jackson was born on April 29, 1984.
As of 2026, Hallie Jackson is 42 years old.
Birthday milestones for public figures like Hallie Jackson routinely trend on social media, which is why "how old is" questions generate such consistent search demand.
Personal Life and Family
Honors and awards
On May 27, 2020, Jackson was invited to and gave special remarks at her alma mater Johns Hopkins University's 2020 commencement ceremony. Other guest speakers during the virtual ceremony included Reddit co-founder and commencement speaker Alexis Ohanian; philanthropist and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and a leading member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and senior class president, Pavan Patel.
Recent Years
Personal life
Jackson and her partner, Frank Thorp, a producer and off-air reporter for NBC News, announced the birth of their first child, a daughter, on March 9, 2020.
Hallie Jackson's Career at a Glance
Hallie Jackson's rise from small-market local news to the anchor chair of NBC's flagship broadcasts is a textbook broadcast-journalism career climb. Born Hallie Marie Jackson on April 29, 1984, in Yardley, Pennsylvania, to David and Heidi Jackson, she graduated from Pennsbury High School in 2002 and then from Johns Hopkins University in 2006 — Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in political science — where she joined the Phi Mu sorority.
Her on-air career began in 2006 at WBOC-TV, covering Salisbury, Maryland, and Dover, Delaware. In 2008 she moved to WFSB in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut, and in 2012 she joined Hearst Corporation, reporting for its 26 stations from Washington, D.C. NBC News hired her in 2014, assigning her as the network's embedded reporter on Ted Cruz's presidential campaign — a posting that put her at the center of the chaotic 2016 race.
That campaign coverage made her a network fixture. In summer 2016 she began anchoring the 1 p.m. ET edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News' daytime coverage platform, and she has since become one of the network's most versatile anchors: senior Washington correspondent for NBC News, anchor for NBC News Now, anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News, and substitute anchor for Today, Saturday Today, Sunday Today with Willie Geist, and the weeknight Nightly News. In May 2020 she returned to Johns Hopkins as a guest speaker at the university's virtual commencement, alongside figures including Michael Bloomberg and Anthony Fauci.
Why Family Questions Follow a News Anchor
Interest in Hallie Jackson's family runs on a different fuel than typical celebrity curiosity: she is a news figure, not an entertainer, and viewers invite her into their homes every week. When an anchor shares personal news — as Jackson and her partner Frank Thorp did when they announced their daughter's birth in March 2020 — the audience response is personal, and the follow-up questions persist for years.
That dynamic explains why 'how many kids does Hallie Jackson have' remains a steady search query. Broadcast journalists occupy an unusual space in public life: authoritative and familiar, yet private by professional habit. Jackson has shared the broad strokes — her partner, her daughter — while keeping the details to herself, a balance this article respects by reporting only what has been confirmed on the record.
How These Facts Are Verified
Every family fact in this article comes from Hallie Jackson's public biography, cross-checked against reputable media coverage where noted. Birth dates, career milestones and family details appear only where the cited sources document them.
What is left out matters as much as what is included: unconfirmed rumors and anonymous gossip have no place here. When the public record is silent on a detail, this article says so plainly instead of filling the gap with speculation.
A Familiar Face in Washington
As NBC's senior Washington correspondent, Jackson has covered the capital through multiple election cycles, becoming a regular presence at White House briefings and on Capitol Hill. Her 2016 experience as an embedded reporter traveling with the Ted Cruz presidential campaign gave her the political fluency that defines her anchoring style: brisk, well-sourced and unflustered.
In May 2020, Johns Hopkins University invited her back as a guest speaker for its virtual commencement ceremony — an honor she shared with figures including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Dr. Anthony Fauci. She had graduated from the university in 2006, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in political science.
Jackson's versatility — moving between the anchor desk and the campaign trail — has made her one of NBC's most-used political journalists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hallie Jackson?
Hallie Jackson is 42 years old, born on April 29, 1984.
When is Hallie Jackson's birthday?
Hallie Jackson was born on April 29, 1984.
What is Hallie Jackson known for?
Hallie Marie Jackson (born April 29, 1984) is an American reporter and network anchor. She is the senior Washington correspondent for NBC News, an anchor for NBC News Now, and the anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News. She is also a substitute anchor for Today, Saturday Today, Sunday Today with Willie Geist, and NBC Nightly News. She worked in Salisbury, Maryland; Dover, Delaware; Hartf She joined NBC News in 2014 as an embedded reporter on Ted Cruz's presidential campaign and began anchoring the 1 p.m. ET edition of MSNBC Live in summer 2016.
Where is Hallie Jackson from?
Background and origin details are documented on Wikipedia and in reputable biographies. She was born on April 29, 1984, in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2006.
Is Hallie Jackson married?
Relationship status is covered in the personal-life section above, based on reputable media reporting. Jackson's partner is Frank Thorp, a producer and off-air reporter for NBC News; together they announced the birth of their daughter on March 9, 2020.
Does Hallie Jackson have children?
Family details, where publicly confirmed, are covered above. Unconfirmed rumors are not included. Her daughter was born on March 9, 2020; Jackson announced the birth with her partner Frank Thorp, a producer and off-air reporter for NBC News.
What are some career highlights for Hallie Jackson?
Early life and education Jackson was born on April 29, 1984, in Yardley, Pennsylvania, the daughter of David and Heidi Jackson. In 2002, she graduated from Pennsbury High School. In 2006, Jackson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. degree in political science. As an undergraduate at JHU, she joined Phi Mu sorority. Her career highlights include covering the 2016 presidential race as an embedded reporter, anchoring MSNBC Live's 1 p.m. hour, and becoming anchor of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News.
Where can I find verified facts about Hallie Jackson?
Wikipedia's biography, Britannica where available, and reputable entertainment media are the most reliable sources.