Since she began gracing the screens in 2012, Kacie McDonnell has slowly but steadily built a reputation as one of the rising reports in America’s sports industry. From Philadelphia to Kansas City to Boston, the small-town girl has left a trail of fans and admirers alike with her unbeatable excellence, professionalism, and dedication to her craft.
McDonnell is however not all work and no play. While it is common knowledge that she is a broadcaster with special interests in sports, Kacie has other links to sports as well including dating several professional athletes. One of these relationships nearly morphed into marriage but the planned nuptials was canceled just a few weeks to the wedding date. As one can expect, it left McDonnell quite heartbroken but she was able to forge on and find happiness again.
Kacie McDonnell’s Memorable Childhood in Pottsville, and how it Informed Her Journalism Career
Kacie McDonnell is a native Pennsylvanian and was born on July 30, 1990. She and her two siblings (Isabelle and Lochlan) were raised by their parents, Michelle and Ken McDonnell, in the town of Pottsville. Even though it was just a small town in the coal region, the young Kacie had a fun time and created several treasured memories which she still holds dear to this very day.
One of them was Friday Night Lights when the whole town shut down and turned up to support local high school teams. In Kacie’s own words, it was such mystique as well as a really cool way to grow up. Speaking of high school, Kacie McDonnell completed her diploma at the local Nativity BVM High School, which her family had attended for several generations. She then proceeded to study Communications at the nearby Villanova University.
McDonnell spent about four years at Villanova (2008 – 2012) during which she excelled in her studies. She also prepared herself for her future career by using her spare time to work as a model on the home shopping channel, QVC. The gig basically required her to model hair and beauty products from several brands and this helped her to get comfortable with being in from of the camera.
Her Early Days as a Traffic Reporter and Subsequent Transition to Sports
Kacie McDonnell landed her first post-college job as a traffic reporter for FOX TV in her native Pennsylvania in August 2013. The gig was quite tedious but it taught her several valuable lessons such as compassion, care, and sincerity. These qualities will come in handy when she was promoted to serve as the pre-game reporter (covering the NFL side, the Philadelphia Eagles) for the network. They also proved valuable when she was given her first hosting duties. This was as a fill-in anchor for the popular morning show, Good Day Philadelphia, which ran from 7 am to 10 am each weekday.
After two fulling years in Philadelphia, Kacie McDonnell decided to seek fresh career challenges elsewhere and boldly moved out to the city of Kansas in 2014. In Kansas, she joined the NBC-affiliated Channel 41, KHSB-TV, as a sideline reporter. She subsequently rose through the ranks to become a pre and post-game host for Sporting city. These positions gave Kacie a chance to cover some of the biggest sports happenings right out of Kansas. It also helped her to pick up important skills such as listening to what her interview subjects were saying in order to be able to capture their opinions lucidly.
Kacie’s Strides at New England Sporting Network
Kacie McDonnell made a great career move in August 2016 when she joined the Boston-based network, NESN, as a sports anchor. She would spend about three years in this role during which she got to cover some of the most historic achievements by professional sports teams in the New England Area. First up was the Boston Red Sox who won baseball’s most coveted trophy, the World Series, in 2018. Kacie chronicled the team’s hard work for the entire season and was also there to bring their moment of glory to the fans.
Talk of sports in the New England area will be incomplete without a mention of NFL powerhouse, The Patriots which McDonnell also covered. Her work spanned both practices as well as press conferences with the team’s notable figures including their legendary coach, Bill Belichick. She also covered the team’s two victory parades during her time there. First was in 2017 after they completed a stunning comeback against the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI. The second was in 2019 after they humbled the swashbuckling L.A. Rams to win Super Bowl LIII.
The Exciting Things She Hopes to Achieve at the Newly-launched Fox Nation
Following these three eventful years, Kacie McDonnell’s contract with NESN was up and the network quickly offered her a new deal. She, however, delayed signing it as she wanted to take some time off, reconnect with loved ones and get a fresher perspective. It was during this timeout that the anchor got wind of the fact that Fox was setting up a new and exciting channel and was looking to hire talents for it. She threw her heart in the ring and unsurprisingly landed the job.
Kacie McDonnell bade farewell to NESN in October 2019. The Pennsylvania native now works as an on-air personality for Fox Nation, a streaming network that is dedicated to lifestyle and sports. Upon joining the station, Kacie stated that it was an absolute dream to be a part of the innovative team. She also expressed her hopes of creating informative and entertaining content for viewers. Kacie is yet to get her own regular show on Fox Nation but she has covered several events including the red carpet show at the inaugural Fox Nation Patriots Awards. The ceremony honored America’s finest patriots such as veterans, first responders, and every day inspiring heroes.
The Story Behind McDonnell’s Broken Engagement with Aaron Murray
The attractive NESN reporter has had an interesting dating history. Having worked as a sports reporter for several networks, it is unsurprising that McDonnell has been in some high profile relationships with star athletes. From 2009 to 2011, Kacie was romantically linked to Christian Ponder, a former quarterback. Next was Jonathan Pettibone, another athlete whom she dated in 2013. Like the first, the relationship was also short-lived and Kacie moved on to quarterback Aaron Murray by the end of 2013.
Kacie’s romance with Aaron was quite serious and many presumed they were perfect for each other. Not only did McDonnell reportedly give up her work at some point for the relationship but there was also an engagement. Sadly, Kacie and Aaron never made it down the aisle as their engagement was broken in January 2015, just a few weeks to their proposed wedding. Though both parties did not disclose the reasons for their split, there were unconfirmed speculations that it was connected to infidelity on Aaron’s part.
She has Moved on with Eric Hosmer in a Thriving Long-Distance Relationship
Kacie McDonnell has found love again in the arms of another athlete, professional baseball player, Eric Hosmer. Kacie and Eric first became an item in 2015 but reportedly parted ways after a short time. They later rekindled their relationship in 2017 and remains together to date. Even though the couple has about 3000 miles between them, they have been able to make their relationship work. Kacie has even revealed that it is not as difficult as she thought it would be thanks to technology which bridges the gap between them and allows them talk and see each other every day. They also unwaveringly support each other to follow their dreams.
A native of Miami, Florida, Hosmer is a first baseman who was drafted into the MLB in 2011. He has played for teams such as the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. He has also received several awards including the Gold Globe Award (4x) and the Silver Slugger Award (once). Hosmer was also part of the Kansas City Royals team that won the World Series in 2015.
