“Educate, inform, inspire and entertain,” Fox News’ Emily Compagno said of her TV mantra in a recent conversation with Barrett News Media over a Zoom call.
The co-host of Outnumbered added, “I’m very conscious that every time I open my mouth on Fox, I’m a steward of the viewer’s time, and [the viewer’s time is of] the utmost importance to me, that I use that time wisely for them so that anyone watching doesn’t feel I wasted it and comes away hopefully being a little bit better for it.”
Born in a Naval Hospital in California, Compagno grew up dreaming of a different career, saying, “I wanted to be a fighter pilot, and I wanted to be a test pilot for NASA. So I went to Space Camp and Space Academy and the Air Force Academy Summer scientific seminar, and did Air Force ROTC and all of these things. And then up until the very last day when I had to sign on the dotted line to commit, and I was just too short to be a fighter pilot doing it. So my hopes were dashed.”
So she went to Plan B.
“Even though [flying] sort of defined my passions for so long, my backup plan — because I’d always been taught to have a backup plan — was law school. I had always been interested in law and clearly talking and American History.” She received herundergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Washington. She later attended law school at the University of San Francisco.
During both undergrad and graduate school, Emily Compagno was able to travel the globe, literally. “I had the honor of sailing around the world on a study abroad program and visiting, 13 countries, and it opened my eyes to so much peril and trauma that was happening.”
Compagno went on to say, “While living on that ship, sailing around the world, going to those countries, I emphasize my study on political science and religion. So before traveling to each country, I would study the political system and their religion. Then in that country, all of my experiences would be sort of tailored to both of those. And that was obviously personally and academically just beyond rewarding.”
While studying in law school, Emily Compagno lived in Brazil and South Africa.
“Those were incredibly rewarding experiences and the law touches everything. I felt so cognizant that as a future attorney, law was the common denominator of everything. So no matter what you were passionate about or how you wanted to help, you could always do so by being an agent of the law.”
One other influence directed the course of Compagno’s career? “While in law school, that’s when I was first exposed to the new model of seeing a legal analyst on television, augmenting a segment and helping to educate viewers as a subject matter expert. So at that time, that’s when the title Legal Analyst came into my world and became a goal of mine.”
While a practicing attorney, Emily Compagno became an NFL cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders. “On my rookie card at Raiders, it says, ‘What does Emily want to be?,’ and it says ‘Legal Analyst.’ And so that was the goal I held. Ultimately, I obviously had the honor of achieving that goal.”
While with the Raiders, she was able to visit troops in Iraq and Kuwait, calling the experience, “one of the honors of my life.”
She went on to say, “Upon separation from the federal government, as I was a federal attorney, I got into legal analysis and began conducting legal analysis for different broadcast stations. And after some years of doing that, in combination with my career as an attorney, I had the utmost pleasure of being hired by Fox News as a contributor, and then became a co-host of Outnumbered.”
For the 10th anniversary of Outnumbered, Compagno said, “Viewers will be treated to some behind-the-scenes footage and a look back in time as we show some of our most memorable moments from the past ten years. Plus, behind-the-scenes footage will be of (co-hosts) Harris (Faulkner), Kayleigh (McEnany), and I in our daily lives, preparing for the show and on the couch.” When you can’t watch Compagno on TV you can hear her on The Fox True Crime Podcast.
Launching just over a year ago, Emily Compagno is most proud of the unique stories she gets to tell saying, “We are centering the voices that are the closest to the story. So what listeners have to look forward to is the survivor herself telling the story, the tenacious detective telling the story, the brother of the missing individual, sharing his story.”
She added, “At times, who we have on might surprise you because we also have the criminals themselves sharing their stories, from mob bosses to the undercover agents that put the mob bosses in jail to people that got away with the crime. To loved ones still searching for the missing and to those who turned their trauma into advocacy, every week it’s something special and unique and never before heard.”
Long before she hit the national airwaves, Emily Compagno was involved with several philanthropic endeavors, including mission trips to Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia with Children of the Nations. She also participated in a mission trip right here at home in Mississippi.
“It was one year after Hurricane Katrina and that was with God’s Katrina Kitchen. We served three meals a day, just off the sand to those who had been rendered homeless or without any food options after Katrina,” Compagno said.
The former Federal Attorney is involved with several charities and philanthropic endeavors because she said, “I have a heart for this. It’s very important to me to use this platform for good, and I take it very seriously to be a messenger for other people’s good works and the angels among us.”
For those looking to follow in Compagno’s footsteps, be it law or journalism, she gave advice in two parts. The first part is faith.
“God has ordered our steps, so, my number one advice to anyone is to walk by faith and know that you are never alone and that Jesus Christ is always with you.” She added, “If you chase God, the blessings will follow. And he has put on your heart what he has anointed you for so you can live a purpose-driven and fulfilling life. So I would say, don’t ignore your dreams. Don’t ignore what’s on your heart. Pursue both with passion.”
Most importantly she said, “You are enough. Everyone was created uniquely and wonderfully made. Therefore, you are all that you need to accomplish your dreams, and I hope everyone enjoys the journey along the way. Don’t give up and enjoy every day in the process.”
The second part of Compagno’s advice was more “pragmatic” saying, “What I found served me so well was the never giving up and always having that articulated goal and the concept of reloading that a no was just a no in that moment, or a no from that source. I never took a no as the final word. Only God knows how many no’s you’re going to hear until you get that Yes. Doesn’t matter how many No’s. All that matters is that one. Yes.”
She continued, “There were plenty of things that I rejected because I knew it didn’t serve me.” An example she gave is social media. “I always felt very strongly that I despised social media and I did not want it as a tool for myself, I knew I could succeed without it. I never had a Facebook account. All of them are imposters.”
She concluded by pointing out, “At the end of the day, as you’re navigating your own path, it’s important to recognize what is serving you and what feels natural to you. Because if it doesn’t, then it’s not you.”
