Ashlei King joined the FOX 16 Good Day morning show as co-anchor in July 2018.
Since being with FOX 16, Ashlei has been a pivotal part of the station’s Victory Over Violence Campaign, which was launched in 2017 as a way to cover crime in a responsible manner. Ashlei started Victory Over Violence digital show where she focused on impact, response, and solutions to the violence.
Her greatest career achievement was winning a Regional and National Edward R. Murrow Award in 2022 for her coverage highlighting the fears some children face daily while living in neighborhoods that are known for violence. That same story was also nominated for a Regional Emmy.
The San Antonio, Texas native came to Arkansas from her hometown, where she worked at KABB FOX 29 for four years. While there, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on a documentary highlighting the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. March, which is the largest in the country. She also won a National Association of Black Journalist award for the documentary.
Ashlei earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. During her freshman year at UT, she was a member of the co-ed cheerleading squad. She cheered for the Texas Longhorns football team and men’s basketball team. She also ran hurdles for two years on the UT Track & Field team.
Ashlei kicked off her broadcasting career in Austin, where she served as the CBS-affiliate’s UT reporter. She was also the Assistant News Director for Texas Student Television’s KVR News.
After graduation, she worked for KTXS in Abilene. During her time in Abilene, she won a Texas Associated Press Award for deadline editing. Ashlei also spent two years in Tulsa, Oklahoma working for the CBS-affiliate. While in Tulsa, she covered a variety of stories from tornadoes to devastating wildfires that torched hundreds of homes. Her most memorable moment was when she did a live interview on CNN with Don Lemon about a racially motivated shooting spree in Tulsa.
Born in Italy, Ashlei spent part of her childhood in Germany. She has deep-seated roots in Arkansas. The King side of her family is originally from Southeast Arkansas (Dermott, Monticello, and McGehee areas). She still has family who lives in the area. Random Fun Fact: Ashlei is related to music icon Michael Jackson. His grandmother and her great-grandfather were first cousins.
Ashlei is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Ashlei recently married her high school sweetheart. During her spare time, you can find her hanging out with her husband, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants and then working off the calories at the gym. If you see her out and about, don’t hesitate to say hello and if you have any story ideas, send them her way.
