Bill Melugin: Fox News’ Border Reporter With a Heart — And a Story All His Own

If you’ve tuned into Fox News over the past few years, chances are you’ve seen him: cool under pressure, perfectly groomed, standing somewhere in South Texas as a drone captures unfolding chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border. But Bill Melugin is more than just the network’s go-to correspondent for immigration coverage — he’s an Emmy-winning journalist, a former international model, a son shaped by loss, and a man in love who still keeps his personal life tightly under wraps.

From the frontlines of breaking news to the quiet moments before going live, Melugin brings a rare mix of toughness and tenderness to his work — and it’s turning heads far beyond just cable news.

Breaking Into the Big Time — and Staying in It

Melugin officially joined Fox News Channel in May 2021, and he didn’t exactly start small. Within weeks, he was on the ground at the Del Rio bridge crisis, reporting live as tens of thousands of migrants crossed into Texas. By the end of his first year, he had already covered some of the biggest national stories — the death of National Guardsman Bishop Evans, the Uvalde school shooting, California’s devastating wildfires, and the 2025 Trump inauguration.

 

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He wasn’t sitting behind a desk. He was there — boots on the ground, mic in hand, often filming his own drone footage in real time.

In 2022 alone, he spent 170 days at the southern border. That relentless commitment has made him a centerpiece of Fox’s immigration coverage, a polarizing but undeniably influential beat.

“All we’re doing is putting a mirror up and showing what’s happening,” he said in a recent interview. “That mirror just happens to show overwhelmed border agents and stories that often go untold.”

Melugin doesn’t just report the headlines — he helps shape them.

From Milan Runways to Murrow Awards

It’s easy to get caught up in the now — the reporting, the accolades, the headlines. But rewind just a decade, and Melugin was walking runways in Milan. Yes, before stepping into a newsroom, he had a stint as a model during college, even appearing in campaigns overseas.

But it didn’t stick. Passionate about storytelling and serious journalism, Melugin left fashion behind to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish Linguistics from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. He graduated in 2012.

 

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Starting out in El Paso, then moving on to Charlotte, Melugin eventually landed at KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles — and that’s where his career took off.

There, he broke one of the most viral political scandals of the COVID era: California Governor Gavin Newsom dining indoors at the upscale French Laundry restaurant while the state was under strict lockdown orders. Melugin’s scoop went national, and the investigative instincts he’d been quietly honing came fully into view.

He went on to earn three regional Emmy Awards, two Golden Mike Awards, and three Edward R. Murrow Awards — cementing his reputation as more than just a good-looking anchor. He was a relentless reporter with real range.

“He wasn’t even hired as an investigative reporter,” KTTV anchor Elex Michaelson recalled. “But he was digging through documents before and after shifts. No one else worked like that.”

A Quiet Ritual and a Personal Loss

Off camera, Melugin carries the weight of personal tragedy — and it informs everything he does. His father, Gary Melugin, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism at just 55 years old.

The loss was devastating. In interviews, Melugin has described himself before the loss as “immature” and “self-focused.” Losing his father, he says, forced him to grow up almost overnight.

Before every live shot, he whispers a few quiet words — not to a producer, but to his dad.

“I’m just asking him to watch over me. Hope I’m making you proud.”

It’s a ritual that keeps him grounded. And it explains, in part, why Melugin lives close to home, in Brentwood, California — just a short drive from his mother Audrey in Orange County. She calls him her “mama’s boy,” and proudly adopted the dogs and cat Melugin helped rescue while reporting from the border.

 

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Love, Loyalty, and Keeping It Low-Key

Though he’s constantly on screen, Bill Melugin has managed to keep much of his personal life private. What fans do know is this: since November 2018, he’s been in a long-term relationship with Katy Johnson, a model, global travel blogger, and founder of One Model Mission — a platform that tells women’s stories through photos and documentaries in more than 100 countries.

Johnson is passionate, well-traveled, and fiercely independent — qualities Melugin clearly admires. In 2019, he marked their anniversary with a rare Instagram post praising her courage, beauty, and resilience.

While the couple doesn’t post frequently about each other, their relationship appears steady and supportive. No engagement news (yet), but the connection is undeniable.

 

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Border Reporter Residents Actually Thank

Fox News’ immigration coverage is often politically charged, but in border towns like Eagle Pass and El Paso — many of which lean Democratic — Melugin’s presence has earned surprising respect.

“We’ve had locals say, ‘We don’t watch Fox, but thank you for being here,’” he shared.

He’s become deeply sourced — breaking stories like the leaked audio of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitting internally, “We’re losing” control of the border.

Melugin doesn’t deny the impact of his work being featured on Fox’s primetime opinion shows. But he insists it’s better he be the one shaping the context:

“If my reporting is going to be used,” he said, “who better to make sure it’s done right than me?”

A Gritty Reporter with Heart — and Plenty Ahead

Today, at just 30-something, Melugin has already carved out a distinctive space in American journalism. He brings the grit of a field reporter with the polish of a national anchor — and a sincerity that transcends politics.

He’s passionate about investigative work, proud of his roots, and transparent about the toll and triumphs of the job. If he has a flaw? He jokes it might be Los Angeles traffic — the only thing he hasn’t been able to break.

Melugin is, in many ways, the future of broadcast journalism: accessible but deeply sourced, sharp but human, and driven by more than just airtime. Whether flying drones over the Rio Grande or whispering to his late father before going live, he tells stories that matter — and lives one that many quietly admire.

As border policy continues to dominate national debate, expect Bill Melugin to be there — not just reporting it, but defining how it’s seen.