FOX NFL KICKOFF HOST
FOX NFL KICKOFF HOST
Charissa Thompson hosts three NFL shows with FOX NFL KICKOFF, the lead-in to FOX NFL SUNDAY, Prime Video Thursday Night Football pregame show and the acclaimed highlight and interview show "NFL Films Presents" on FS1, which offers a unique perspective on the heroes and personalities of the league. She’s been one of the prominent faces of FS1 since the network launched in August 2013 and is recognized universally for her versatility as a host and reporter in sports and entertainment.
Thompson contributes interviews and features to both FOX pregame shows, in addition to voicing highlights on Sundays during FOX games. She’s been enjoying the prime of an improbable career that began as an assistant in the FOX Sports human resources department in 2006.
When she’s not in-studio for a sports broadcast, NFL Films show or podcast, Thompson can be seen as a correspondent for the long-running entertainment magazine show "EXTRA," which she co-hosted beginning in 2014 and has extensive experience interviewing some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Along with her colleague and good friend, FOX NFL reporter Erin Andrews, the duo hosts "Calm Down with Erin and Charissa," a podcast which showcases their unfiltered conversations about life, gossip, sports and random topics that pique their interests.
In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, Thompson created her own interior design and lifestyle company, House & Home offering virtual and in-home services as she guides her clients to a premier vision of their home they can be proud of.
A Seattle native and a three-time lettered athlete in basketball, track and volleyball, Thompson graduated from the University of California–Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts degree in law and society. Her brother, Tyson, played baseball at Washington State.
Following college, she packed her things and headed to Los Angeles to accept the HR position for FOX Sports. A sports fan at heart, Thompson dedicated her after-work time to her dream by spending time in the network’s highlights department for a course in cutting and organizing game clips and logging video tape. In 2007, she applied and received a production assistant position at FOX Sports Net Rocky Mountain, embarking on a dream that continued to grow.
While in Denver, Thompson received her first on-air opportunity as a fill-in host for the channel’s Saturday evening Colorado Rockies all-access show. Instantly comfortable, Thompson was approached by FOX executives and later hired as a regular host on the network’s nationally syndicated program "Best Damn Sports Show Period" that was filmed in Los Angeles. Thompson spent two years at the show and also made appearances as a sideline reporter for both FOX NFL and Big Ten Network.
In 2010, she left FOX Sports and worked across multiple platforms as a host for both Versus and Yahoo! Sports. Thompson anchored Versus’s NHL studio coverage and recorded web videos for Yahoo, leading the website’s presence at the 2010 Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl XLV and the BCS National Championship. Success in both arenas led to her joining ESPN in August 2011, where she was named one of the hosts for the network’s newly conceived afternoon show, "Numbers Never Lie."
In July 2012, she moved to "SportsNation," enjoying a successful run before returning in May 2013 for the launch of FS1. Thompson enjoys yoga, running, interior decorating, boating and water sports in her free time. She lists Michael Jordan and Ken Griffey Jr. among her favorite athletes, and "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gangs of New York" as her favorite movies. Lionel Richie and Lenny Kravitz are among her favorite musicians. Follow Thompson via Twitter @CharissaT and Instagram @charissajthompson.
