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Valerie Hoff DeCarlo, Former CNN Anchor, Dies at 62 After Lung Cancer

She left Atlanta’s WXIA in 2017 after a private message using a racial slur became public.

Overview

  • Her death was reported this week by national outlets citing her husband and close friends.
  • DeCarlo worked at CNN from 1992 to 1999 and then at Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA from 1999 to 2017.
  • In 2017 she used a racial slur in a private message during reporting, the exchange was posted online, and she was suspended before resigning.
  • She later tried to continue reporting through a personal blog that has since been deleted.
  • She previously had breast cancer in 2013, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2024, and is survived by her husband, Derrick, and two sons, including one adopted from Russia.