Dana Perino is an American political commentator, the co-anchor of FOX News Channel's morning news program America's Newsroom, and co-host of The Five. She was the 26th White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009.
Dana Perino is an American political commentator
Early Life
Dana was born in Evanston, Wyoming, on May 9, 1972, and grew up in Denver, Colorado, on a horse ranch. As of May 2024, she is 52 years old. Dana attended Ponderosa High School in Parker, southeast of Denver. When she was six, her family visited the White House, after which she announced that she would work there one day.
Her grandfather, Leo E. Perino, a World War II Marine veteran and rancher from Newcastle, Wyoming, taught her to ride her pony, Sally, and gave her her first pair of red cowboy boots.
Perino has a younger sister named Angela, nicknamed Angie. Her parents are Leo Perino and Jan Perino. Two of her paternal great-grandparents were Italian immigrants, but Dana is an American.
Dana graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo in the mid-90s with a degree in Mass Communications. During college, she worked at several campus stations, producing and hosting shows about politics and public affairs.
Dana was on the university's forensics team and worked at KTSC-TV and KCCY-FM. She received a Master's in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield.
Career
Perino was a daily reporter covering the Illinois Capitol at the University of Illinois Springfield. She moved to Washington, D.C., first as a staff assistant for Congressman Scott McInnis and then as press secretary for Rep. Dan Schaefer for nearly four years.
After Schaefer retired in 1998, Perino spent time in Great Britain with her husband, Peter McMahon.
She became the spokesperson for the Department of Justice in 2001 and later worked as the Associate Director of Communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Eventually, she became Deputy Press Secretary under George W. Bush.
Dana Perino was a White House Press Secretary
When Tony Snow underwent cancer treatment in 2007, Perino served as Acting White House Press Secretary and then Press Secretary from 2007 to 2008.
In December 2008, during a Baghdad press conference, a TV journalist named Munstadhar al-Zaidi threw two shoes at President Bush, and Perino received a black eye from a microphone stand during the commotion.
Perino became a political commentator on Fox News after leaving the White House and is a regular co-host on the talk show The Five. President Obama nominated her to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors in 2009, and she was confirmed by the Senate in 2010.
She taught political communications at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. She later joined Crown Publishing Group as an editorial director but left it after a few years.
Dana started a podcast, "Perino & Stirewalt: I'll Tell You What," co-hosted with Chris Stirewalt in September 2016.
In October 2017, Perino began hosting "The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino" on Fox News. She left it in early 2021 to co-anchor "America's Newsroom" with Bill Hemmer.
Dana Perino became a Fox News commentator
It was announced in August 2023 that she would host the podcast "Perino on Politics" on Fox News Radio before the 2024 presidential election.
Dana also co-moderated the second GOP presidential primary debate on Fox Business alongside Stuart Varney and Ilia Calderón.
In May 2023, Dana received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from her alma mater, CSU Pueblo. She is the president of Dana Perino and Company and founded Minute Mentoring, a women's leadership program.
She supports global maternal health and child development through the One Campaign and Mercy Ships and helps American veterans with PTSD through Companions for Heroes.
Books
Dana has written three books:
- And the Good News Is…Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side (2015)
- Let Me Tell You About Jasper…How My Best Friend Became America's Dog (2016)
- Everything Will Be Okay: Life Lessons for Young Women (from a Former Young Woman) (2021)
Podcast
Perino launched a new podcast, "Perino on Politics," before the 2024 Presidential Elections, in which she talks to columnists, advisors, pollsters, and political strategists about the election.
Personal Life
Dana married UK-born Peter McMahon in 1998 after meeting him on a flight from Denver to Chicago the year before. They married in England and went on a honeymoon to Santorini in Greece. They live in a luxury mansion in Bay Head, New Jersey.
The 18-year-old age gap between them has not been a problem, and the couple have been married for well over two decades.
Dana Perino with husband Peter
McMahon, 70, was born on June 6, 1954, and is a businessman from Blackpool, a seaside resort town in Lancashire, England.
It was Dana's first marriage, but Peter was married twice before and had two children from a previous marriage. His children live in Scotland, and one has twins who call Dana "Grandma America."
Dana is a dog lover and had a Vizsla named Jasper, who died of cancer in 2021. She wrote a tribute on the Fox News website to Jasper.
She later told viewers that she and her husband adopted another Vizsla named Percy.
Dana has blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 152 cm tall, and her zodiac sign is Taurus.
Her net worth is around $6 million. She has reportedly signed a four-year contract with Fox worth $52 million, with an additional $10 million for her podcast content.
Her husband has a net worth of around $10 million.
Bodyguard
Some reports suggest that George Murdoch (Tyrus), a former professional wrestler, is Dana's bodyguard, but this has not been confirmed.
There are photographs of Dana and Tyrus together, and he towers over her at 2.01 meters tall or 6'7". Tyrus has been a Fox News contributor since 2016.
Dana Perino with Tyrus
Health Scare
Dana had a skin cancer scare a few years ago after a mark was spotted on her forehead. Fortunately, it was treated successfully by a dermatologist.
There is also an unconfirmed report that Peter had prostate cancer several years ago. However, the report was not supported by any evidence, and he appears to be in good health.
Social Media Links
For more updates on Dana Perino, you can follow her on her social media handles.
Instagram - @danaperino
Twitter - @DanaPerino