Former CNN Anchor Dies At 62

Former CNN and Atlanta television anchor Valerie Hoff DeCarlo has died at the age of 62 after a lengthy battle with stage four lung cancer, her family confirmed this week. DeCarlo, who spent more than two decades in broadcast journalism and became a familiar presence to viewers across Georgia and nationwide, passed away surrounded by loved ones.

DeCarlo began her career at CNN in 1990 after graduating from Ohio University and briefly attending Emory Law School. She started as a writer before becoming an anchor for CNN Headline News and the CNN Airport Network, where she covered consumer news, lifestyle segments, and national trending stories.

Colleagues who worked with her during the early years of cable news described her as a natural on camera with a warm delivery and sharp reporting instincts.

In 1999, DeCarlo left CNN for Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, 11Alive, where she built the reputation most viewers remember today. She anchored and reported on a wide array of major stories, from national events to local investigative pieces, and she became known for her money saving franchise called “Ways to Save,” which focused on helping families stretch their budgets.

Her husband has said the segment reflected her actual personality, noting that she was a careful shopper who often surprised family members with how far she could make a dollar go.

Valerie Hoff DeCarlo

During her years at 11Alive, DeCarlo also reported on deeply personal topics, including her family’s adoption of a son from Russia in 2009. She kept an online journal documenting the process, gaining support from viewers who connected with her candid reflections on motherhood and the emotional challenges of international adoption.

In 2013, DeCarlo revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and later reconstructive surgery, and she eventually returned to the newsroom. Friends say she remained committed to raising awareness about breast cancer and often spoke with women who were navigating their own diagnoses.

DeCarlo’s journalism career came to an abrupt end in 2017 after a private online message in which she repeated a racial slur was made public. DeCarlo asked a social media user for permission to use a clip showing a white police officer punching a black motorist.

The user — a black man — had used the phrase ‘news n***as’ to describe journalists in previous posts, which prompted DeCarlo to use the term herself. In a direct message to him, she wrote: ‘please call this news n****.’

She apologized for the comment and said she regretted the lapse in judgment, but she ultimately resigned from 11Alive.

“It was incredibly stupid, but I can’t take it back now,” Hoff said at the time. “I have never used that word. Ask anyone who knows me.”

She later filed a breach of contract claim that was settled confidentially. After leaving TV news, she stepped back from public life and eventually found work outside journalism.

Her family revealed that she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2024 and had endured what they described as a difficult year of treatments. Her husband, Derrick DeCarlo, called her “a strong, capable, loving woman” and said she was fiercely devoted to their two sons, Nicholas and Jehynya.