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Carley Shimkus (American TV Journalist)
Carley Shimkus is an American broadcast journalist and Fox News Channel anchor who married her husband, Peter Buchignani, on August 8, 2015. Starting her TV career as a network intern in 2008, she worked her way up through roles as a headline reporter, news anchor, and morning show co-host.
Born on November 7, 1986, in Long Valley, New Jersey, Shimkus grew up in a household shaped by two distinct cultural backgrounds. Her father, Edward Shimkus, carried Lithuanian heritage, while her mother, Zulma M. Shimkus, née Aponte, brought Puerto Rican roots to the family. She attended West Morris Central High School in Chester, New Jersey, and then enrolled at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism in 2009.
Her professional path began one year before graduation. In 2008, Shimkus completed an internship at the Fox News bureau in Washington, D.C., during her final year at Quinnipiac. In 2009, she moved into a full-time role as an assistant producer at Fox Business Network. During that same period, she held an associate producer role on Imus in the Morning, a nationally broadcast radio program hosted by Don Imus.
Her responsibilities at Fox News Channel expanded to include the 24/7 Headlines reporter role, covering social media trends and entertainment news across multiple network programs. Her on-air appearances included Fox & Friends, MediaBuzz, and additional Fox News programming. In November 2018, she contributed to the network’s midterm election coverage. In 2019, she co-hosted the FNC Countdown to All-American New Year alongside Griff Jenkins.
Her profile at Fox News Channel grew further when she added the co-host role on Fox & Friends First, a weekday morning program, where she anchored alongside Todd Piro. In October 2023, she released a cookbook titled Cooking with Friends.
On the personal side, Shimkus and Peter Buchignani welcomed their first child — a son named Brock Edward Buchignani — in February 2023. This article covers Shimkus’s complete career timeline, her family background and parents, her marriage to Peter Buchignani, and an overview of her estimated salary and net worth.
| Full Name | Carley Noelle Shimkus |
| Date of Birth | November 7, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Long Valley, New Jersey, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed — Lithuanian (father’s side) and Puerto Rican (mother’s side) |
| Profession | Television Journalist, News Anchor, Co-Host, Author |
| Employer | Fox News Channel |
| High School | West Morris Central High School, Chester, New Jersey |
| University | Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut — B.A. in Broadcast Journalism (2009) |
| Career Start | Intern, Fox News Bureau, Washington D.C. — 2008 |
| Primary Role | Co-Host, Fox & Friends First, Fox News Channel (alongside Todd Piro) |
| Notable Programs | Fox & Friends First, Fox & Friends, MediaBuzz, Fox Nation Primetime Highlights (with Rob Schmitt), FNC Countdown to All-American New Year 2019 (with Griff Jenkins) |
| Published Work | Cooking with Friends (cookbook, October 2023) |
| Husband | Peter Buchignani (married August 8, 2015) |
| Engagement Date | May 15, 2015 |
| Children | Brock Edward Buchignani (son, born February 2023) |
| Father | Edward Shimkus (Lithuanian descent) |
| Mother | Zulma M. Shimkus, née Aponte (Puerto Rican descent) |
| Sister | Margot Shimkus (older sister) |
| Estimated Salary | ~$290,000 per year (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Estimated Net Worth | $1 million – $2 million (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
Who is Carley Shimkus ?
Carley Shimkus is an American television journalist and co-host of Fox & Friends First on Fox News Channel. Born on November 7, 1986, in Long Valley, New Jersey, she graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2009 and joined Fox News the same year. She is married to husband Peter Buchignani and they have one son, Brock Edward, born in February 2023.
Early Life and Background
Carley Shimkus was born on November 7, 1986, in Long Valley, New Jersey. Growing up in Morris County, she was raised in a multicultural home that blended her parents’ different heritages long before she entered the world of journalism.
Childhood and Family Background
Edward Shimkus, her father, held Lithuanian roots. Her mother, Zulma M. Shimkus — who carried the maiden name Aponte — brought Puerto Rican heritage to the household. That combination of Lithuanian and Puerto Rican ancestry formed the ethnic identity that Shimkus has maintained throughout her documented public life.
Within the Shimkus household, Carley held the position of younger daughter. Her older sister, Margot Shimkus, shared the same Long Valley upbringing. No publicly available biographical records document additional siblings beyond Margot.
From an early age, Shimkus expressed an interest in journalism and communication. That interest, formed during her years in Long Valley, guided the academic direction she pursued at the high school level and beyond.
Educational Journey
For her secondary education, Shimkus attended West Morris Central High School in Chester, New Jersey. On completing those years, she enrolled at Quinnipiac University, located in Hamden, Connecticut. The academic program she followed concentrated on broadcast journalism. In 2009, Quinnipiac University conferred on her a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism.
Her professional path traced directly back to a placement she completed in 2008 — one year before her degree — at the Fox News bureau in Washington, D.C. That internship, undertaken while she remained an enrolled student at Quinnipiac, placed her inside a national television news operation during the final stage of her academic training. On completing her degree in 2009, she moved into a full-time position at Fox Business Network, a transition made possible by the professional experience her Washington, D.C. internship had established.
Career Overview — Carley Shimkus
Carley Shimkus built a broadcast journalism career that began with a production role at Fox Business Network in 2009 and expanded across multiple on-air positions at Fox News Channel. Her professional record encompasses work as a producer, headline reporter, election night correspondent, morning program co-host, and published author — all accumulated within the Fox News family of networks across a span of more than fifteen years.
Early Career Beginnings
In 2008, while still enrolled at Quinnipiac University in her final academic year, Shimkus completed an internship at the Fox News bureau in Washington, D.C. That placement gave her direct exposure to national television news operations before her degree was conferred.
In 2009, following the award of her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Quinnipiac, she entered Fox Business Network as an assistant producer. Alongside that production role, she held an associate producer position on Imus in the Morning, the nationally syndicated radio program hosted by Don Imus. In that capacity, her responsibilities covered both the radio broadcast and the program’s digital production output. Those two parallel roles at Fox Business Network and the Imus program formed the documented foundation of her production and on-air skill base.
Rise at Fox News Channel
From Fox Business Network, Shimkus moved into Fox News Channel, where she took on the 24/7 Headlines reporter role. That position placed her reporting across the FNC programming schedule, with a focus on social media trends and entertainment news coverage.
Her on-air presence expanded through regular appearances on Fox & Friends and MediaBuzz. On November 6, 2018, she contributed to the network’s live midterm election night coverage. In 2019, she co-hosted the FNC Countdown to All-American New Year broadcast alongside anchor Griff Jenkins. She also held a co-host credit on Fox Nation’s Primetime Highlights, appearing in that program alongside Rob Schmitt.
Fox & Friends First Co-Host Role
The co-host role on Fox & Friends First represented the next documented stage in Shimkus’s on-air career at Fox News Channel. In that position, she anchored the program’s weekday morning broadcast alongside Todd Piro.
Fox & Friends First held the slot of the network’s earliest live weekday program, covering breaking news, social media developments, and political reporting. Her addition to the program placed her among the lead on-air voices in the FNC morning lineup.
Major Achievements and Milestones
Shimkus’s career trajectory at the Fox News family of networks traced a documented progression from intern in 2008 to assistant producer, headline reporter, and morning program co-host. Her credited on-air appearances spanned Fox & Friends, MediaBuzz, the November 2018 midterm election broadcast, the 2019 FNC New Year program, Fox Nation’s Primetime Highlights, and Fox & Friends First.
In October 2023, she published a cookbook titled Cooking with Friends. That release added a formal authorship credit to a professional record constructed entirely within broadcast journalism and television production over more than fifteen years.
Net Worth and Salary — Carley Shimkus
Carley Shimkus accumulated her financial standing through a broadcast journalism career at the Fox News family of networks that began with a production role in 2009 and progressed through headline reporter and morning program co-host positions over more than fifteen years. The figures documented below reflect estimates drawn from publicly available information and do not represent officially confirmed disclosures from Shimkus or Fox News Channel.
All salary and net worth figures presented below are estimates based on publicly available information and third-party reporting.
Salary Details
Publicly available estimates place Carley Shimkus’s annual salary at approximately $290,000. That figure corresponds to her co-host position on Fox & Friends First, a weekday morning program on Fox News Channel where she anchored alongside Todd Piro. Fox News Channel does not publish compensation data for its on-air talent, and no official salary figure has been confirmed by Shimkus in any documented public statement.
Net Worth Estimate
Estimates for Carley Shimkus’s net worth range between $1 million and $2 million. That range reflects income accumulated across her documented roles at Fox Business Network from 2009, her 24/7 Headlines reporter position at Fox News Channel, her co-host credit on Fox & Friends First alongside Todd Piro, and additional income from the publication of her cookbook Cooking with Friends in October 2023.
No verified financial disclosure, tax record, or official statement from Shimkus or her representatives has placed a confirmed figure on her net worth. The range cited above represents third-party estimates only, and the actual figure may differ.
Hena Doba Personal Life
Carley Shimkus and her husband, Peter Buchignani, have been married since August 8, 2015. Their relationship dates back to November 2009, when they first met, though they officially started dating in 2013. Following a May 2015 engagement, the couple married later that year and expanded their family in February 2023 with the birth of their son, Brock Edward.
Husband — Peter Buchignani
Peter Buchignani was born on September 21, 1986, in the United States. His parents, Leo Buchignani and Mary Edna Buchignani, raised him in Illinois, where he spent the bulk of his early years.
His academic record places him at Princeton University from 2005 through 2009, where his coursework culminated in a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Alongside those academic years, Buchignani held a position on the Princeton Tigers football team, competing as a Defensive End across three seasons. The Princeton athletic program credited him with two All-Ivy honorable mention designations earned during that playing period.
His professional path built toward the finance industry. From January 2012 through January 2015, he held a mortgage-backed securities sales role at Deutsche Bank. In March 2015, he moved into a business development and securitized products sales position at Amherst Pierpont Securities. Throughout his professional career, Buchignani maintained a profile outside the public media sphere.
Carley Shimkus and Peter Buchignani Meet
The two first crossed paths on November 7, 2009 — the date of Shimkus’s 23rd birthday. At that point, Shimkus had entered Fox Business Network following her graduation from Quinnipiac University earlier that year, while Buchignani had completed his degree at Princeton University in 2009 and moved into the finance sector.
Their 2009 meeting did not lead directly to a relationship. A four-year interval separated that first encounter from the start of their documented courtship. In 2013, the two began dating. That relationship continued for approximately two years before the next formal step in their personal timeline.
On May 15, 2015, Shimkus and Buchignani announced their engagement. Approximately three months passed between that engagement announcement and their wedding date.
Marriage and Relationship
On August 8, 2015, Carley Shimkus and Peter Buchignani held their wedding ceremony, attended by family members and close friends of both parties. No publicly available records specify the venue or geographic location of that ceremony.
After their 2015 wedding, both Shimkus and Buchignani stayed focused on their respective careers. While Shimkus grew her career on-air at Fox News Channel, Buchignani worked in finance at Amherst Pierpont Securities. Over a decade later, the couple remains together and continues to raise their family.
Children
In February 2023, Shimkus and Buchignani welcomed their first child together — a son named Brock Edward Buchignani. His arrival in February 2023 marked the first documented addition to the household established by the couple’s August 2015 marriage. No publicly confirmed records document any additional children beyond Brock Edward Buchignani.
Family Background
Carley Shimkus was raised in Long Valley, New Jersey, as the younger of two daughters born to Edward and Zulma M. Shimkus (née Aponte). She grew up alongside her older sister, Margot, in a close-knit household that shaped her early years.
Edward Shimkus, her father, carried Lithuanian heritage. Zulma M. Shimkus, her mother, held Puerto Rican ancestry through the Aponte family line. That combination of Lithuanian and Puerto Rican backgrounds defined the ethnic identity documented in Shimkus’s publicly available biographical records.
Carley held the position of youngest daughter within the household. Her older sister, Margot Shimkus, shared the same Long Valley upbringing. No publicly available records document siblings beyond Margot.
The household in which Shimkus grew up remained in Morris County, New Jersey, through her secondary school years at West Morris Central High School in Chester, and continued to serve as her family foundation before she relocated for her academic enrollment at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut in 2005.
Career Timeline
| Year / Date | Role | Organization / Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Intern | Fox News Bureau, Washington D.C. |
| 2009 | Assistant / Associate Producer | Fox Business Network (FBN) |
| 2009 | Associate Producer | Imus in the Morning (Don Imus Radio Program) |
| 2009 onward | 24/7 Headlines Reporter | Fox News Channel (FNC) |
| Ongoing | Regular Contributor | Fox & Friends, MediaBuzz — Fox News Channel |
| November 6, 2018 | Election Night Correspondent | Fox News Channel — Midterm Election Coverage |
| 2019 | Co-Host | FNC Countdown to All-American New Year (with Griff Jenkins) |
| Ongoing | Co-Host | Fox Nation Primetime Highlights (with Rob Schmitt) |
| Ongoing | Co-Host | Fox & Friends First, Fox News Channel (with Todd Piro) |
| October 2023 | Author | Cooking with Friends (Published Cookbook) |
FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Carley Shimkus
Key questions answered about the Fox News anchor, her husband Peter Buchignani, career, family, and net worth
Shimkus and Buchignani first crossed paths on November 7, 2009 — the date of her 23rd birthday. Their courtship began in 2013, and they announced their engagement on May 15, 2015. In February 2023, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Brock Edward Buchignani.
Buchignani earned All-Ivy honorable mention twice during his Princeton playing years. His professional career encompasses mortgage-backed securities sales at Deutsche Bank from January 2012 to January 2015, followed by a business development and securitized products sales role at Amherst Pierpont Securities beginning in March 2015. His parents are Leo Buchignani and Mary Edna Buchignani.
Born on November 7, 1986, in Long Valley, New Jersey, she graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism. She held roles as an assistant producer at Fox Business Network, a 24/7 Headlines reporter at Fox News Channel, and a co-host on Fox & Friends First alongside Todd Piro. In October 2023, she published a cookbook titled Cooking with Friends.
Her birth year of 1986 places her among the older millennial generation. She spent her formative years in Long Valley within Morris County, New Jersey, before enrolling at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut for her broadcast journalism degree.
Brock Edward represented the couple's first documented child following their August 2015 marriage. No publicly available records confirm any additional children beyond Brock Edward Buchignani.
Her financial record reflects income accumulated across roles at Fox Business Network beginning in 2009, her 24/7 Headlines reporting position at Fox News Channel, her co-host credit on Fox & Friends First alongside Todd Piro, and the October 2023 publication of Cooking with Friends. These are estimates based on publicly available information only.
Her documented on-air credits across the network also include Fox & Friends, MediaBuzz, and Fox Nation's Primetime Highlights with Rob Schmitt. In 2019, she co-hosted the FNC Countdown to All-American New Year alongside Griff Jenkins. On November 6, 2018, she contributed to Fox News Channel's live midterm election night coverage.
That estimate corresponds to her co-host role on Fox & Friends First. Actual compensation may differ from published estimates. These figures are based on publicly available information and should not be treated as officially verified.
The combination of her father's Lithuanian roots and her mother's Puerto Rican ancestry forms the mixed ethnic background documented across Shimkus's publicly available biographical record. Carley held the position of youngest daughter in the household.
Before Quinnipiac, she completed her secondary education at West Morris Central High School in Chester, New Jersey. During her final year at Quinnipiac in 2008, she completed an internship at the Fox News bureau in Washington D.C. — a placement that led directly to her full-time entry into the Fox News family of networks in 2009.
The two first met on November 7, 2009 — the date of Shimkus's 23rd birthday. They did not begin dating until 2013. Their engagement was announced on May 15, 2015. The wedding followed approximately three months after that announcement, on August 8, 2015.
Shimkus grew up in Long Valley, New Jersey, where both cultural backgrounds formed her household identity. Her ethnicity traces directly to her parents' documented national and cultural origins and appears in multiple publicly available biographical records.
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