Weijia Jiang went from a small town in West Virginia to a front-row seat covering the White House for CBS News. Here’s a clear, verified look at her age, family, and the career that led to a leadership role in the White House press corps.
Background
Jiang is the Senior White House Correspondent for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. People search her name because of her consistent White House coverage since 2018, and because a question she asked President Trump about COVID-19 testing during a 2020 press briefing drew global attention.
She was born in Xiamen, China, and moved to the United States with her family when she was about two years old. She was raised in Buckhannon, West Virginia, where her parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant, and she often describes herself as a “Chinese-born West Virginian.”
📌 Quick fact: Jiang won an Emmy Award in 2023 as part of the CBS Mornings team, and became interested in journalism at age 13 after an eighth-grade teacher encouraged her to enter a journalism competition.
Latest Update
Jiang continues to serve as CBS News’s Senior White House Correspondent as of this writing. In 2026, she took on the additional role of president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, becoming the first woman of color to hold that position. No further update beyond her ongoing correspondent role and WHCA presidency has been independently confirmed as of today’s date.
Her dual responsibilities, reporting for CBS News while also leading the White House Correspondents’ Association, mean her public schedule is unusually full, and both organizations’ official channels remain the best way to track her current activities.
⚠️ Good to know: Some sources list Jiang’s current age inconsistently depending on whether they’ve updated for her most recent birthday. This article calculates her age directly from her confirmed June 6, 1983 birth date.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Jiang was born on June 6, 1983, in Xiamen, Fujian, China. Her parents, Liya Wei and Huade “John” Jiang, moved the family to the United States when she was about two years old and settled in Buckhannon, West Virginia, where they owned and operated a Chinese restaurant.
Growing up as one of very few Asian-American families in a small West Virginia town shaped much of Jiang’s early identity and later became a central theme of her professional writing, since she was often one of very few people around her who shared her family’s background or language.
Career Path
Jiang became interested in journalism at age 13, after an eighth-grade teacher encouraged her to enter a competition run by Channel One, which she won, earning a student-anchor internship reporting in Los Angeles. She worked at WJZ-TV in Baltimore from around 2008 to 2012, then moved to WCBS-TV in New York as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor from 2012 to 2015.
She joined CBS News in 2015 as a correspondent for Newspath, the network’s national news service, and was named a White House correspondent in July 2018. Her question to President Trump about coronavirus testing statistics during a 2020 press briefing drew international attention and sparked discussion about the treatment of Asian-American journalists. She was later promoted to Senior White House Correspondent, and in 2026 became president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, the first woman of color to hold the role.
She is also the author of a memoir titled Other, published by Simon & Schuster’s One Signal Publishers, which recounts her childhood in West Virginia and her experience as the White House press corps’ only Chinese-American correspondent for much of her tenure. The book also addresses her concerns about anti-Asian hate and its effects on AAPI communities.
Jiang has said publicly that she hopes the book helps readers understand both her personal journey and the broader experience of Asian-American journalists navigating predominantly white newsrooms, a perspective that has become increasingly part of the public conversation around diversity in American media.
Age
Jiang was born on June 6, 1983, making her 43 years old as of this article’s publish date.
Religion
Jiang’s religious beliefs are not publicly confirmed.
Spouse/Partner
Jiang has been married to Travis Luther Lowe, a technology executive, since March 2018. The couple met in college, where they co-hosted a weekly campus television show together. They have two children.
Net Worth
Jiang’s exact net worth has not been officially disclosed. Unofficial estimates place it between $2 million and $4 million, but this figure is not independently verified.
Parents
Jiang’s parents are Liya Wei and Huade “John” Jiang, who owned and operated a Chinese restaurant in Buckhannon, West Virginia, and are now retired.
Height
Jiang is commonly listed at around 5 feet 4 inches tall across unofficial sources.
Education
Jiang earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in chemistry from the College of William & Mary in 2005, and a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Hometown/State of Origin
Jiang was born in Xiamen, China, and considers Buckhannon, West Virginia, her hometown, having grown up there after her family immigrated to the United States.
Official Social Media
You can follow Weijia Jiang on X (formerly Twitter): @weijia.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Graduated from the College of William & Mary |
| 2012 | Inducted into Syracuse’s Newhouse School Professional Gallery |
| 2018 (March) | Married Travis Luther Lowe |
| 2018 (July) | Named CBS News White House correspondent |
| 2020 | Viral exchange with President Trump over COVID-19 testing |
| 2023 | Won an Emmy Award with the CBS Mornings team |
| 2026 | Became president of the White House Correspondents’ Association |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
How old is Weijia Jiang?
Jiang was born on June 6, 1983, making her 43 years old as of this article’s publish date.
What is Weijia Jiang known for?
She’s known for her role as CBS News’s Senior White House Correspondent and for a 2020 exchange with President Trump about COVID-19 testing that drew global attention.
Where did Weijia Jiang grow up?
She was born in Xiamen, China, and raised in Buckhannon, West Virginia, where her parents owned a Chinese restaurant.
Is Weijia Jiang married?
Yes, she has been married to Travis Luther Lowe since March 2018. They have two children.
Where did Weijia Jiang go to college?
She earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary and a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.
What role did Weijia Jiang take on in 2026?
She became president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, the first woman of color to hold that position.
Has Weijia Jiang written a book?
Yes, she wrote a memoir titled Other, published by Simon & Schuster’s One Signal Publishers, covering her upbringing in West Virginia and her career as a White House correspondent.
Wrap-Up
Weijia Jiang’s career is a clear example of how a small-town upbringing doesn’t limit access to one of journalism’s most competitive beats. Her path from a West Virginia restaurant family to the White House briefing room took more than a decade of steady local news work before her national breakthrough.
Her 2026 role as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association adds an organizational leadership dimension to her career that goes beyond her own reporting, representing the interests of the entire White House press corps.
Her memoir’s title, Other, reflects a theme she’s returned to throughout her career: what it meant to grow up as one of very few Asian-American families in a small West Virginia town, and later to be one of the only Chinese-American reporters in the White House briefing room for years at a time.
What’s confirmed about Jiang traces a career built on early journalism ambition, sustained local news experience, and a national platform she’s used to both report the news and, more recently, help lead the institution that governs how that reporting happens.
Readers wanting the most current account of her work, including her WHCA leadership, should follow her CBS News reporting directly, since her own published memoir and network coverage remain the most reliable sources on her career and background.
John Wood is the founder and lead editor of Biography Region. He researches and writes accurate, engaging biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, and public figures, delivering well-sourced, reader-focused content that informs and inspires.