Dana Jacobson spent years as a familiar Saturday morning face on CBS after a decade at ESPN, but her role changed abruptly in late 2025. This article covers her long broadcasting career, her recent exit from CBS, and what is confirmed about her personal life.
Background: Who Is Dana Jacobson?
Dana Jacobson is an American sports anchor and reporter who spent years as a co-host of the Saturday edition of CBS’s morning news program. She also continues to work as an anchor and reporter for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network. People search for her both because of her long, recognizable career in sports television and because of a major recent change to her job status.
Jacobson was born on November 5, 1971, and was raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She attended high school in the Detroit area before finishing her secondary education at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, graduating in 1989.
What makes Jacobson’s career distinctive is the length and breadth of her run in sports broadcasting before she ever crossed over into general morning news. Unlike hosts who move directly from journalism school into a national anchor chair, Jacobson spent roughly two decades building credibility specifically as a sports commentator, which shaped both her on-air style and the way audiences related to her once she moved into a broader news format.
Latest Update
As of August 11, 2026, here is what’s currently known: in October 2025, Paramount announced a round of layoffs at CBS News, and those cuts included the Saturday edition of CBS Mornings. Jacobson hosted her final edition of the program on November 22, 2025. No official word has been made public about a new full-time broadcast role for her since that departure, so her current day-to-day assignment beyond CBS Sports Network is not confirmed as of this date.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Jacobson grew up in the Detroit, Michigan suburbs before her family’s move led her to finish high school in Iowa. In October 2018, she was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Hall of Fame, a detail that reflects both her Michigan roots and her Jewish heritage.
Career Path
Jacobson graduated from the University of Michigan in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and communications, where she was also a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She began her career as a weekend sports anchor, producer, and editor at WPBN/WTOM-TV in Traverse City, Michigan. From 1996 to 1998, she reported for KXTV in Sacramento, California, covering Monday Night Football and later serving as weekend sports anchor, winning a National Headliner Award in 1998 and an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2000 for her sports reporting.
In 2002, Jacobson joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor. In March 2005, she was named co-host of “Cold Pizza,” which was rebranded as “First Take” as she continued hosting it through 2011. She left ESPN in April 2012 after a decade with the network. She joined CBS Sports Network in 2013, hosting shows including “Inside College Football” and “Inside College Basketball,” and joined CBS News in 2015 as a consultant and backup anchor for CBS This Morning and CBS This Morning: Saturday. In July 2018, she and Michelle Miller were named the new co-hosts of the Saturday edition of the morning show, a post she held until the show’s cancellation in November 2025.
Throughout her ESPN years, Jacobson covered marquee sporting events including college football bowl games and NBA coverage, building the kind of broad sports knowledge that later made her a natural fit for CBS Sports Network’s college football and basketball programming. That range across both live event coverage and studio hosting gave her a versatility that few sports broadcasters develop over a full career.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Graduates University of Michigan |
| 2002 | Joins ESPN as SportsCenter anchor |
| 2005 | Named co-host of “Cold Pizza” (later “First Take”) |
| 2018 | Named co-host of CBS Saturday Morning with Michelle Miller |
| 2025 | Hosts final CBS Saturday Morning episode after CBS layoffs |
Awards and Recognition
Jacobson’s broadcasting honors include a National Headliner Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and her 2018 induction into the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Hall of Fame, reflecting recognition both for her reporting work and for her ties to her home state’s sports community.
Age
Dana Jacobson was born on November 5, 1971, making her 54 years old as of August 11, 2026.
Religion
Jacobson is Jewish, a detail publicly reflected in her October 2018 induction into the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.
Spouse/Partner
Jacobson married Sean Grande, the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the Boston Celtics, on September 28, 2019, in New York.
Net Worth
Jacobson’s exact net worth has not been officially disclosed. Public estimates vary widely and are not independently verified.
Parents
Information about Jacobson’s parents has not been made public through an official source.
Height
Jacobson’s height is commonly reported as approximately 5 feet 11 inches, though this figure comes from unofficial sources and is not independently verified.
Education
Jacobson graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, in 1989, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and communications from the University of Michigan in 1993.
Hometown/State of Origin
Jacobson was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and was raised in the suburbs of Detroit.
Official Social Media
You can follow Dana Jacobson on X (formerly Twitter) at @danajacobson.
Viewers who followed Jacobson’s Saturday morning broadcasts often point to her sports background as what set her apart from typical morning news anchors, bringing a energetic, conversational style to segments that might otherwise feel purely procedural. That same energy carried over into her ESPN years and continues to define her CBS Sports Network appearances today.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Who is Dana Jacobson?
She is a veteran sports broadcaster best known for co-hosting CBS Saturday Morning from 2018 to 2025 and for a decade-long career at ESPN before that.
How old is Dana Jacobson?
She was born on November 5, 1971, making her 54 years old as of August 11, 2026.
Why did Dana Jacobson leave CBS Saturday Morning?
CBS News’ parent company Paramount announced layoffs in October 2025 that included the Saturday morning program, and Jacobson hosted her final episode on November 22, 2025.
Who is Dana Jacobson’s husband?
She married Sean Grande, the Boston Celtics’ radio play-by-play announcer, in September 2019.
What did Dana Jacobson do before CBS?
She spent a decade at ESPN, including as a SportsCenter anchor and as co-host of “Cold Pizza” and its successor, “First Take,” before joining CBS Sports Network in 2013.
Is Dana Jacobson still on television?
She continues to work as an anchor and reporter for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, though her CBS News morning anchor role ended in November 2025.
Wrap-Up
Dana Jacobson’s career traces a path that few broadcasters follow: a full decade at ESPN as a national sports anchor, followed by a second act as a CBS News morning anchor, all while continuing her sports broadcasting work on the side. That range across both sports and general news television is part of what made her a recognizable face across two very different programming formats.
Her exit from CBS Saturday Morning in late 2025 was tied directly to broader corporate layoffs rather than anything specific to her performance, which is an important distinction for readers trying to understand why a familiar face left the screen. She continues to have a role at CBS Sports Network, so her connection to the CBS family of networks has not fully ended.
As the media industry continues to shift and consolidate, Jacobson’s situation is a useful example of how even established, award-winning broadcasters are affected by network-wide cost-cutting decisions that have nothing to do with their individual work. Her decades of Emmy and Murrow-recognized reporting remain part of the professional record regardless of any single programming decision made by network executives.
For longtime viewers who grew accustomed to seeing Jacobson each Saturday morning, her continued presence on CBS Sports Network offers a way to keep following her work, even as her specific role within the CBS News lineup has changed.
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.