Jennifer Griffin joined the Fox News Channel in 1999 and currently serves as its chief national security correspondent. But before she was jet-setting the globe for her career, she was a kid living in Alexandria and sledding with friends near the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. She talks about her NoVA upbringing, plus her experience as a Stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer survivor.
You’ve been at Fox News since the beginning. What were the early days like?
I was freezing on bridges in Moscow in big fake fur coats. Fox took a lot of material from Moscow, then the Kosovo conflict happened. I was sent to Kosovo. I kept getting great assignments overseas. So I stayed overseas. Fox was a work in progress at that time. I remember the highest rated program on Fox when I started was the [Pet News] show, which was on the weekend. I had to go out to the Moscow pet fair every weekend and find stories there because that was our highest rated show. We’ve come a long way since those days, and I just kept getting incredible assignments.
What was growing up in Alexandria like? Do you still have family in the area?
My mom still lives in the house that I grew up in, near the Masonic Temple. Alexandria is still very near and dear to my heart. It’s a big part of who I am. My mom, Carolyn Griffin, has a theater in Old Town Alexandria called MetroStage, which started over 30 years ago. She’s a big part of the community there and has stayed very engaged in the community.
We had a very interesting neighborhood in Rosemont, Alexandria. On my street, I was very good friends with the Mulroney family, and you probably know [actor and musician] Dermot Mulroney. He was the older brother of my best friend, Moira Mulroney. [Actor and musician Charles] Chip Esten — whose stage name is Chip Esten, but it’s Chip Puskar — he went to T.C. Williams [High School, now known as Alexandria City High School] with Dermot, and they just recently played at The Birchmere. But Chip, obviously, was in the show Nashville and has had a music career, and his sister, Cathy Puskar, is still very involved in Alexandria City Council and Alexandria politics. Tommy Kail, producer of Hamilton, lived on our street. I even babysat for him. It was a very special neighborhood growing up and still is. In those days everybody rode their bikes and their skateboards and played until dark — kick the can and ghosts in the graveyard. And it was pretty great.
My favorite memories were sledding at the Masonic Temple. Also, we always rented the Admiral Tilp boat in Old Town for special family occasions. We hosted my daughter’s 16th birthday onboard and my sister’s rehearsal dinner picnic-style with family onboard.
Any favorite NoVA restaurants?
Well, my mom’s favorite restaurant — and I always go there with her — is Hank’s [Oyster Bar]. And my dad, I always think of Peking Gourmet [Inn], which had the best Peking duck. Those are iconic restaurants.
Any favorite NoVA shopping spots?
I remember getting my prom dress out at Bloomingdale’s at Tysons. I still get all my frames done at Alexandria [Picture] Framing [Company] in Old Town, which is wonderful. We always buy our birthday cakes at Alexandria Pastry in Bradlee [Shopping Center]. Our tradition is to — and we even have a kind of frequent flyer card — get a raspberry marquis [cake]. We’ve been doing that probably for over 30 years.
You were very public about your cancer diagnosis. How is your health now?
My health is great. I’m really lucky. I can date back [from] when I got breast cancer to the birth of my son. My son, Luke, was 6 months old when I found my tumor, which was 7 centimeters, and had grown mysteriously while I was pregnant and nursing. And Luke is now 17. So this September will be 17 years since I was diagnosed, and then I went through 17 rounds of chemo.
I was treated at Georgetown Hospital. They saved my life, I like to say. My breast surgeon Shawna Willey is out of Inova, and I still see her, and she’s treated many, many friends of mine. And Claudine Isaacs at [Medstar] Georgetown [University Hospital], I’m very indebted to. I also counsel a lot of people who get cancer.
I’ve been very involved with the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which is based in Old Town Alexandria. I hosted their gala for many years and just try to use my experience to help other women going through this. You just pay it forward, after going through something like that and being lucky enough to survive.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Feature image courtesy Jennifer Griffin via FOX News Media
