You’ve probably seen him on TV. Perfectly styled, cool under pressure, and standing somewhere in South Texas as a drone captures chaos overhead.
But Bill Melugin is more than just Fox News’ go-to guy for immigration coverage. He’s a former model, Emmy-winning investigator, and mama’s boy with a serious work ethic, and a long-term love story that fans are just now discovering.
From Border Breakouts to Inauguration Day
Melugin joined Fox News Channel in May 2021, and let’s just say he didn’t ease into things. He’s been at the center of the biggest stories in the country. From mass migrant crossings to California wildfires, presidential inaugurations, and school shootings.
He’s not reporting from behind a desk. He’s in it. Since 2021, he’s spent nearly half the year at the U.S.-Mexico border, logging 170 days in 2022 alone. Whether it’s thermal drones showing camouflaged crossings, or heartbreaking interviews with migrants from Venezuela and Cuba, Melugin’s work has become a staple of Fox’s immigration coverage.
“All we’re doing is putting a mirror up and showing what’s happening,” he told reporters. And the mirror is clear: border agents overwhelmed, migrant stories unfolding in real time and the political world watching every frame.
He’s covered:
- The Del Rio bridge crisis
- The death of Guardsman Bishop Evans
- The Uvalde school shooting in 2022
- Trump’s 2025 inauguration
- The 2025 California wildfires
- The 2024 GOP Convention and Iowa caucuses
He’s even stood in for segments from the Washington, D.C. studio, but don’t expect him to stay inside long.
From Milan to Murrow Awards
Wait, former model?
Yes, before the cameras and breaking news, Melugin had a brief modeling stint in Milan during college. But he traded fashion weeks for FOIA requests and hasn’t looked back.
The Orange County native graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2012, studying Broadcast Journalism and Spanish Linguistics. He started out in El Paso, then moved to Charlotte, and eventually landed in Los Angeles at KTTV FOX 11.
That’s where he exploded.
Melugin’s relentless drive helped him break the Gavin Newsom French Laundry scandal during the pandemic. He earned three local Emmy Awards, two Golden Mike Awards, and three Edward R. Murrow Awards. All before turning 40.
“He wasn’t even hired as an investigative reporter,” KTTV anchor Elex Michaelson said. “But he was digging through documents before and after shifts. No one else worked like that.”
The Story Behind the Stare
Melugin’s on-air composure hides a much deeper story. Before every live shot, he whispers a few words. Not to a producer, but to his late father, Gary Melugin, who died suddenly at 55 from a pulmonary embolism.
“I’m just asking him to watch over me. Hope I’m making you proud.”
The loss changed everything.
“I considered myself an immature little boy… it made me grow up very quickly.”
And he’s stayed close to home ever since. Melugin lives in Brentwood, not far from his mother, Audrey, in Orange County. She still calls him a “mama’s boy” and proudly adopted two dogs and a cat he helped rescue while covering the border.
Off-Camera, In Love — and Low-Key About It
So what about Melugin’s personal life?
As of June 2025, the Fox News star is not married, but he’s been in a committed relationship since November 2018 with Katy Johnson. She is a model, travel blogger, and advocate. Katy founded One Model Mission, a global initiative that tells women’s stories through blogs and documentaries in over 100 countries.
While the two keep their relationship mostly out of the spotlight, Melugin gave fans a peek on November 12, 2019, posting a sweet anniversary message praising Katy’s courage and passion.
They’re both career-focused and quietly committed.
No engagement news yet, but the connection is clearly strong.
The Fox Star Border Towns Thank
While Fox News has taken heat over its border coverage, even residents in Democratic-leaning towns like El Paso and Eagle Pass have shown Melugin gratitude.
“We’ve had locals say, ‘We don’t watch Fox, but thank you for being here.’”
He’s also deeply sourced: he broke the leaked audio of DHS Secretary Mayorkas admitting “we’re losing” control of the border in 2022. In a media era of armchair analysis, Melugin is the guy actually there.
“If my reporting is going to be used,” he said of his appearances on Fox prime time, “who better to make sure it’s done right than me?”
Hard-Charging, Heart-Forward
Whether he’s chasing cartel stories, flying drones over the Rio Grande, or quietly whispering to his dad before going live, Bill Melugin brings intensity and vulnerability to everything he does.
And if the only complaint he’s shared publicly is about L.A. traffic, that probably says more than anything.
Hard-hitting on air. Grounded off it. And still rising.
