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Daryn A. Kagan (born January 26, 1963) is the creator and host of DarynKagan.com. Before launching her Web site, Kagan was the host of the CNN news show CNN Live Today shown from 10am-12pm Eastern Time. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, she was a news anchor and reporter with CNN for 12 years from 1994-2006. Kagan had been described by the Los Angeles Times as a "CNN mainstay." [1]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Personal life 2 External links

Kagan grew up in Beverly Hills.[2] She is a 1981 graduate of Beverly Hills High School [3] and a 1985 graduate of Stanford University, where she double majored in American Studies and Communication.

After graduating from Stanford Kagan sent out hundreds of demo tapes. Kagan was eventually hired for an on-air job in a Santa Barbara television station, KEYT-TV. She got laid off following a difference of opinion with management. Kagan's next move was to a general assignment reporting position at KTVK in Phoenix. Wanting to do something other than report typical local news stories each weekday, she took it upon herself to take on additional duties reporting sports during the weekend. [4]

After KTVK did not renew her contract, CNN's then head of sports reporting, Jim Walton, hired Kagan as a sports correspondent in 1994. Kagan went on to be featured in areas besides sports. She briefly was a reporter for a personal finance show. Kagan was also host of People in the News when that show debuted. Rick Kaplan, former head of operations for CNN, promoted Kagan to an anchor position.

Since becoming an anchor, Kagan reported on presidential elections, the second Gulf War, and the Washington, D.C. sniper story. She traveled to Africa with musician Bono where she reported on AIDS and famine. Kagan was on the air during the terrorist attacks on the morning of September 11, 2001. Additionally she hosted several pre-Oscars shows and coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

After CNN declined to renew her employment contract [5], Kagan left CNN on September 1, 2006. She launched her online venture on November 13, 2006. [6]

Two days after the launch, Kagan's site featured an author whose book moved from from 100,000th position in the Amazon.com book sales list to 646th position in the one single day after the apppearance on Kagan's site [7]. An article in the Boston Globe said that Kagan's site had an "emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit." [8]

Kagan sees her story as one of "reinvention," [9] and gives speeches around the country on that topic. In a Style section cover story on Kagan, the Washington Post noted she "has remade herself like a phoenix rising from the ashes." In a December 3, 2006 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kagan said "I think it's really important to be informed. I just also think it's important to be inspired." [10].

In addition to her online venture, Kagan is currently working on a PBS documentary about an American woman helping leprosy victims in India. [11]

Kagan is Jewish. [12] Her great-grandfather was a Russian immigrant named Eiser Cohen who came to the United States through Ellis Island.[13] Cohen settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her grandfather, Jack Kagan, later moved to the Los Angeles area.[14] Her mother, Phyllis Kagan, is a breast cancer survivor who has appeared on CNN discussing the disease. [15] Kagan has a younger sister named Kallan Kagan, the co-owner of a Brooklyn coffee shop, and an older brother named Mark Kagan.

Kagan is an athlete. She was on her high school track team and remains an avid runner. [16] Kagan has driven in the annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. [17]

As a former sports reporter, Kagan retains a strong interest in professional sports. She has been on ESPN sports radio providing her insight. Kagan has denied that she is a NASCAR "junkie" though she says she can chat as "a casual gearhead". [18]

In September 2004, Kagan became romantically involved with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. During his October 6, 2005, show, Limbaugh mentioned he received an email message from his "mistress in Georgia" that praised a speech by George W. Bush. CNN subsequently denied Kagan made the statements attributed by Limbaugh to his "mistress in Georgia." [19] Kagan and Limbaugh broke up in February 2006.[20]

Kagan gets told she looks like Sandra Bullock. [21]

Kagan has adopted two three-legged cats, Tripod (whom she has had for 14 years [22] ) and I-Lean, and a dog, Darla Louise, from rescue shelters. [23]

Despite hitting her 40s, Kagan refers to herself as a "girl". [24]

• DarynKagan.com Kagan's business Web site
• Essay written by Daryn Kagan in Stanford Magazine, a publication for Stanford alumni
• Breaking the Curse Web site for PBS documentary Kagan is developing