Mackenzie Bart, Fox 8 Meteorologist and Ventriloquist: Most Interesting People 2026

Why She’s Interesting: Fox 8 News meteorologist Mackenzie Bart is also a ventriloquist, a talent that helped The Ohio State University grad win the title of Miss Ohio in 2014.  

A Love of Lamb Chop: Bart credits her grandmother with introducing her to ventriloquism with tapes of famous duos’ performances. “To take a toy and make it talk, sing these songs and act them out, I was completely mesmerized. I started doing sock puppets, trying to mimic what Shari Lewis was doing with Lamb Chop.”

Birth of a Sidekick: Bart got her puppet, Roxy, custom made by a professional puppet-maker in Virginia when she was 12 or 13 years old. The blond bombshell is endowed with a sassy personality. Bart’s mother made the red sequined gown worn for performances. “I wanted somebody who was the complete opposite of me.” 

Tricks of the Trade: Bart divulges that she has to modify her vocabulary when voicing a puppet. She eschews words containing an “m” or “p,” for example, because they require lip movement. “You’re almost thinking ahead to what you’re saying and then editing it in your mind.” 

Love Me, Love My Puppets: “(Fox 8) is, I think, the first station that I’ve worked at where they’ve totally just accepted my ventriloquism.” She recently introduced her puppet, Raven, in a live segment where viewers messaged in name suggestions. “Before, (people at other stations) were like, ‘Eww, that’s kind of weird. Maybe don’t tell a bunch of people that you do that.’” 

Meet the rest of the 2026 class of Most Interesting People >>

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