Why He’s Interesting: A 2010 graduate of John Carroll University and Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native, Toohey worked for five years as a producer on Meet the Press in Washington, D.C., straight out of school. He then moved in front of the camera in 2016 as anchor and chief political reporter at Fox 5 New York. But he jumped at the chance to return to his Cleveland roots this summer, when he was hired as co-anchor of the Fox 8 newscast at 7 p.m.
Fitting Tribute: After graduation, Toohey was awarded the NBC/John Carroll University Meet the Press Fellowship and spent nine months working for the program. The fellowship is named in honor of newscaster Tim Russert, who Toohey holds in highest esteem. “Tim was the model political journalist and the one-of-a-kind professional and gentleman I will always strive to be.”
Hot Take: While working at Fox 5, Toohey interviewed Sean Evans, host of Hot Ones: The Game Show, where celebrities try to keep it together as they eat increasingly spicy wings. Toohey noshed some wings with Evans and it didn’t go so hot. “I tried a hot sauce on live TV that was far more than I could handle. I coughed for the entire rest of the show.”
I, Phone: Toohey has a long list of dream interviewees. But the late Steve Jobs, the visionary Apple founder, is at the top. “He’s perhaps the person most instrumental in bringing us the technology we all use today. I’d love to talk with him about that monumental shift, his role in it and whether it’s for the better.”
Sex Panther: Surprisingly, Toohey’s favorite fictional newscaster isn’t Ron Burgundy from Anchorman. “Paul Rudd’s Brian Fantana is my go-to and you only need to see ‘Panda Watch’ to know why.”
Off Screen: After a rough segment, Toohey turns to his wife Kirstyn Crawford, a producer at Good Morning America. “We’re able to lean into our marriage to get through the tough stories.”
Interesting Fact: One of Toohey’s proudest accomplishments is beating his sister Jen Toohey, co-host of Star 102’s Jen and Tim Show at “Trump Toohey,” the popular quiz she plays on-air each morning.
