| Personal Details Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | Carmen Harlan |
| Birthday / Date of Birth / Carmen Harlan Age | November 4, 1953. As of 2025, she is around 72 years old. |
| Wedding / Spouse / Husband / Marriage / Partner | Married to Andrew Henry Jr. Check the full bio for relationship details. |
| Children / No. of Kids | 2 |
| Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race | White |
| Nationality | American |
| When did Carmen Harlan retire? | In November 2016, Harlan retired from ‘WDIV-TV’ after completing a 38-year career in journalism. |
Wikipedia Bio / Profile Background
Introduction : Carmen Harlan Biography
Carmen Harlan is a retired news reporter who has previously worked for Detroit’s WDIV-TV Network.
Young Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Carmen was born on November 4, 1953, in Detroit, Michigan.
- Growing up in Northwest Detroit, she was the eldest of three children.
- At the age of 10, her parents took her with them to participate in the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom.
- Education : Carmen received a partial scholarship to the University of Michigan (UMich) and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree of Arts, majoring in speech.
- To supplement her partial scholarship, she worked odd jobs in radio and continued into radio full-time after graduation.
- Currently, she is married to Detroit businessman Andrew Henry Jr. Her first husband was Joseph Cobb. She has two children – a son Joseph Cobb & a daughter Jessica Hall. Through her eldest son, Carmen has three grandsons Leon, Christien, and Graham.
- Carmen’s daughter Jessica is married to NFL player Leon Hall, a former NFL cornerback.
Carmen Harlan Height, Interesting Facts and Controversies :
- Carmen’s most favorite moment of her career was having the chance to run with the Olympic torch as part of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, as a Detroit ambassador.
- During a segment in 2014, Carmen suggested that Michigan’s large Arab population was to blame for the state’s ties to Isis. After outrage poured in from the Arab community, Harlan issued an apology, stating that her words were misunderstood, although she comprehended how they could be misunderstood & would try harder to think before speaking.
Carmen Harlan Net Worth, Career and Salary :
- Carmen’s first full-time job out of university was as a newscaster for the W4 News on WWWW FM Radio.
- In 1978, she made the transition from radio to television when she landed a role as a reporter for a WDIV-TV news program. After working with the network for 38 years, she announced her retirement in 2016. She stated that she desired to spend more time with her grandsons in Cincinnati.
During her career, her most notable stories include:
- Pope John Paul II’s visit to Michigan in 1987.
- Nelson Mandela’s visit to Michigan in 1990.
- Both of President Obama’s inaugurations.
- The invasion of Iraq.
- Coverage of the 9/11 attack, and interviews with survivors.
- Coverage of the death of Princess Diana.
Home Attack :
- Shortly after her retirement, Carmen’s home was attacked with a homemade bomb.
- 39-year-old Kizzy Nickerson held the view that Carmen was responsible for the high crime rates in Detroit and was witnessed by police officers attempting to throw a bottle bomb at Harlan’s home.
- Kizzy missed the house and set light to her lawn, which was immediately put out by police officers who were patrolling the area. After they arrested Kizzy, they found her bag to be full of bricks, which she intended to throw at Carmen.
- She was charged with possession of bombs, 4th-degree arson, and intent to harm.
- Luckily, Carmen was not home at the time of the attempted attack.
Carmen Harlan is a black woman. She was one of the highest ranking news anchors in the country–who also ran the Olympic torch! She was an awesome TV presence.
There is only one Carmen Harlan.
She was the best…she was the whole package…Smart, intelligent, classy and great fashion style! I miss her perfect diction and professional etiquette while reporting the news. Her beautiful smile was an added bonus!
Happy retirement and thank you.
Kimberly Gill is awesome. She has so much class and style. She dresses so appropriately. Always with class!!
Who’s that?