Ashlei King joined the KARK 4 News sister station FOX 16 News as the co-anchor of FOX 16 Good Day in July 2018.
Since being with FOX 16 News & KARK 4 News, Ashlei has been a pivotal part of the stations’ Victory Over Violence campaign, which was launched in 2017 as a way to cover crime in a responsible manner. Ashlei started a digital Victory Over Violence show where she focused on impact, response, and solutions to violence.
Her greatest career achievement was winning a Regional and National Edward R. Murrow Award in 2022 for her coverage highlighting the fears some children face daily while living in neighborhoods that are known for violence. That same story was also nominated for a Regional Emmy.
The San Antonio, Texas native came to Arkansas from her hometown, where she worked at KABB FOX 29 for four years. While there, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on a documentary highlighting the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. March, which is the largest in the country. She also won a National Association of Black Journalists award for the documentary.
Ashlei earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. During her freshman year at UT, she was a member of the co-ed cheerleading squad. She cheered for the Texas Longhorns football team and men’s basketball team. She also ran hurdles for two years on the UT Track & Field team.
Ashlei kicked off her broadcasting career in Austin, where she served as the CBS affiliate’s UT reporter. She was also the Assistant News Director for Texas Student Television’s KVR News.
After graduation, she worked for KTXS in Abilene. During her time in Abilene, she won a Texas Associated Press Award for deadline editing. Ashlei also spent two years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, working for the CBS affiliate. While in Tulsa, she covered a variety of stories from tornadoes to devastating wildfires that torched hundreds of homes. Her most memorable moment was when she did a live interview on CNN with Don Lemon about a racially motivated shooting spree in Tulsa.
Born in Italy, Ashlei spent part of her childhood in Germany. She has deep-seated roots in Arkansas. The King side of her family is originally from Southeast Arkansas (Dermott, Monticello, and McGehee areas). She still has family who lives in the area. Random Fun Fact: Ashlei is related to music icon Michael Jackson. His grandmother and her great-grandfather were first cousins.
Ashlei is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Ashlei recently married her high school sweetheart. During her spare time, you can find her hanging out with her husband, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants and then working off the calories at the gym. If you see her out and about, don’t hesitate to say hello and if you have any story ideas, send them her way.
