Marion Brooks is an award-winning American journalist who works as a news anchor and reporter for NBC 5 Chicago. She is best known for anchoring the NBC 5 News at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and for her hard-hitting investigative reports as part of the NBC 5 Investigates team. The Spelman College graduate is also recognised as the wife of Orlando-based attorney Ruye Hawkins.
Marion Brooks Bio
| Field | Details |
| Full name | Marion Brooks |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | April 18, 1963 |
| Age | 63 years old (as of 2026) |
| Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Current residence | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Nationality | Canadian-American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | Approximately 132 lbs (60 kg) |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Ruye Hawkins |
| Children | 2 (Sydney Hawkins and Brooks Hawkins) |
| Alma mater | Spelman College |
| Profession | Journalist, news anchor, reporter |
| Net worth | $1 million – $5 million (estimated) |
| @marion.brooks | |
| X (Twitter) | @MarionBrooksNBC |
Who is Marion Brooks?
Marion Brooks is a Canadian-American Emmy-winning broadcast journalist who has spent more than two decades on Chicago television screens.
She joined WMAQ-TV (NBC 5 Chicago) in January 1998 as a weekend anchor and has since grown into one of the station’s most trusted faces, anchoring the late-morning and afternoon newscasts while contributing investigative pieces on social and criminal justice.
Her reporting style blends storytelling with deep investigative work, especially on issues like sex trafficking, race in Chicago, and the legacy of Emmett Till.
How old is Marion Brooks? Age and birthday
Marion Brooks is 63 years old as of 2026. She was born on April 18, 1963, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and celebrates her birthday every year on April 18.
Her zodiac sign is Aries, a sign often linked with confidence and a direct communication style — traits that match her on-air persona.
A few biography sites list her birthplace as Portland, Oregon, but most credible profiles, including the original Windy City Times feature, identify Vancouver, BC as her hometown.
Marion Brooks’s height, weight, and body measurements
Marion stands at an estimated height of 6 feet 2 inches (around 1.88 metres), making her one of the tallest female news anchors in Chicago television. She weighs approximately 132 pounds (around 60 kilograms), although the exact figure is not officially confirmed.
Her other physical features include black hair, which she often styles in natural curls or signature braids, and brown eyes. Detailed body measurements such as bust, waist, and hip sizes have not been publicly disclosed.
Education
Brooks attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She is also a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Career
Marion’s first paid newsroom role was at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida, followed by a management training stint with the New York Times Newspaper Group on the advertising side of the business.
Her broadcasting journey, though, began in radio at WGST, a news-talk station in Atlanta, where she fell in love with daily news gathering. From there she moved to local television in St. Louis, Missouri, earning an Emmy nomination for her coverage of the 1993 Midwest Flood.
She later anchored at WSB-TV in Atlanta from 1995 to 1997 before relocating to Chicago in January 1998 to join NBC 5.
At NBC 5 she has anchored multiple time slots, co-hosted the Bank of America Chicago Marathon broadcast since 2017, and led the station’s Race In Chicago multi-platform initiative after the killing of George Floyd.
Her documentary work includes “The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child” and a three-part series on civil rights filmed in Mississippi, which earned recognition at the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards.
Awards and honours
- National Emmy Award and multiple Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards
- Regional Edward R. Murrow Award from RTDNA
- Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media
- National Vernon Jarrett Award (2005)
- Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Award
- Awards from the Chicago Association of Black Journalists, Illinois Mental Health Association, and Associated Press
What is Marion Brooks’s net worth and salary?
As of 2026, Marion Brooks’s net worth is estimated at between $1 million and $5 million, with most credible sources placing her wealth in the lower-to-mid range of that bracket.
She earns an estimated annual salary of between $52,448 and $110,500 from her role as a news anchor at WMAQ-NBC 5 Chicago, in line with the pay scale for senior local-market anchors at major-market NBC affiliates.
Income sources
Her wealth is built primarily from her broadcasting salary, supplemented by:
- Speaking engagements and panel appearances
- Documentary production credits
- Brand and editorial partnerships
- Real estate holdings in the Chicago and Orlando areas
Is Marion Brooks married? Husband and family
Marion Brooks is married to Ruye Hawkins, an attorney based in Orlando, Florida. The couple wed in March 2005 in a private ceremony in Lake Tahoe, California, officiated by the late civil rights activist Rev. Willie T. Barrow.
Marion and Ruye first met when she attended Spelman College and he was a student at Morehouse College, the brother institution. They reconnected years later and chose to maintain a long-distance marriage between Chicago and Orlando, even after starting a family.
Marion Brooks’s children
Marion and Ruye are parents to two daughters, Brooks Hawkins and Sydney Hawkins. Sydney, the older of the two, was born around 2006 and Brooks followed shortly after. Marion frequently shares mother-daughter milestones on her social pages, including birthdays and graduations.
Past relationships
Before her marriage, Marion was publicly linked to former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell during her time at WSB-TV in the mid-1990s, a relationship that briefly resurfaced in federal court reports years later.
Social media presence
As of 2026, Marion Brooks maintains an active presence on Instagram (@marion.brooks) with a steady following of family, friends, and Chicago news viewers, where she shares behind-the-scenes newsroom moments and family milestones.
She also posts on X under @MarionBrooksNBC and Facebook as @MarionBrooksNBC5, where she has more than 37,000 followers and uses the platform mainly for breaking news, community causes, and station promos.
Fast facts about Marion Brooks
- She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, giving her dual Canadian-American heritage.
- She graduated from Spelman College in 1988 with a degree in English.
- Her first broadcasting job was in radio at WGST in Atlanta.
- She joined NBC 5 Chicago in January 1998 and has stayed for more than 27 years.
- She has won a National Emmy Award and multiple Chicago/Midwest Emmys.
- She co-hosts the NBC 5 broadcast of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon every year.
- Her marriage to Ruye Hawkins was officiated by civil rights icon Rev. Willie T. Barrow.
- She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
- She led NBC 5’s “Race In Chicago” coverage after the death of George Floyd.
- She is a passionate advocate for survivors of sex trafficking and sexual violence.
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Wrapping up
Marion Brooks has built a remarkable broadcasting legacy in Chicago, blending sharp investigative work with warm community storytelling.
From her radio start in Atlanta to almost three decades at NBC 5, she has earned national recognition while raising two daughters with her husband Ruye Hawkins.
As she enters her 60s, Marion continues to anchor flagship newscasts and lead documentaries that shape Chicago’s conversation on race, justice, and survival.
References
- NBC 5 Chicago. “Marion Brooks – Author Page”.
- Marion Brooks Official Website. “Marion Brooks: Award-Winning Journalist”.
- Windy City Times. “A Rising Afternoon Star: Marion Brooks”.
- The New York Times. “Marion Brooks and Ruye Hawkins”.
- LinkedIn. “Marion Brooks – Reporter/Anchor at WMAQ”.
- NBCUniversal News Group. “NBCUniversal Local Chicago Earns Nine Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards”.
Disclaimer: The information on Star Vistiq is collected from trusted public sources. We strive for accuracy but cannot guarantee completeness of celebrity profiles, net worth estimates, or biographical data. Readers should verify information independently. For corrections or inquiries, contact: info@starvistiq.com.
