CNN’s Kasie Hunt gives birth in home bathroom after ‘sudden 13 minute labor’

Media

By Ariel Zilber

March 3, 2023 | 2:26 p.m.

CNN political analyst Kasie Hunt had a “sudden 13 minute labor” in the bathroom of her home before giving birth to a healthy baby girl, the reporter said.

Hunt revealed her second child with husband Matthew Mario Rivera weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces after Wednesday’s unplanned delivery, according to PEOPLE magazine.

“We expected her to arrive via a caesarean scheduled for Thursday morning. She had other plans! the relieved parents told PEOPLE in a statement.

“We are thrilled to announce the birth of our baby girl, Gray Hunt Rivera. The proud big brother (Mars Hunt, 3½) can’t stop talking about his new baby sister.

Hunt, 37, went on to joke that “Grey is already showing us his independent streak.”

“Grey was born at home early Wednesday morning after 13 minutes of sudden labor – before there was even time to call the paramedics,” according to the couple.

“Dad sprang into action and delivered baby Gray on the bathroom floor.”

“We are very grateful to the 911 operators and the DC Fire & EMS team,” the couple told PEOPLE.

“Step by step, they told us about the incredibly intense moments right after she was born and as she took her first breaths.”

The couple added: “Thank you to the firefighters and paramedics at the scene who treated mum and baby at home and then got us safely to Sibley Hospital in Washington.”

“It’s a day we will never forget!”

“We’re so excited about life as a family of four – and reminded ourselves that it’s going to be a lot more unpredictable!” Hunt Riveras told the magazine.

The birth of her second daughter is a joyous occasion for Kasie Hunt, who has been going through some tough times lately.

In October 2021, she revealed she underwent a four-hour operation to remove a benign tumor from her brain.

She said the tumor was discovered in August 2021 – just as she started her new role at CNN.

Hunt was hired by then-CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who planned to feature her as part of star-studded programming that would draw viewers to the cable channel’s CNN+ streaming service.

But Zucker was forced to resign after learning he had been in a consensual, years-long relationship with his chief marketing executive, Allison Gollust.

CNN+ also launched just as parent company Warner Bros. and Discovery were completing their multi-billion dollar merger.

With a new management structure in place, the company went on a cost-cutting spree, scrapping CNN+ just weeks after its inception.

Hunt, who frequently appears alongside Jake Tapper on his show “The Lead,” joined CNN after decamping from Comcast-owned MSNBC, where she served as a Capitol Hill anchor and correspondent.

The 37-year-old Dearborn, Michigan native cut her teeth as a national political reporter for the Associated Press newswire before being poached by NBC News.

Hunt met her future husband, Rivera, when they both worked at the NBC News bureau in Washington, DC.

In addition to being a journalist and producer, Rivera is an adjunct professor at New York University.