By Austin Fitzgerald

COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 7, 2025) — Nischelle Turner, BJ ’98, an award-winning journalist and co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” will deliver the alumni address at the Missouri School of Journalism’s spring commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18, at 9 a.m.

“Nischelle’s talent and accomplishments as an engaging storyteller are an inspiration to students preparing to embark on their professional careers,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “I look forward to seeing her share the benefit of her experience and insights with the next generation of industry leaders.”

Turner has won eight Emmy Awards during her time at one of the nation’s top entertainment newsmagazines — including the first-ever Daytime Personality-Daily Emmy last year, which was shared with the rest of the on-air team — but she did not necessarily see herself in her current role as a student, a fact that she hopes will encourage graduates to embrace uncertainty as they enter a fast-paced, continually evolving industry.

“So many people are thinking about getting to that end — you know, that big career moment and whatnot — instead of really enjoying the process and becoming a good journalist,” Turner said. “For me, that’s really important. I want to dig into that and some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way.”

Indeed, Turner’s career began not with glamorous red-carpet coverage, but with broadcast reporting and anchoring stints at television stations in Evansville, Indiana and New Orleans. Then came the move to Los Angeles, where she joined “Good Day LA” in 2004 and seized subsequent opportunities to cover the NFL, MLB and the NBA for Fox.

“In baseball, there’s the five-tool player. It’s the person who can just do anything that’s thrown at them. That’s actually what I’ve always patterned my career after. I have always tried to lead with a place of ‘yes,’ a place of curiosity.”

Nischelle Turner

Then, in 2014, she became a correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight,” a role that would eventually blossom into a co-hosting position in 2021.

But the eclecticism of her career, sometimes resembling the wide meander of the Ohio River into Evansville where that career began, has always been guided by a sense of the bigger picture.

“In baseball, there’s the five-tool player,” Turner said. “It’s the person who can just do anything that’s thrown at them. That’s actually what I’ve always patterned my career after. I have always tried to lead with a place of ‘yes,’ a place of curiosity.”

Now, in preparing to speak to graduates, she finds herself thinking of the mentors at the School of Journalism who encouraged her to develop those tools — professors like Kent Collins, who gave her hugs to help her get through difficult times; Greeley Kyle, who pushed her when she needed a push; and Stacey Woelfel, who gave her chances to succeed and still advises her on occasion.

Today, as a mentor herself — she works with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and has returned to both Mizzou and Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, to speak with students — Turner preaches what she cannot teach: passion.

“It’s okay if you figure out you don’t love this business, but you really have to love it and be committed to it in order to thrive,” Turner said. “The nights are long, the mornings are early and you spend a lot of time toiling. But for me, it’s not work because I love it, and I can’t even imagine myself in another business.”

Updated: May 7, 2025