If you watch CNN, you know that Abby Phillip is a rising star on the network. But we want to know more about the senior political correspondent when she’s not delivering stories and opinions from a news desk. It turns out Phillip, 32, is a very busy woman these days—and with a child on the way, it’s about to get much busier. Get the scoop on her personal life, including details about Abby Phillip’s husband, Marcus Richardson.
Abby Phillip Joined CNN In 2017
Abby Phillip joined CNN in 2017, covering the Trump Administration and serving as the network’s White House correspondent. With her steady, thoughtful delivery, she moderated the Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa in 2020 and co-anchored special coverage of the nail-biting election that followed.
Phillip, who originally planned to study pre-med, fell in love with politics while writing for her college newspaper, the Harvard Crimson. She eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government and became a White House reporter for Politico.
Prior to joining CNN, she worked for a number of major news outlets. Phillip was an ABC News Fellow, as well as a national political reporter for the Washington Post. She also appears as an occasional guest on the weekly public affairs show Washington Week on PBS.
At 32, Phillip is quite accomplished. But it was her heartfelt take on the 2020 election that took her career to the next level. The night before Joe Biden was declared the winner, she told CNN viewers, “In addition to the fact that Donald Trump’s political career began with the racist birther lie, it may very well end with a Black woman in the White House.”
Her sentiments went viral on social media. When HuffPost senior editor Philip Lewis tweeted an excerpt of her one-minute talk, it received almost 30,000 likes. By January, CNN promoted her to senior political correspondent. She was also given her own two-hour Sunday morning program, Inside Politics Sunday With Abby Phillip.
Abby Phillip And Marcus Richardson Met In 2011
Phillip is probably overjoyed by her skyrocketing career at CNN, but she’s also made time for a rewarding personal life. In 2011, she met cybersecurity professional Marcus Richardson at a rooftop party in Washington D.C. The two began chatting about their shared love of languages, music, travel, and food, but things were unexpectedly cut short.
“We were creating an awesome connection, when suddenly another woman interrupted,” Richardson told Martha Stewart Weddings. “I was like, ‘Whoa, her friend is trying to save her from me,’ and we went our separate ways.”
In truth, Phillip didn’t know the woman and the two parted ways without exchanging contact info. Luckily, they reconnected at another party a month later.
“I didn’t expect to ever see him again, but part of me hoped he might be there,” said Phillip.
By week’s end, they were dating.
They Tied The Knot In 2018
The couple courted one another for five long years before taking things to the next level. In 2016, Richardson popped the question during the Christmas holiday. (To make things sweeter, both of their families were in town to celebrate.) Phillip said yes, and the pair hosted an intimate wedding in 2018.
The black-tie affair was held at Anderson House, an elegant Gilded Age mansion in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of D.C. Phillip hoped for a garden celebration, but rain kept the party indoors.
The couple and 90 guests enjoyed themselves in spite of the weather. The bride, dressed in a Monique Lhuillier gown, swore she wouldn’t cry on the big day. “But after Marcus’s vows, I was really emotional,” said Phillip. “By the time we were officially married, the moment just really hit me hard. After all the months of planning, we were finally married. I cried tears of joy and it was an amazing feeling.”
After they said their “I dos,” they hosted a reception inspired by their very different backgrounds. During the cocktail hour, Phillip honored her Trinidadian parents by having a steel drum band perform. Global antiques that decorated the venue were a nod to Richardson, who spent his childhood between the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Three years later, they’re still going strong.
Abby Phillip And Her Husband Are Expecting Their First Child
In March, Phillip announced that she and Richardson are expecting their first child—a daughter—this summer. There’s a lot on her plate, and she doesn’t deny that being a wife, expecting mother, and journalist is a stressful balancing act.
“It is weird,” she told Gayle King via The Cut in March. “The higher you climb, the more you have to deliver something that people really value. But I want to keep up with my own life as well.”
She went on to explain that she required a husband who was flexible and understanding of her crazy career.
“I remember one of our first dates — we were supposed to meet up and I left my wallet at home and I was an hour and a half late. He just waited and wasn’t pissed off. I swear to God, I knew then,” she said.
Phillip explained that pregnancy added another layer of complexity to the situation.
“The experience of pregnancy has only made me become more in awe of what we as women are able to endure,” said Phillip. “It was tough: battling morning sickness while balancing a demanding job with long, unpredictable hours. But it has been a reminder of what I am capable of—and what so many women do every day.”
As stressful as it might be, we’d never know it from Phillip’s Instagram feed. Check out the glowing mother-to-be in this pic from her babymoon: