History of Jake Tapper in Timeline
Jake Tapper is a prominent American journalist. He currently serves as the lead Washington anchor for CNN. He anchors 'The Lead with Jake Tapper,' a weekday television news show, and co-hosts 'State of the Union,' a Sunday morning public affairs program. Tapper's role at CNN highlights his influence in American journalism and his contributions to political discourse.
March 12, 1969: Jake Tapper's Birth
On March 12, 1969, Jacob Paul Tapper was born. He is an American journalist who is the lead Washington anchor for CNN.
1980: Mention of the 1980 World Series
In the Halloween-themed episode of "The Rookie" on October 30, 2022, Jake Tapper wore a Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies jersey. Schmidt was the MVP of the 1980 World Series.
1991: Graduation from Dartmouth College
In 1991, Jake Tapper graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in History modified by Visual Studies, earning Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude honors.
1992: Campaign Press Secretary
In 1992, Jake Tapper served as a campaign press secretary for Democratic congressional candidate Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (PA-13) and later served as her congressional press secretary.
1993: Mention of The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994
In 2014, Jake Tapper wrote the introduction to The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994.
1994: Capitol Hell comic strip in Roll Call
From 1994, Jake Tapper's comic strip Capitol Hell appeared in Roll Call.
December 1997: Platonic date with Monica Lewinsky
In December 1997, Jake Tapper went on a platonic date with Monica Lewinsky, a few weeks before news broke of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
1997: Work for Handgun Control, Inc.
In 1997, Jake Tapper worked for Handgun Control, Inc., now known as the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
January 1998: Writing about the Lewinsky date in Washington City Paper
In January 1998, Jake Tapper wrote about his December 1997 date with Monica Lewinsky in an issue of the Washington City Paper.
1998: Senior Writer for Washington City Paper
In 1998, Jake Tapper began his full-time journalism career as a senior writer for the Washington City Paper. During his two years there, he wrote an article about dating Monica Lewinsky and won a Society of Professional Journalists award.
1999: Washington Correspondent for Salon
In 1999, Jake Tapper became the Washington correspondent for Salon.
2000: Writing 'Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency'
Jake Tapper wrote "Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency", which is based on the 2000 Presidential election.
2001: Hosting Take Five on CNN
In 2001, Jake Tapper hosted "Take Five" on CNN, a program featuring young journalists discussing politics and pop culture.
2001: Host of CNN News Talk Show
In 2001, Jake Tapper was the host of the CNN news talk show Take Five. He was also a columnist for TALK Magazine.
2002: Hosting Entertainment News Specials on VH1
In 2002, Jake Tapper hosted a series of entertainment news specials on VH1.
2002: VH1 News Specials Correspondent
In 2002, Jake Tapper was the correspondent for a series of VH1 news specials. His work was also included in The Best American Political Writing 2002.
2002: Nomination for Columbia University Award
In 2002, Jake Tapper's reports about Enron were nominated for a Columbia University School of Journalism online award. He also began questioning the Bush administration's claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.
2003: Hosting shows on independent film on Sundance Channel
In 2003, Jake Tapper hosted shows focusing on independent film on the Sundance Channel.
2003: Hired by ABC News
In 2003, Jake Tapper was hired by ABC News. He covered various topics, including work in the Baghdad bureau, coverage from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and reporting from Afghanistan.
2003: End of Capitol Hell comic strip in Roll Call
In 2003, Jake Tapper's comic strip Capitol Hell stopped appearing in Roll Call.
2005: Edward R. Murrow Award
In 2005, Jake Tapper contributed a report to a broadcast of World News Tonight with Peter Jennings that won the Edward R. Murrow Award for best network newscast.
2006: Marriage to Jennifer Marie Brown
In 2006, Jake Tapper married Jennifer Marie Brown, a former Planned Parenthood official, in her home state of Missouri. They live in Washington, D.C. with their two children.
November 5, 2008: Named Senior White House Correspondent
On November 5, 2008, the day after the 2008 presidential election, Jake Tapper was named Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News.
2008: Lead Reporter Covering 2008 Presidential Election
As ABC News' lead reporter covering the 2008 presidential election, Jake Tapper received recognition for both breaking stories and even-handedness.
July 2010: Interim Anchor of ABC's This Week
From March to July 2010, Jake Tapper was the interim anchor of ABC's This Week, hosting the program until Christiane Amanpour became This Week's anchor.
August 1, 2010: Amanpour Takes Over This Week
On August 1, 2010, Christiane Amanpour took over ABC's "This Week" as anchor, succeeding Jake Tapper who served as interim anchor.
2010: Frequent Substitute Host
In 2010, Jake Tapper served as a frequent substitute host of This Week and served as interim host for much of the year, scoring the first TV interview with CIA director Leon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice President Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, retired General Colin Powell, and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers.
2010: Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Obama story
In 2010, as Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, Jake Tapper received a Merriman Smith Memorial Award for his story that President Obama had asked for the resignation of his Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis C. Blair (retired).
2010: Merriman Smith Memorial Award
In 2010, the White House Correspondents' Association awarded Jake Tapper the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure.
August 31, 2011: Guest appearance on Judge John Hodgman podcast
On August 31, 2011, Jake Tapper appeared as a guest bailiff on the "Judge John Hodgman" podcast episode entitled "De Plane", filling in for Jesse Thorn.
2011: Merriman Smith Award for S&P downgrade story
In 2011, Jake Tapper won a Merriman Smith Memorial Award for breaking the story that Standard and Poor's was expected to downgrade the United States' AAA rating for government debt.
2011: Merriman Smith Memorial Award
In 2011, the White House Correspondents' Association awarded Jake Tapper the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure.
2011: Mention of wrongful conviction in 2011
In 2024, Jake Tapper was ranked 23rd by Mediate and recognized as one of America's preeminent anchors for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J. Rice, a man wrongfully convicted of a 2011 shooting.
November 2012: The Outpost Debuts on NYT Best Seller List
In November 2012, Jake Tapper's book, "The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor", debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction.
December 20, 2012: Joins CNN
On December 20, 2012, it was announced that Jake Tapper would join CNN and would anchor a new weekday program and serve as the network's chief Washington correspondent.
2012: Merriman Smith Memorial Award
In 2012, the White House Correspondents' Association awarded Jake Tapper the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure.
January 2013: Start with CNN
In January 2013, Jake Tapper began with CNN, hosting his own program, The Lead with Jake Tapper.
2013: National Headliner Awards for Reporting
In 2013, The Lead with Jake Tapper won three National Headliner Awards for its reporting, including coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and the Oklahoma tornadoes.
2014: Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism
In 2014, Jake Tapper was recognized by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism for his book and reporting on military topics.
2014: Introduction to The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994
In 2014, Jake Tapper wrote the introduction to "The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994".
2014: The Lead Honored for Investigative Reporting
In 2014, The Lead was honored with a Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting for a series of reports on academic fraud at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by correspondent Sara Ganim.
2014: Change in Policy by ABMC
In 2014, the American Battle Monuments Commission changed its policy, no longer allowing families to pay for flowers to be placed on the graves of loved ones in cemeteries abroad.
January 2015: Reporting Leads to Pentagon Policy Change
In January 2015, Jake Tapper's reporting on a new Pentagon policy resulted in the U.S. military changing a rule that was adversely impacting caregivers for wounded servicemembers, reinstating the previous policy.
June 2015: Host of State of the Union
In June 2015, Jake Tapper became the host of CNN's Sunday political show, State of the Union with Jake Tapper.
September 2015: Moderating Republican Primary Debate
In September 2015, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican primary debate on CNN, which included Donald Trump. The debate drew more than 23 million viewers, becoming the most-watched program in CNN's history and the second-most-watched primary debate ever.
September 16, 2015: Moderated Republican Primary Debates
On September 16, 2015, Jake Tapper moderated two Republican primary debates from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The main debate drew an average of 23.1 million viewers.
November 2015: Mention of the Paris attacks
In 2016, "The Lead" was honored with two National Headliner Awards for Best Newscast and Best Coverage of a Major News Event, specifically for the show's coverage of the November 2015 Paris attacks.
March 10, 2016: Moderating Republican Presidential Debate in Miami
On March 10, 2016, Jake Tapper moderated the Republican presidential debate in Miami, which drew almost 12 million viewers and garnered acclaim for its substance, according to Variety.
March 2016: "The infamous Tapper-Trump exchange"
In March 2016, Mitt Romney referred to Jake Tapper's questioning of Donald Trump about denouncing white supremacists as "the infamous Tapper-Trump exchange" in his speech condemning Trump.
May 23, 2016: Guest-illustrated Dilbert cartoon
During the week of May 23, 2016, Jake Tapper guest-illustrated the Dilbert cartoon. The original drawings were auctioned online to raise money for the Homes for our Troops Foundation.
2016: National Headliner Awards for The Lead
In 2016, "The Lead" was honored with two National Headliner Awards for Best Newscast and Best Coverage of a Major News Event, specifically for the show's coverage of the November 2015 Paris attacks.
2017: RTDNA's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award
Also in 2017, Jake Tapper was named Radio Television Digital News Association's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award winner, recognizing his contributions to journalism and freedom of the press.
2017: Awards for Excellence in Journalism
In 2017, Jake Tapper received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism and the John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award.
2017: Awards in 2017
In 2017, Jake Tapper won multiple awards including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism, RTDNA's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award, CJF's Tribute Award, Moment Magazine's Robert S. Greenberger Journalism Award, and the Dartmouth Club of Washington's Daniel Webster Award for Distinguished Public Service.
2017: Los Angeles Press Club President's Award
In 2017, the Los Angeles Press Club gave Jake Tapper its President's Award for Impact on Media, citing his willingness to take on politicians from both sides of the aisle during a divisive election.
April 24, 2018: Publication of The Hellfire Club
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Jake Tapper's first novel, "The Hellfire Club", a political thriller, which debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list.
2018: Merriman Smith Award
In 2018, Jake Tapper was part of a four-person team at CNN that won the Merriman Smith Award for broadcast reporting on the White House under deadline pressure.
2018: Recognition on Mediaite's annual list
In 2018, Jake Tapper was recognized on Mediaite's annual list for his ability to hold Republicans and Democrats accountable equally and for his noteworthy moments, including the Parkland town hall and a stellar one-on-one with James Comey.
2018: Vetty Award for veterans' coverage
In 2018, Jake Tapper won a Vetty Award, recognizing his coverage of veterans' issues.
2018: Merriman Smith Award for Steele dossier news
In 2018, as a CNN anchor, Jake Tapper was awarded a Merriman Smith Award as part of a team that broke the news about the Steele dossier alleging Russia had blackmail material on Donald Trump.
July 2020: Release of The Outpost film adaptation
In July 2020, the film adaptation of "The Outpost", directed by Rod Lurie and starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, and Caleb Landry Jones, was released.
2020: Response to Presidential Election Debate
Following the contentious first 2020 presidential election debate, Jake Tapper garnered attention for his response, calling it a "hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck".
2020: Emmy Awarded for "Madua's Blood Gold"
In 2020, a report for The Lead by correspondent Isa Sores, called "Madua's Blood Gold", was awarded an Emmy.
January 6, 2021: Fact-checking Controversy
During the 2024 presidential election debate co-moderated by Jake Tapper, Trump falsely asserted that Nancy Pelosi turned down a chance to deploy the National Guard on January 6, 2021. Tapper and Bash were criticized for not fact-checking Trump's untruthful statements, leading to discussions about journalistic responsibility.
January 2021: Expanded Role at CNN
In January 2021, CNN announced that Jake Tapper's role would expand to be the network's "lead anchor for all major Washington events", including election nights. Dana Bash would join Tapper as a co-host on State of the Union, alternating hosting weeks.
May 2021: Release of The Devil May Dance
In May 2021, Jake Tapper released "The Devil May Dance", the sequel to "The Hellfire Club", continuing the story of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
October 5, 2021: Discussion of Monica Lewinsky date on CNN and Dramatization
On October 5, 2021, Jake Tapper discussed his platonic date with Monica Lewinsky on an episode of his CNN program, "The Lead with Jake Tapper". The date was dramatized in "Impeachment: American Crime Story".
October 2022: Writing cover story for The Atlantic about C.J. Rice
In October 2022, Jake Tapper wrote a cover story for The Atlantic magazine about C.J. Rice, who Tapper's father believed was wrongfully convicted. Tapper detailed the inadequate counsel Rice received.
October 30, 2022: Cameo in The Rookie
On October 30, 2022, Jake Tapper made a cameo appearance in a Halloween episode of "The Rookie" alongside his son Jack, who was dressed as Captain Miller. Tapper wore a Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies jersey.
2022: Mediate called Tapper 'the top dog'
In 2022, Mediate called Jake Tapper "the top dog who could represent the CNN brand."
2022: Emmy Awarded for "9-Year-Old Afghan Sold into Marriage"
In 2022, a story by Anna Coren on a "9-Year-Old Afghan Sold into Marriage" that aired on The Lead, was awarded an Emmy.
December 2023: C.J. Rice's conviction overturned
In December 2023, C.J. Rice's conviction was overturned, following Jake Tapper's reporting on his case.
2023: Publication of All the Demons Are Here
In 2023, Jake Tapper published "All the Demons Are Here", the third volume in his series.
2023: Ranked #7 by Mediate
In 2023, Jake Tapper was ranked number seven by Mediate, which noted his unrivaled skills as an interrogator on cable news.
March 2024: C.J. Rice exonerated; Tapper breaks the news
In March 2024, Jake Tapper broke the news that C.J. Rice was exonerated and freed in Pennsylvania, following Tapper's extensive coverage of Rice's case.
June 27, 2024: Co-Moderating Debate
On June 27, 2024, Jake Tapper co-moderated a debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that was seen by more than 51 million viewers and influenced Biden's subsequent decision to end his 2024 presidential campaign.
September 2024: Misrepresentation of Rashida Tlaib's statement
In September 2024, Jake Tapper, along with Dana Bash, misrepresented a statement by Rashida Tlaib, falsely portraying her criticism of Dana Nessel as antisemitic during an interview. After being rebuked, Tapper admitted he "misspoke".
2024: Co-Moderated Presidential Election Debate
In 2024, Jake Tapper co-moderated the presidential election debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden alongside Bash in which Biden's poor performance led to his withdrawal from the race.
2024: Moderated Republican Primary Debate
In 2024, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican primary Debate alongside Dana Bash between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley before the Iowa caucuses; it was viewed by around 2.6 million people.
2024: Reporting on Gold Star Families Protests
In 2024, Jake Tapper reported on Gold Star families protesting the 2014 policy change by the American Battle Monuments Commission regarding flower placement on graves in overseas cemeteries. After the piece aired, the White House pushed the ABMC to change the policy back.
2024: Ranked #23 by Mediate
In 2024, Jake Tapper was ranked 23rd by Mediate and recognized as one of America's preeminent anchors for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J. Rice.
2025: Appearance in Superman as Jake Tapir
In 2025, Jake Tapper appears in the background on TV screens as a news correspondent named Jake Tapir in the film "Superman".
2025: Publication of Original Sin
In 2025, Penguin Press published Jake Tapper's book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again", co-authored with Alex Thompson.
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