You’ve probably seen him. Whether he’s standing in a rain-slicked jacket during a hurricane or talking over the sirens of a breaking news scene, Alex Perez ABC News is a face that basically defines modern national reporting. Honestly, it’s hard to flip to Good Morning America or World News Tonight without catching one of his segments. But there is a lot more to his story than just being the guy in the field. He isn't just a face on a screen; he’s a Chicago kid who made it to the big leagues by staying exactly who he is.
Perez didn't just stumble into a national correspondent role. It took years of grinding.
The Road to the National Desk
Most people don’t realize he’s a Chicago native through and through. Born in 1980 and raised in the Pilsen neighborhood, his roots are a mix of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage. That background kinda shaped everything he does now. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002 and immediately jumped into the deep end of broadcast journalism. He didn't start at the top. He worked at WBKB-TV in Michigan and KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas. Imagine moving from the Midwest to the U.S.-Mexico border to report on immigration—that’s where he really cut his teeth.
By 2005, he was back in his hometown at NBC Chicago (WMAQ). He covered Barack Obama’s first run for the White House, which is about as high-stakes as local reporting gets. Then, in 2012, ABC News came calling.
Since then, he has been everywhere. Literally.
Covering the Stories That Hurt
One thing about Alex Perez ABC News is that he doesn't shy away from the heavy stuff. He was one of the first national reporters on the ground in Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed. He was in Ferguson after Michael Brown. He was in Florida for Trayvon Martin. These aren't just "assignments." They are the moments that define a decade, and Perez has a way of reporting on them that feels human rather than just clinical.
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He has spent a lot of time documenting the gun violence in Chicago, too. It’s his home. You can tell it matters to him. He was also there for the Highland Park parade shooting and the chaos at the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City.
It’s not all tragedy, though. He’s covered:
- The first Easter celebrated by Pope Francis in Rome.
- The incredible escape and survival of Jayme Closs in Wisconsin.
- The aftermath of Hurricane Maria in San Juan.
- The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
Breaking Barriers and Awards
Perez is openly gay, and he has used his platform to do more than just read the news. In 2022, he co-anchored Viral: A World Without AIDS with Juju Chang. It was a massive look at 40 years of the epidemic. He’s also shared his own coming-out story on National Coming Out Day, which is pretty brave when you’re a public figure in a national newsroom.
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The industry has noticed. He was part of the team that won a Peabody for Superstorm Sandy coverage. He’s got a GLAAD Media Award for the Soul of a Nation presentation "PRIDE: To Be Seen." In 2025, he was even inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. That’s a big deal.
What Most People Get Wrong About Him
Some think being a "national correspondent" is all about the 60-second clip you see on the evening news. It's not. It’s weeks of travel, sleeping in hotels, and talking to people on the worst days of their lives. Perez is based in Chicago, but he’s rarely there. He lives with his husband, Kevin, and their French Bulldog, Javí, when he actually gets a break.
The truth is, Alex Perez ABC News represents a shift in journalism. He’s a Latino, LGBTQ+ reporter who doesn't hide those parts of himself. He brings that perspective to stories about racial justice and marginalized voices. It’s why his reporting feels different. It feels lived-in.
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Why You Should Keep Watching
Journalism is changing fast, and the "voice of God" style of reporting is mostly dead. People want reporters who feel like real humans. Perez fits that perfectly. He has the "Marshall Memorial Fellowship" under his belt, where he traveled Europe to study the EU's financial crisis, so he’s got the intellectual chops. But he also has the empathy to interview the mother of a child killed in a hate crime or a family who lost everything to a tornado.
If you want to follow his work more closely, here is what you can do:
- Watch ABC News Live: He’s a frequent presence on their streaming platform, which often features longer-form versions of his reports.
- Follow the Special Reports: Look for his name on documentaries like Soul of a Nation. That’s where he really gets to dive into the nuance of social issues.
- Check Local Ties: If you're in the Midwest, his reporting on Chicago-specific issues remains some of the most detailed coverage of the region on a national scale.
Next time you see him on Good Morning America, remember he’s not just a guy in a suit. He’s a reporter who has spent twenty years building the trust to tell America's story.