Cathy Kelley
Born
Catherine Anne Kelley

(1988-09-27) September 27, 1988
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materLoyola University Chicago (BA)
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • television host
  • actress
  • model
Years active2008–present
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
DebutApril 1, 2016
Websitecathykelley.com

Catherine Anne Kelley (born September 27, 1988) is an American journalist, television host, model and actress currently signed to WWE, working as a backstage interviewer on the SmackDown brand.[1] She is also known for her previous tenure with WWE from 2016 to 2020.[2] Prior to signing with WWE, she was a panelist on Maria Menounos' online network AfterBuzz TV.[3] On October 6, 2022, WWE announced that Kelley has officially joined the RAW brand as a backstage interviewer after a hiatus of two years from the company.[1]

Early life and education

Kelley was born on September 27, 1988, in Oak Park, Illinois.[4][2] She is of Austrian and Irish descent. She grew up with a single mother, but spent much of her time on her father's farm in Vermont.[5] Her grandfather, Bartram Kelley was an aviation pioneer, as the senior engineer of Bell Helicopters.[6]

Kelley became interested in journalism when she was in high school, and started hosting for several of her school's news broadcasts. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in multimedia journalism.[7] She is a member of Mensa International, the world's largest and oldest high IQ society, and is also a certified Mensa journalist.

Career

Kelley has hosted and contributed to WTTW's GenYTV,[4] WOI-DT's The Open House Television Show,[8] DSM Living,[9][10] and JUCE TV's Hot Off The Press.

Kelley joined AfterBuzz TV in 2012. She was a panelist on the networks' recap shows of WWE's Monday Night Raw, NXT, and ABC's The Bachelor.[11] In 2013, she began hosting a podcast called "Chatting with Cathy," where she interviewed celebrities, social influencers, and friends of the network.[12]

Kelley was signed to WWE in February 2016, and was a correspondent for NXT and special events. She made her official WWE debut on April 1, 2016, on the pre-show of NXT Takeover: Dallas.[11] During her tenure, she hosted WWE Now, a show that airs on WWE's social media platforms and their official website that covers stories, breaking news, previews of upcoming episodes of Raw and SmackDown, and event recaps.[13] During her tenure, she contributed to Sam Roberts' show on Sirius XM.

On September 25, 2019, Kelley made her official television debut during an episode of NXT. She also made one night appearance on SmackDown as correspondent on November 1, 2019, after most of the WWE roster were stuck overseas. On February 13, 2020, Kelley announced on social media that she was leaving WWE. Her last day with the company was at NXT TakeOver: Portland on February 16.[14] In 2020, Kelley made her acting debut on the Netflix sitcom #blackAF as a flight attendant.[15] On October 6, 2022, WWE announced that Kelley will be returning to the company as a backstage interviewer on the Raw brand.[1] In June 2023 she joined the Smackdown brand in the same role.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2016–2020 WWE NXT Backstage interviewer
2020 #blackAF Flight attendant
2022–2023 WWE Raw Backstage interviewer
2023–present WWE SmackDown Backstage interviewer

References

  1. 1 2 3 "WWE announces updates to commentary teams". WWE.com. World Wrestling Entertainment.
  2. 1 2 "Cathy Kelley's Biography". Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Chatting with Cathy on Stitcher Radio". Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Dean, Terry (January 22, 2008). "Former OPRF Students Produce Ch. 11 Show". Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ McGregor, David. "A Session With Cathy Kelley". tvandfilmreview.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Army Aviation Hall of Fame 1995 Induction". Army Aviation Association of America. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ Barrasso, Justin (November 18, 2019). "Why Cathy Kelley Fought to Go Back to NXT". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  8. ↑ "About The Open House Television Show". Facebook. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ "About WOI-DT's DSM Living". Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ "About DSM Living". Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Hanstock, Bill (February 5, 2016). "WWE hires announcer Catherine Kelley". Cageside Seats. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  12. ↑ "AfterBuzz TV's Chatting with Cathy". AfterBuzz TV. March 6, 2016. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  13. ↑ "WWE Now". WWE. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  14. ↑ Middleton, Marc (February 14, 2020). "Cathy Kelley Announces WWE Departure". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  15. ↑ Upton, Felix (April 18, 2020). "WATCH Cathy Kelley Snags Role In Netflix Comedy". Ringside News. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
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