Tragic Details About CNN Anchor Abby Phillip

Abby Phillip is the host of her own CNN show, and she's made no secret of the fact that she loves being a mom and wife as well. Even so, the CNN star has also weathered some tougher times over the years — and she certainly hasn't shied away from talking about them (especially when she's felt that speaking out could bring about change). 

We'll start with Phillip's experiences during pregnancy. As some will know, she became a first-time mom in 2021. A little over two years later, she opened up about the experience in her documentary, "Homebirth Journey: Saving Black Moms," as well as in a CNN op-ed. In both platforms, Phillip explained that she'd had a lot of concerns as an expectant mother — not least because she'd fallen pregnant in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was a scary time to be pregnant, or anywhere near a hospital. Layered on top of all that was my fear that I would not make it out of childbirth alive. I had somehow come to view childbirth, something as old as humankind, as a life-threatening event," she wrote. Phillip added that just thinking of herself being in the hospital and not being listened to by medical professionals was enough to make her anxiety skyrocket at the time. 

Though Phillip added in her CNN op-ed that she wasn't sure what the final straw had been, she noted that a big part of it came from "statistics that I was all too familiar with as a journalist: Black women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die in childbirth than White women in America, regardless of socioeconomic status." Likewise, in "Homebirth Journey: Saving Black Moms," Phillip noted of her concerns while pregnant, "I knew the Black maternal mortality statistics."

If Abby Phillip's pregnancy-related fears weren't difficult enough, she wrote for CNN that in addition to the statistics she was already well aware of, she had first-hand experience with a doctor who she believed downplayed her concerns. "I was ignored and dismissed by my doctor's office — so much so that I left that practice and went searching for better care," Phillip wrote. Sadly, however, she explained that she still hadn't felt entirely at ease after meeting a new doctor. "I hesitated to bring up my experiences and discomfort, unsure whether they were worth mentioning or indicative of more serious problems," she wrote, noting that her appointments often felt incredibly short at just 30 minutes. 

Ultimately, Phillip decided to work with a midwife, and she wrote in her op-ed that the decision did wonders for her anxiety. "My midwife, Aza Nedhari, came to my home for examinations that lasted an hour or more. ... I realized quickly that she wasn't just checking that my baby's heartbeat was still present. Her job was to ensure that I stayed on a path to a healthy pregnancy. I felt seen, heard, and more empowered. Eventually, my fear began to subside," Phillip shared. The CNN anchor also revealed that for the first time, she was able to feel truly happy about becoming a new mom. 

Since giving birth at home with her midwife and doula, Phillip has become a major advocate for pregnant women, and in addition to talking about racial disparities and her own experience in "Homebirth Journey: Saving Black Moms," she's also been involved with BirthFUND, the midwifery-led fund co-founded by Serena Williams, who as many know had a near-death birthing experience herself. Way to use those harrowing experiences for good!

On to another heartbreaking detail about Abby Phillip, those who follow the CNN star on social media have likely seen her open up about two of her close colleagues passing away nearly a year apart from one another.

As many know, CNN political commentator Alice Stewart died at the age of just 58 in May 2024. At the time, Phillip took to X to share how devastated she was by the news. "I still can't believe this is real. I'm so heartbroken. Alice was a friend and a colleague at CNN and on the Harvard IOP senior advisory committee. She loved mentoring young people. She was the definition of a patriot. Someone who really believed in disagreeing respectfully," she wrote. Phillip finished off her post with a more personal touch, writing, "We will miss her so much."

Sadly, a little over a year later, Phillip opened up on X about another heartbreaking loss. "I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague David Gergen," she wrote of Donald Trump's former advisor, adding that she'd actually interviewed him while she was in college. "I couldn't believe when years later, I was a working journalist and we would sit on sets together at CNN," Phillip continued. Similar to what she'd said of Stewart the year prior, Phillip also lauded her late friend's commitment to respectful disagreement, writing, "He was a consummate professional, a great American patriot who understood that the American idea is so much bigger than an R or a D next to your name." Phillip also gave him kudos for investing in young Americans, hearkening back once more to that first interview. "We'll miss him," she said. 

On to a somewhat less devastating detail about Abby Phillip, as with many other journalists, the CNN anchor has found herself on the receiving end of Donald Trump's ire. Now would be the time to hop onto your favorite streaming service and start playing Carl Orff's "O Fortuna."

As a brief refresher, after Phillip mused that Trump's decision to tone down his calls for tariffs may have played a role in the stock market's performance, Trump jumped on Truth Social to disagree. "Where does CNN get its 'talent?' Just watched someone named Abby Phillip lecture her audience on tariffs and the economy (which is doing record business!). She has absolutely no idea what she is talking about, strictly 3rd rate," he began, before making the comment that prompted a spectacular response from Phillip. "Fortunately, the audience has long ago left CNN, and it will only get WORSE. LOSERS ALL!!!" he wrote. Phillip's response? "Thank you for watching Mr. President," she wrote on X.  

It's worth noting that despite his shady barbs (hello, "someone named Abby Phillip"), some social media users were quick to point out that Trump was actually very well aware of the CNN star. "Mind you he knows exactly who you are," wrote one X user, who included a clip of an uncomfortable confrontation between Trump and the reporter at the White House. Said interaction saw Trump rant at Phillip, "What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot — you ask a lot of stupid questions." Oop. Was he fangirling? No. That said, something tells us the jab didn't keep Phillip up at night. Given all the tough things she has been through, perhaps the elementary jab is a sadder indictment on Trump.