John Roberts has covered war zones, presidential elections, and breaking headlines, but now the longtime Fox News anchor is facing a personal crisis that hit far closer to home.
The America Reports cohost is currently recovering from a rare and serious case of malaria, and in a candid new interview, he’s opening up about the moment it all began… and how intense it quickly became.
From aching limbs to emergency care
“I had been hurting from the top of my head to the tip of my toes,” Roberts, 68, told People in a revealing update published Thursday. “Literally everywhere.”
At first, he chalked it up to muscle cramps or maybe the flu, especially when the uncontrollable shivering kicked in. But something told him it wasn’t normal.
“My rheumatologist told me to go to the ER,” he recalled. That call may have saved his life.
Doctors soon discovered that Roberts’ platelets and white blood cell counts were dangerously low. The diagnosis: malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease extremely rare in the U.S.
“You never do anything in small measures”
Roberts believes he caught the illness during a July vacation to Indonesia, with symptoms showing up about 10 days after returning home.
“I thought, ‘Of course you have malaria … you never do anything in small measures,’” he joked. But humor aside, he admitted, “I was a little scared. Malaria can be deadly if left unchecked.”
Even now, as he continues treatment with IV medications, Roberts says the recovery has been rough.
“I also have wild swings in temperature every hour,” he shared. “I’ll be shivering and shaking like a leaf … the next I’ll be sweating.”
Just this week, he described one day as “horrible all day.”
A grateful heart and a hopeful timeline
Roberts’ fans and coworkers, including Fox News colleague Trace Gallagher, who is cohosting in his absence, have rallied behind him as he heals. The veteran anchor shared his appreciation in a heartfelt X post:
“Thank you to Trace for jumping into the chair today!” he wrote. “I can honestly say that I am the only person in the hospital with Malaria… Thanks to the folks at @InovaHealth for their expertise and compassion!”
While Roberts hopes to return by Labor Day, he’s taking it one step at a time.
In a career built on delivering the news, John Roberts is now living a headline of his own, but showing the same strength, clarity, and grace that’s defined his decades on air.
“I’ve never felt that sick in my life,” he said. But one thing is clear: he’s fighting his way back and fans can’t wait to see him behind the desk again.
