Anthony Ponce

Anthony Ponce

Anchor and Reporter

Anthony Ponce is a veteran Chicago journalist who grew up in the northern suburbs.

In July 2016, he gained national attention when he left his job in TV news to become a full-time Lyft driver, launching the podcast Backseat Rider. As a Lyft-driving storyteller, Anthony brings audiences the wide-ranging, hilarious, touching, sometimes bizarre, and always real conversations he has with his passengers.

“Listening is a lost art form,” he told CNN. “What I think is missing right now in our national dialogue is aggressive listening.”

Anthony joined FOX 32 in 2018 to co-anchor Good Day Chicago and launch Backseat Rider as a news segment.

In returning to television, Anthony’s goal is to remind Chicagoans that while specific issues can be divisive, we have a lot more in common than is often depicted on the news.

Before joining FOX 32, Anthony spent nearly a decade as a reporter/anchor at NBC Chicago, and spent years as a reporter in Indiana.

He has a Master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and did his undergrad at Indiana University.

Anthony — a Sox fan — lives on the North Side with his wife, Maggie, and son, Theo.

The latest from Anthony Ponce

Illinois looks at legalizing psilocybin to treat mental health issues

From drug addiction, to alcoholism, to those suffering from PTSD, it's being talked about as a miracle cure: therapeutic treatment using the same substance found in "magic mushrooms." It's called psilocybin, and lawmakers in Illinois are already laying the groundwork to legalize this type of therapy in Illinois.