Kris Budden has become one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces in college sports coverage. She brings her distinctive reporting style to football, basketball, and baseball broadcasts across the network. Born Kristen Lee Budden on March 9, 1984, in Atlanta, Georgia, she has carved out an impressive career that has taken her from small-market local television to the biggest stages in sports broadcasting. 

Who is Kris Budden?

Kris Budden is an American sports reporter for ESPN who specializes in college sports coverage, including football, basketball, and baseball. She’s built a reputation as one of the network’s most versatile broadcasters. She recently expanded her portfolio to include coverage of Grand Slam tennis, with reporting duties at the US Open. Budden had also spent time covering the NFL and CFB at Fox Sports from 2013 to 2015. Moreover, she was also a sideline reporter for San Diego Padres broadcasts on Fox Sports San Diego.

Kris Budden’s nationality and early life

Budden is American, born in Atlanta, Georgia, but considers Texas her home after her family relocated to the Dallas area when she was 10. She attended Trinity Christian Academy in the suburb of Addison. During her schooling, she was a two-time state champion on the school’s tennis team. 

Her interest in sports broadcasting sparked early. As a teenager, she shadowed her godfather at his job as an anchor at WFAA, the local Dallas television station. Those formative experiences shaped her career aspirations. After high school, she attended the University of Missouri’s prestigious School of Journalism, where she graduated with honors, earning a degree in broadcast journalism.​

Kris Budden’s career highlights

Budden started his career in Charlottesville, Virginia. She worked as a weekend sports anchor at WCAV immediately after graduating from college. After 18 months at that job, she moved to WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee. There she spent six years covering the Tennessee Volunteers’ athletics programs. She went on to cover major events, including the men’s and women’s NCAA and SEC basketball tournaments, the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the retirement of legendary coach Pat Summitt.

At WBIR, she earned the Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters’ Award for Best Breaking Sports News. In August 2013, Fox Sports came calling with an opportunity that would change her trajectory. She initially joined the Fox NFL broadcast crew before becoming the Padres’ sideline reporter and expanding her coverage to include college football. She joined ESPN in 2016, where she has continued to rise. She now works on the network’s top-tier college sports broadcasts.​

Top Stories

‘RIP’: NASCAR World Crumbles in Tears as 39-YO Former JR Motorsports Driver Passes Away

Donald Trump Takes Unexpected Shot at NFL With Name Change Call During FIFA World Cup Draw

Bills Legend Jim Kelly Announces Final Cancer Update After Years of Battle

Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Demands Short-Term Contract Away From NFL on Thursday

Rory McIlroy Suffers ‘Banana Peel’ Blunder as His Australian Open Setbacks Continue

Brian Kelly Slammed For 4 Years Over Lane Kiffin’s First Move as LSU HC

Salary overview of Kris Budden

Kris Budden’s annual salary from ESPN is estimated to be around $80,000. However, her salary does not provide a complete picture of the struggles she has faced. At one point, she tried to hide her pregnancy from her on-air because of the notion that women are supposed to look young, skinny, and ageless.

Kris Budden’s husband and kids

Kris is married to Mario Toledo, a former men’s tennis player at the University of Tennessee. The couple met in 2012 when Budden took a tennis lesson from Mario at a local racquet club. The couple married in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2014. They welcomed their son, Jace, in 2016 and their daughter, Landyn, in 2019. When Budden was covering the Padres, Toledo worked as an assistant tennis coach at Pepperdine University.

Kris Budden’s story is one of determination and talent. She has excelled in a field in which it is much more difficult for a woman to advance. She has navigated the challenges of sports journalism with grace and professionalism.