Ryan Smith Official Biography

Ryan Smith is a host, correspondent & legal analyst for ABC News and ESPN.

Smith joined ABC News in January 2014 from HLN, where he was anchor of “Evening Express” and co-host of “HLN After Dark.” Before being named host of HLN’s nightly news program, Ryan was part of the “Morning Express with Robin Meade” team and hosted truTV’s “In Session.”

During his tenure at HLN, Ryan reported on a variety of major news stories, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and the Casey Anthony, George Zimmerman and Jodi Arias trials. While covering some the nation’s most prominent court cases, Ryan interviewed many of the trials’ key participants including Casey Anthony’s lead attorney Jose Baez and Lucia McBath and Ron Davis, the parents of slain teen Jordan Davis.

Since joining ABC, Smith has been regularly featured on ABC News platforms, covering stories from President Trump’s protests following NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to hosting a two-hour 20/20 primetime special “The Last Days of Michael Jackson.”

Smith also contributes to ESPN as a legal analyst and host of “Outside the Lines” and “E: 60.”

A graduate of Syracuse University and Columbia Law School, Ryan started his career practicing corporate, sports and entertainment law. He previously worked as a lawyer for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and later went on to work for some of the most respected law firms in the country. Ryan’s start in television was as co-host of the BET J (now Centric) program “My Two Cents” and he also provided legal, sports and other commentary for CNN, HLN, Fox and Fox Business.

Raised in Philadelphia, Ryan is passionate about health and wellness as well as a longtime supporter of causes that promote child and adult literacy. He currently resides in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife and twin boys.