Sherman Desselle is leaving FOX 26 and closing the chapter on an 18-year TV news career. The Houston reporter and fill-in anchor announced the decision Sunday, saying he accepted an opportunity that is better for his family beyond the newsroom.
“After four years in Houston and 18 years in this business, it was time to make a change,” Desselle wrote on social media. “Not just a new job title, but an opportunity that would be better for my family and me beyond the newsroom.”
“My time at Fox 26 was fantastic,” he wrote, saying he put every skill he had to use through reporting, anchoring, streaming, writing and strategizing.
He also thanked Houston viewers for welcoming him into what he called “one of the most diverse and important cities in America.”
“Thank you to EVERY Houstonian who made me feel at home and welcomed me into your community,” he wrote. “See you later, see you soon.”
Chron has reached out to FOX 26 for comment.
Desselle joined FOX 26 in June 2022 as a reporter and fill-in anchor after serving as weekend anchor at WDSU 6 in New Orleans. While there, he earned an RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the documentary History and Hope: Our Hidden Past.
A Louisiana native, Desselle’s journalism career began unexpectedly. According to his FOX 26 biography, he graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches with degrees in music and theatre before returning to his hometown of Alexandria, where he worked in the deli of a neighborhood grocery store.
A conversation with a customer who happened to be the content manager at KALB News Channel 5 led to a station tour and, soon after, a job as a part-time photographer.
When Hurricane Gustav and historic flooding struck Central Louisiana, Desselle found himself reporting on camera for the first time. The experience sparked a passion for storytelling that shifted his career toward reporting.
He went on to work his way up from photographer to multimedia journalist, weekend anchor and morning anchor at KALB, where he spent seven years on the station’s top-rated morning show, Jambalaya. In 2019, he joined WDSU before making the move to Houston three years later.
Although Desselle is stepping away from TV news, he hinted that his next chapter will keep him close to the Houston media community.
As for what’s next, he wrote, “I’ll let everyone in on it in due time. Especially since all of the talented journalists in the market are texting and following me right now. Don’t worry, I’m sticking around.”