Arthel Neville

Arthel Neville, is an American journalist as well as a television personality. She is regular weekend anchor for Fox News Channel. Her father Art Neville, created the New Orleans music groups, The Neville Brothers and The Meters and which is the reason why sometimes her name is associated with musical circles. But she claims that the name “Neville” did not help her in anyway what so ever in the journalism career although she grew up around music.

Neville and Lassie first met in February 1994 at the Miss USA Pageant in South Padre Island where she was a co-host and Lassie was a Judge. She found Derrick very cute and was dared by a friend for 10 bucks to introduce herself to Lassie, which apparently she won easily. They instantly hit it off. Arthel’s mother like Lassie a lot and she even invited him to her home for Mardi gras.  He reluctantly accepted the invitation but asked a friend to back him up with a bail out call if the event didn’t turn out well. Soon Lassie and Arthel went to Alabama to meet his parents. Lassie proposed her for marriage with a 3.7 carat diamond engagement ring hidden in a special dessert. On 22nd April, 1995, at the age of 32, she married Derrick Lassie who was approximately 7 years younger. This marriage last for a few years before the couple got divorced in 1998. There have been no rumors of an affair by either partner.

Later, in 1999, in New Orleans, she was backstage at a concert where she met Taku Hirano, a drummer from Japan. They dated for 2 years, before she married her boyfriend in 2001; the couple has been happily together since. Hirano asked her parents for permission to marry Arthel. Reluctantly, they did give the couple, their blessing. Hirano Proposed to her in Venice, Italy and the couple married in Hawaii, on a beach. They went to Japan to meet Hirano’s family where they spent their honeymoon. They have been included in the list of longest successful interracial marriage unions of all times. They do not have any children.

Although she came from a family with a musical background, she did not follow her father’s footsteps. She wasn't very high on musical talent but had an appetite for writing. Following her heart, she graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican High School in 1980. She wanted to make a career in TV, so she moved to New York. Initially, she got work in the form of commercials and also acted in the soap opera “Days of Our Lives”. Finally, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from University of Texas in 1986.

She had started her broadcasting career even before she graduated working as a general assignment reporter for KVUE-TV as the first African-American on-air reporter for the station. Neville jumped from job to job for a couple of years when in 1991, she got the best gig as she bagged the hot spot on Extreme Close-Up. It was a one-on-one celebrity interview show. She allegedly earned her celebrity status by interviewing real celebrities. Currently, she works as the weekend anchor at Fox News Channel. She was also honored with the “Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award in 2003 by University of Texas in 2003.

Related Biographies