Carolyn Manno is an American sports journalist and television host born on July 16, 1984, in Florida. She is best known for her work as an Olympic host for NBC Sports and as a sports anchor for CNN.
Manno has covered eight consecutive Olympic Games and has reported on the NFL, NASCAR, and college athletics.
Who is Carolyn Manno?
Carolyn Manno is a veteran American sports broadcaster. She currently works as a reporter and anchor for CNN Sports.
Manno also hosts programming for AKC TV, the American Kennel Club’s digital streaming platform. She built her career primarily at NBC Sports, where she spent nearly two decades as a host and reporter.
Her assignments have included the Olympics, the Paralympics, Football Night in America, and Triple Crown horse racing. She is a graduate of the University of Florida’s journalism program.
Early Life of Carolyn Manno
Carolyn Manno was born and raised in Florida. Public biographies do not detail her parents or siblings, since she has kept her family background largely private.
She developed an interest in sports broadcasting early on. That interest led her to study telecommunications at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
After graduating in 2006, Manno began her broadcasting career in South Bend, Indiana. There, she spent three years covering Notre Dame athletics before moving into national sports television.
Carolyn Manno Age
Carolyn Manno is 42 years old as of 2026, born on July 16, 1984. Her zodiac sign is Cancer.
She has spent more than two decades in television sports journalism since graduating from college. That span includes stints at three major networks.
She stands at 5 feet 5 inches or 165 cm or 1.65 m.
Carolyn Manno Ethnicity and Nationality
Carolyn Manno is American, born and raised in Florida. Her specific ethnic background has not been publicly disclosed.
She has spent most of her adult career based in the New York area. New York remains her primary home market for both NBC and CNN work.
Carolyn Manno Education
Manno earned a Bachelor of Science degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida, graduating in 2006. She studied at the university’s College of Journalism and Communications.
The program later recognized her as a notable sports alumna. Her college coursework focused on broadcast production and reporting.
That foundation led directly into her first television job. She moved to South Bend, Indiana, right after graduation to begin reporting professionally.
Carolyn Manno Career
Early Career
Manno began her television career at a station in South Bend, Indiana. There, she covered the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Indianapolis 500.
She spent about three years in that market building her reporting skills. During that stretch, she earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports journalism from the Associated Press.
She also won an Indiana Spectrum Award for journalistic excellence from the Indiana Broadcasters Association. Those early honors helped her land a larger-market role.
Manno next moved to Boston, where she worked as an anchor and reporter for Comcast SportsNet New England. She also contributed to the network’s website, CSNNE.com.
While in Boston, she covered a Super Bowl run, a Stanley Cup run, and an NBA Finals run involving the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics. That period established her as a reliable name in regional sports television.
Major Positions Held
Manno joined NBC Sports Group in August 2009. By 2013, she had become a full-time anchor and reporter across NBC and NBCSN.
She reported for NBC’s Football Night in America for several seasons. She also hosted NBCSN’s NASCAR America and anchored NBC’s Sports Update Desk.
Her Olympic career began at the 2012 London Olympics, where she worked as a sports desk reporter. She went on to cover the Sochi Games in 2014 as a freestyle skiing reporter and hosted Sochi Paralympic studio coverage that same year.
Manno reported on NBC’s Super Bowl XLIX pregame show in 2015. She continued as an Olympic host through the Rio Games in 2016 and the PyeongChang Games in 2018.
In January 2019, Manno joined the American Kennel Club as host of its digital streaming platform, AKC TV. Before that, she briefly worked with the United States Tennis Association, where she launched US Open Now, a live-streaming second-screen program for the US Open tennis tournament.
Current Role
Manno now works as a sports anchor and reporter for CNN, contributing coverage across CNN and CNN Sport. She continues hosting AKC TV for the American Kennel Club and appears occasionally as a fill-in anchor on WNBC, NBC’s New York affiliate.
She has remained active with NBC Sports as an Olympic and Paralympic host as well. Her Olympic assignments now span the Tokyo Games in 2021, the Beijing Games in 2022, the Paris Games in 2024, and the Milano Cortina Games in 2026.
At the Paris Olympics, she hosted NBC’s Gold Zone coverage on Peacock, marking one of several consecutive Games she has worked. She was part of an NBC Sports team that received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Special tied to Olympic coverage.
Carolyn Manno Awards and Recognition
Manno has earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Journalism from the Associated Press. She also received an Indiana Spectrum Award for journalistic excellence from the Indiana Broadcasters Association.
She was part of the NBC Sports production team recognized with a Sports Emmy Award in the Outstanding Live Special category. That honor came from the network’s Olympic and Paralympic coverage.
Her Olympic broadcasting resume now spans eight consecutive Games. Few sports hosts carry that many consecutive Olympic assignments on NBC’s roster.
Carolyn Manno Husband
Carolyn Manno married Philip Paparella on September 16, 2023, in East Hampton, New York. The ceremony took place at Most Holy Trinity Church, with a reception that followed nearby.
Paparella has worked in marketing roles in professional sports and finance, including a stretch with the NBA and later positions in the sports betting and finance industries. The couple kept most wedding details private beforehand, consistent with Manno’s generally low-key approach to her personal life.
She rarely discusses her marriage publicly on air or on social media. Manno has kept the bulk of her family and personal life out of the press throughout her career.
Carolyn Manno Net Worth
Carolyn Manno’s estimated net worth is $1 million as of 2026. Her income comes primarily from her broadcasting roles at CNN, NBC Sports, and AKC TV.
She has built that career over roughly two decades in national television. Additional income has likely come from hosting appearances and sponsored content tied to her media work.
Carolyn Manno Social Media
Manno is active on Instagram under the handle @carolynmanno, where she posts about her broadcasting assignments. Her account has built a following of roughly 16,000 users.
She also posts on X under the handle @carolynmanno, sharing updates from Olympic coverage and other sports assignments. She has used that account since 2009, around the time she joined NBC Sports.
Her bio across platforms references her ongoing work with CNN, CNN Sport, NBC Olympics, and the American Kennel Club. She does not appear to maintain a public TikTok or YouTube channel under her own name.
The Bottom Line
Carolyn Manno has hosted or reported on eight consecutive Olympic Games for NBC Sports, from London 2012 through Milano Cortina 2026. She now anchors sports coverage for CNN while continuing her Olympic hosting duties and her role at AKC TV.
Manno built her career from a local station in South Bend, Indiana, up through Boston and into national television, earning a Murrow Award along the way. She keeps her personal life private, having married Philip Paparella in September 2023 in East Hampton.
She is currently preparing for continued Paralympic and Olympic assignments alongside her CNN duties. Manno remains a steady presence across sports television nearly two decades into her career.
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