She had worked at CNBC before joining FBN. She co-hosted After The Bell with Connell MacShane on weekday afternoons. She was also an anchor on FNC's Happening Now newscast recently. She most recently appeared on FNC's afternoon chat show Outnumbered as a frequent panelist. However, it was revealed in late October 2020 that she had been fired from Fox. Despite the lack of a formal announcement, all evidence lead to her leaving Fox, most likely not on her terms.

Background

Vini Melissa Ann Francis was born on December 12, 1972, in Los Angeles, CA. She grew up with an older sister, Tiffany Ann Francis, who became a commercial actress and someone she always looked up to.

At a young age, Melissa was a girl scout. When she was younger, she said doing this activity helped shape how she looks at community and coworker relationships.

Melissa was always interested in educational endeavors and ended up getting excepted into Harvard University. Francis graduated from Harvard University in 1995 class with a bachelor's degree in economics. She was an executive editor of the college magazine called The Harvard College Economist. Francis was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team. She was never highly interested in sports during her high school years but felt it was necessary to be more well-rounded as a college student.

Marriage, Husband, and Children

Melissa Ann Francis's husband is Wray Thorn, who works as an asset manager. She lives with her two children along with her husband in New York. The couple is happy together, and they have mentioned their dedication to one another in interviews. Melissa feels one of the essential parts of a relationship is knowing your partner and talking with them. Communication is key to a long and happy relationship.

Career

Melissa Francis first appeared on the television screen when she was just six months old. She was featured in a shampoo commercial for Johnson & Johnson. She also played the role of Cassandra Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. During her acting career, she appeared in more than 100 commercials.

When Melissa grew up and left her acting career behind, she started to work as a financial reporter for the Fox Business network. She appeared in the Cashin'In program, which was a segment for The Cost of Freedom. She got her show at Fox Business Network in 2012. The show is called Money with Melissa Francis. She also has been the financial reporter for CNBC, and she initially provided the hourly report for the New York Mercantile Exchange about trading futures contracts for crude oil.

Before joining CNBC, Melissa was the correspondent for the CNETs broadcast unit, and she provided coverage of consumer products, technology, and finances.

Melissa has written a book called Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter that was released in 2012. It focused on the trials, tribulations, and problems of having an overbearing mother.

Her mother was abusive, as she had bipolar disorder. She followed up that book with another in April of 2017 called Lesson from the Prairie. In that book, she talks about her childhood acting experience on Little House on the Prairie and how it applied to her adult life. She views the book as making people think about life and how it is molded from a pretty young.