Americans love their weather forecaster and Ginger Zeese finds herself to be one of them. Certified by the American Meteorological Society, Zee is best known for her work with ABC, a network that earned her the recognition she deserved when she appeared on Good Morning America Weekend in November 2011. Her affiliation with ABC helped boost his level of stardom and Zee welcomed him with open arms. She was one of the contestants on the 22nd season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Along with her partner, professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Zee finished in third place.
Who is Ginger Zee?
“Ginger Zee” is actually kind of a stage name that everyone has gotten used to; The television personality was born Ginger Renee Zuidgeest on January 13, 1981 in Orange, California. Her father, Dutchman Robert Zuidgeest named her Ginger after a character from Gilligan’s Island, a sitcom he watched to learn to speak the English language. On several occasions, Ginger explained that she did not understand why her father chose the name Ginger. She says her personality is more like Mary Ann on the show.
When Ginger was one year old, her family, including her mother, Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft (née Hemleb) moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she would spend the rest of her childhood. Her parents later divorced before she ventured into her teenage years. Her mother remarried a certain Carl Craft from whom Zee came to have two half-sisters, Adrianna and Elaina Craft.
Ginger at the age of 8 decided to become a meteorologist after being fascinated by the sight of a waterspout over Lake Michigan. When she was a child, Zee was anorexic and it got worse after her parents divorced. However, her stepfather Carl, who was a counsellor, would come to help her through this stage of her life.
She attended Rockford High School in Rockford, Michigan where she graduated in 1999. In 2002, she received a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Indiana University, Valparaiso. She also majored in math and Spanish. Zee’s dream after graduation was to hit the Today Show before she turned 30 and she worked hard to make her dreams come true.
She started her career working for many channels in Indiana, Ilinois, Alabama and Michigan. She came to national attention when she worked between 2006 and 2011 at NBC’s WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois. During this period, Zee was asked to serve as a guest weatherman on the weekend edition of Today Show in order to fulfill her dream.
Her career received a boost when she joined GoodMorning America Weekend in 2011. She was later named the show’s chief meteorologist. After Sam Champion left to join The Weather Channel, Zee was asked to replace him as weather editor for ABC News.
What is his salary?
Ginger Zee’s earnings from her day job have never been made public. However, it is estimated that she earns an annual salary of around $500,000. His net worth is said to be around $3 million.
Family information – husband and baby
Ginger Zee is a happily married woman. She shares a professional similarity with her husband Ben Aaron, a media personality. Ben, born Benjamin Aaron Colonomos on September 10, 1981 in New York City, is best known for hosting the short-lived comedy television show Crazy Talk. He is currently the co-host of a lifestyle talk show, Pickler & Ben, alongside country musician Kellie Pickler. Produced by Scripps, the program airs on Scripps stations and on CMT.
Ginger met Aaron in 2012 through a mutual friend, Aaron revealed in a YouTube video he posted ahead of their wedding day. He was attending a Soulcycle charity event with this friend who introduced him to Zee. Once the event was over, Aaron drove through Central Park back to his home in Zee, a trip that was enough to let him know he was in love with Zee. Although Zee wanted to be friends with him, Aaron pushed him further by asking him out. They married on June 7, 2014.
The couple share two children together. They had their first baby, Adrian Benjamin Colonomos, on December 17, 2015. He arrived at 11:05 a.m. and weighed 7 lbs. measuring 20.5 inches long. On February 9, 2018, in New York, they welcomed another baby boy, Miles Macklin Colonomos. It was 21.5 inches long and weighed 8 pounds. 7oz
Zee’s husband earned his first degree from Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts. He started broadcasting at the age of 18 with a radio concert at Disney. He then landed other radio gigs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Tucson and of course his hometown of New York.
While working at WNBC in 2009 as the host of the New York live show, Aaron won three local Emmy Awards in the Best Reporter category.