In September 2025, Vittert published a memoir, Born Lucky, revealing publicly that he is autistic. His father taught him to navigate his life despite his long-secret autism.
Vittert's coverage of the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore was praised by Mediaite and The Daily Caller.[11][12][13] According to Mediaite, Vittert "made his mark…by standing among protesters, facing a silent line of riot police, while interviewing residents and demonstrators affected by the story in various ways. He [broke] news about the Baltimore mayor's alleged stand-down orders for police, and [had] tense question-and-answer exchanges with lawmakers and public figures throughout the city."[11][13][14]
Arriving in the Middle East in 2010, Vittert began following the Arab Spring.[4] In 2011, he was one of the few reporters live on the ground in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the night that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left power.[4] Vittert subsequently traveled to Libya during the first days of the country's revolution, where he reported on Muammar Gaddafi's counterattack and later from the besieged city of Misurata.[15][16]
While covering the George Floyd protests outside the White House in Washington, D.C., Vittert and his crew were attacked by protesters and later chased away from the area.[22] In an interview on Cavuto Live the following day, Vittert stated that he and his crew were assaulted after a protester realized they were employed by Fox News.[23][24]
Vittert's last on-air appearance on Fox News was in January 2021; he left the network in April 2021. A Fox News spokesperson said, "We have mutually and amicably parted ways with Leland Vittert", leaving it unclear whether he quit or was fired.[25] It later emerged that he had been asked to leave by one of the Murdochs after Vittert had asked tough questions of President Donald Trump.[26]
On May 5, 2021, Nexstar announced that Vittert would join NewsNation starting May 17, 2021, as a national correspondent and anchor.[27] On May 17, 2021, Vittert made his first appearance for NewsNation on The Donlon Report and NewsNation Prime. On July 8, 2021, Nexstar announced that Vittert would anchor a primetime show called On Balance with Leland Vittert on NewsNation starting July 19, 2021.[28]
Memoir
In 2025, Vittert released a memoir, revealing for the first time his autism, a diagnosis which came very early in life. The book title references his childhood nickname, Lucky, which came from a doctor who commented on Vittert's surviving his umbilical cord wrapped twice around his neck. Vittert only began to speak at age three. He was bullied mercilessly in school; his father, Mark, actually quit his job to devote his life to getting Leland through his childhood despite the obvious challenge of being autistic. It was Mark, along with Leland's mom Carol, as well as sister Liberty, who helped him survive the situation.[29][30]
