There are plenty of married couples working in media. But Newsmax contributors and hosts Tom and Deenen Borelli aren’t your average married media couple.
“We’re very unique,” Tom Borelli said. “Not only are we a married couple, we’re obviously interracial, and conservative. There’s not many of those out there.”
Their backgrounds are quite dissimilar, too. Tom Borelli has a PhD in biochemistry and an undergraduate degree in microbiology. Deneen Borelli has a background in marketing.
And yet, they’ve found their way to Newsmax, helping shape the discussion in a variety of ways, on a variety of topics.
“One of the things that’s rewarding for me is the ability and the reach that we’re able to get, whether it’s national or international,” Deneen Borelli said. “The feedback that we get from people is that we are relatable, we break things down in an easy, understandable way.”
Both Tom and Deneen Borelli make regular appearances on Newsmax, both in the company’s New York studios and the studio they built in their Connecticut home.
It’s been a game-changer for the duo.
“It’s epic, really, because people don’t understand you gotta make that trip from home, so whether it’s driving or taking the train, that’s working itself,” Deneen shared. “And then you gotta make sure you’re prepared. With me, it’s the hair and makeup routine. So there’s a lot of variables involved. But having a home studio is very, very helpful.”
While Tom Borelli has a background in science, you’d think that would be the largest area he could contribute to Newsmax. But he doesn’t see it that way.
“When something is breaking news, plenty of people on the outside say, ‘Well you know what they’re gonna ask you, right? And you’re well prepared and you have it in the teleprompter, and you’re reading from the script that they give you?’ No,” he said with a chuckle.
“I think the most fun and challenging part for me is when we don’t know what we’re gonna be asked. Or if it’s breaking news, sometimes I’m told what the topics are, but many times you don’t know. And that’s where I’m able to draw from my past experiences.
“I worked in science, I worked in corporate America, in corporate affairs. At one point, I was a shareholder activist, challenging CEOs with their liberal policies that I believed were bad for their shareholders, as well as the country,” he continued. “I could draw from a lot of different experiences when they were talking about woke companies, I had been there and done that.”
The Borelli’s joked that plenty of married couples admit they wouldn’t be able to work with their spouse. But for Tom and Deneen, it just works flawlessly.
“We make a great team. It’s great that we have such an opportunity to work together,” Deneen said, with Tom adding,”I don’t think there’s really any really policy differences we have on the major issues.”
Tom Borelli has been with Newsmax since the cable network launched in 2014. Meanwhile, Deneen joined the channel after previously working in a similar capacity for nearly 15 years at Fox News.
When asked what’s on the horizon for the duo, they said there is hopefully a chance to continue to working together on the same programs, offering their insight and analysis on the hot-button topics most Americans care about.
“We never would’ve predicted we’d be doing this,” Tom said. “And we certainly would never have predicted we’d be doing this together. But we just hope there’s more opportunity for us co-hosting together. We get a real kick out of that because we have chemistry sometimes,” he said, laughingly. “She still likes me.”
“It’s a coin-flip,” Deneen concluded, laughing as well.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
