J Russell is a host for America's Best Restaurants reporting on restaurants nationwide, and is now revisiting his home state on a 2024 tour that travels all around Arizona in November.
Russell is a former ASU undergraduate student who studied journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After only two years at ASU, Russell was hospitalized due to contracting Valley fever, a critical lung infection.
Russell grew up in Phoenix and said he knew early on that he wanted to attend ASU because of his alumni father and godfather.
"Being at home, there's no other feeling like it," Russell said. "Growing up, wearing Sun Devil shirts and going to football games."
When he was diagnosed with Valley fever, Russell said he had to use a ventilator and was put on life support for six weeks. Although his illness is in recession, he still faces daily challenges such as fatigue and memory loss. Russell was unable to go back and finish his degree with the University but, despite these obstacles, he said it gave him an optimistic outlook on life.
"It just gave me that can-do attitude, that no matter what the challenge is, I was going to overcome it," Russell said. "I always set high goals for myself, just for that reason."
Russell said he learned a lot on the spot when he moved to Midland, Texas to report for KMID. Because of the illness, he hadn't gotten the opportunity to work internships, which are typically completed in junior and senior year.
"I'm learning everything on the spot. The unfortunate thing was, it was in front of a lot of people," Russell said.
Although his time at ASU was cut short, Russell said the University made a lasting impact on him because of the support the school offered.
"It just gave (me) the good foundation," Russell said. "I had professors that just really, truly cared about me as a person. And it just felt like home."
Soon after, Russell switched from sports to lifestyle reporting when he moved back to his hometown and reported for Phoenix CW. He found that he really enjoyed the type of reporting he was doing, especially its positivity and that it let him be more himself.
"That was my first job in lifestyle," Russell said. "Once I saw lifestyle (reporting) is positive and I got to be myself, I kept going with that."
America's Best Restaurant reached out to Russell after seeing a segment he made titled "Food Trip Friday." Russell said he was excited to take the job because he got to report on news that would make people smile and engage with audiences.
Since starting with ABR, Russell said he has visited over 15 states, such as Washington and California. He said his favorite part was not only getting a chance to try different foods but also seeing and experiencing landmarks in other states.
"(It's) just so amazing, just traveling through the country," Russell said.
Russell said he was initially hesitant to make the switch from sports to lifestyle reporting but much like his experience trying different foods, he said he knew it was important for him to expand his pallet because ABR gave him once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
"I'm happy that my career, you know, turned into this because it's definitely opened a lot of doors just because the show is on a national stage," Russell said.
When he was first hospitalized, Russell said he never thought his career would find national success. He credits his time at ASU for building his reporting foundations.
"You know, my life could have ended, and none of this would have been possible," Russell said. "There's never an obstacle that's too big that you cannot overcome."
Edited by Natalia Jarrett, Abigail Beck and Andrew Dirst.
Reach the reporters at alillest@asu.edu and thutche1@asu.edu and follow @allylillestol on X.
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Allison is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester at The State Press. She has also worked at Arizona PBS and Blaze Radio.
