There has been a lot of speculation on social media about whether Joi Dukes, a reporter and anchor at FOX 5 Atlanta, is related to Deidra Dukes, another reporter and anchor at the same station. The two share the same last name and work for the same news outlet, but are they really family? Here is what we found out.
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Joi Dukes: A Rising Star in Atlanta
Joi Dukes is a vibrant and talented journalist who returned to Atlanta, where she grew up, in April 2022 and joined the news team at FOX 5, eager to tell the stories of the people there. Joi attended Atlanta Public Schools, Gwinnett County, and Fulton County. She graduated from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida in 2016 with a degree in Communication/Media Studies and a minor in Journalism from Florida A&M University.
Joi has worked as a multimedia journalist at 41NBC in Macon, where she covered the Georgia General Assembly and the gubernatorial race in Georgia in 2018. She also spent three years as the weekend evening anchor and reporter at WRCB in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she covered outstanding stories with national impact, including the historic 2020 presidential election in Georgia and former President Trump’s last campaign visit to the Peach State.
Joi is passionate about covering stories with compassion and giving a voice to the voiceless. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her connections to the Atlanta area and broadcasting roots run deep as the daughter of former Atlanta Hawks player and veteran sports broadcaster Jamie Dukes. A fun fact about Joi is that she was featured in the book “Dark Girls” by filmmaker Bill Duke, which was a companion piece to the 2011 documentary “Dark Girls” about prejudices against women with darker skin in the Black community.
Deidra Dukes: A Veteran Journalist in Atlanta
Deidra Dukes is an experienced and respected journalist who has been working for FOX 5 Atlanta since 2005. She anchors the weekend editions of FOX 5 News at 6 p.m., FOX 5 News Edge at 11 p.m., and FOX 5 News at 10 p.m. She also reports for FOX 5 News during the week.
Deidra began her career in television as an anchor-reporter in Fresno and Redding, after earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Communication Studies at California State University, Chico. She then moved to Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV, where she did general assignment reporting for four years. She also worked as a reporter-anchor at WJW-TV in Cleveland before joining FOX 5 Atlanta.
Deidra has covered many major stories throughout her career, such as Hurricane Katrina, President Obama’s inauguration, and the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. She has also interviewed many celebrities and newsmakers, such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and former President Jimmy Carter. Deidra is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists and enjoys mentoring young aspiring journalists. She is also involved in various community service projects and charities³.
The Verdict: Are They Related?
Based on our research, we could not find any evidence that Joi Dukes and Deidra Dukes are related by blood or marriage. They have different parents, different backgrounds, and different career paths. They just happen to share a common surname and work for the same news station. Therefore, we conclude that the rumor that they are related is false.
However, that does not mean that they are not friendly or supportive of each other. In fact, they seem to have a good rapport and respect for each other as colleagues and fellow journalists. They often interact on social media, congratulating each other on their achievements or sharing their stories. They also appear together on air occasionally, delivering the news to the Atlanta viewers with professionalism and charisma.
