Regular viewers of News 12 Westchester and News 12 Hudson Valley started noticing a change in their morning lineup. Tara Joyce, a familiar co-anchor face since 2018, was no longer appearing in her usual slot. The questions came quickly enough that she addressed the situation publicly, giving her audience at least a partial explanation for what had changed.
This article covers what she actually said, whether this is a full departure or something more nuanced, whether she was let go or chose to leave, and what she is doing with her career next.
What Tara Joyce Said About Her Departure
Tara Joyce addressed her situation through a public post on Facebook, keeping things relatively brief but clear enough to answer the basic question her viewers were asking.
She said her on-air presence at News 12 would “look different moving forward” because she was pursuing a “new adventure” that would take her away from viewers full time. That is essentially the heart of her public explanation.
She did not go into specific personal or professional reasons. There was no mention of conflict, budget cuts, health, or any external pressure. The tone of the statement reads as a voluntary career decision — someone moving toward something new, not someone being pushed out.
The explanation is intentionally broad, which some viewers may find unsatisfying. But broad does not mean suspicious. People change careers without publicly explaining every detail, and her statement is consistent with a straightforward professional transition.
Is She Leaving News 12 Permanently or Just Stepping Back?
This is where the nuance matters. Tara Joyce is not making a clean break from News 12 entirely.
In the same public statement, she said she plans to fill in at the station when available and also help with special projects. That is a meaningful detail. It means the daily anchor role is over, but she has not closed the door on News 12 completely.
The most accurate way to describe this is a soft exit or a role change. Think of it the way a professional might leave a full-time staff position but continue doing occasional consulting for the same organization. The daily commitment ends, but the relationship does not.
So if you are asking whether you will see her in the morning anchor chair going forward — almost certainly not on a regular basis. But if you are asking whether she is gone from News 12 forever — she has specifically said that is not the case.
Was Tara Joyce Fired or Did She Choose to Leave?
This question comes up almost any time a recognizable local anchor disappears from the screen. The assumption that something went wrong is a natural one, but in this case, the sourced evidence does not support it.
There is no public record of a firing, forced exit, layoffs, or internal dispute connected to her departure. Her own statement frames the move around pursuing a new opportunity. The phrase “new adventure” is language people use when they are moving toward something, not when they are being pushed out.
It is fair to acknowledge that her public explanation is limited in detail. But limited is not the same as evasive. Many professionals make career moves without releasing full explanations to the public, especially when the move is largely positive.
Readers should be cautious about rumors circulating on social media. Nothing in the sourced material — her own statement or her professional profiles — suggests anything other than a voluntary career change.
Tara Joyce’s New Role and Career Path
So what is she actually doing next? Her LinkedIn profile, listed under Tara Joyce O’Donoghue, gives a concrete answer.
She is now working as Director of Communications at Kellenberg Memorial High School. Her News 12 Westchester and Hudson Valley co-anchor role is listed as running from June 2018 to May 2025, which places this transition around spring 2025.
Moving from broadcast journalism into a communications leadership role — particularly within an educational institution — is a well-established path for experienced media professionals. The skills overlap significantly: writing, messaging, public relations, and knowing how to communicate clearly under pressure are core to both jobs.
Her earlier career gives useful context here. Before News 12, she anchored at WVIT in Connecticut and worked as a reporter across New York, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. She has a long professional track record in journalism. This move into institutional communications is not a retreat from her field — it is a lateral shift into a different kind of communications work.
In other words, she is not leaving the professional world. She is just trading the daily broadcast chair for a role that likely comes with different hours, a different audience, and a different kind of output.
Who Is Tara Joyce Outside of the Anchor Desk?
Part of why her departure prompted so many questions is that News 12 viewers genuinely followed her over the years — not just as an anchor, but as a person.
The station itself covered personal milestones with her, including a feature when she became a mother. Her social media profiles describe her as a wife and a “boy mom,” and she has been open about her life outside the newsroom in a way that helped build audience connection.
Her broadcast career spans multiple states and more than a decade of on-air work. That kind of longevity in local television builds real loyalty among viewers, which explains why her stepping back from the daily schedule was noticeable enough to require a public explanation in the first place.
What This Career Move Looks Like in a Broader Context
For readers interested in the business side of media careers, Tara Joyce’s move is a fairly clear example of a pattern that has become more common in recent years.
Experienced broadcast journalists — especially those who have spent years building credibility in front of a camera — are increasingly moving into communications roles at schools, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and corporations. Organizations in those sectors value someone who understands how to tell a story, manage a message, and represent an institution publicly.
The Director of Communications title at an institution like Kellenberg Memorial High School carries real responsibility. It typically involves overseeing how the school communicates internally and externally, managing media relations, and shaping the school’s public presence. That is a substantive leadership position, not a step down.
If you follow media industry trends or work in communications yourself, sites like Nextbiztips cover the intersection of media, business, and professional development — the kind of context that helps make sense of career moves like this one.
Will Tara Joyce Still Appear on News 12?
Based on what she said publicly, yes — occasionally. She specifically mentioned filling in when she is available and contributing to special projects. That suggests her face may still appear on News 12 from time to time, just not as a daily presence.
For viewers who have been wondering whether to expect her back on their morning screen, the honest answer is: not regularly. The daily co-anchor role appears to be behind her. But she has not severed ties with the station, and occasional appearances seem to be part of the plan.
Final Thoughts
Tara Joyce’s departure from her full-time News 12 role is best understood as a career transition, not an exit story. She chose to pursue a new full-time opportunity — a communications leadership position at Kellenberg Memorial High School — while keeping a loose connection to News 12 through fill-in work and special projects.
Her own public statement points to a voluntary move. There is no sourced evidence of a firing, a forced exit, or any kind of conflict behind the scenes. The explanation she gave is brief, but it is consistent with how professionals talk about career changes they have chosen to make.
After more than six years as a morning co-anchor, she is stepping into a different kind of professional chapter. For her longtime viewers, that is a real change in the morning routine. But it looks like a deliberate one — made on her own terms.
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