Denver anchor leaves station after seven years to focus on cancer treatment

Chris Parente, the longtime morning anchor of morning newscast “Daybreak” on KWGN in Denver, Colorado, has left the station after seven years as he continues treatment for bladder cancer and prepares to focus on patient advocacy.

Parente’s final broadcast was Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, ending his tenure on the station’s morning newscast and a broader career spanning approximately two decades in Denver television.

In an interview with Westword, Parente said the decision followed a year of cancer treatments that had become increasingly difficult to balance with the demands of hosting a five-hour morning television program.

“The medical treatments started to get too intense for me to be able to be on the air for five hours,” Parente said.

Parente first noticed symptoms on Oct. 11, 2025, when he discovered blood in his urine before attending a charity event. He quickly sought medical attention, and a CT scan five days later revealed a tumor in his bladder.

He subsequently underwent surgery to remove the tumor. A biopsy determined that the cancer had not spread beyond the bladder, although the disease later returned.

Parente underwent additional treatment using bacillus Calmette-Guérin, or BCG, immunotherapy. When doctors discovered another recurrence, they began treating him with a chemotherapy delivery system placed inside the bladder that gradually releases medication over several weeks.

Although the localized treatment has allowed him to avoid some of the side effects associated with systemic chemotherapy, Parente said it has caused fatigue, pain, bladder spasms and sudden urinary urgency.

Those symptoms made the demands of live morning television increasingly challenging.

His current treatment regimen is expected to continue until February 2027.

Parente joined the Denver television market as an entertainment reporter for KDVR, the Fox affiliate, before becoming a familiar personality on KWGN, its sister station.

His work included entertainment reporting, celebrity interviews and appearances that incorporated his background in improvisational comedy.

Before moving to Colorado, Parente worked in television in Indiana and Kentucky.

He became the host of KWGN’s “Daybreak” in 2019, bringing a conversational, humor-driven approach to the station’s morning programming.

Over the years, Parente developed a reputation for mixing news coverage with entertainment, interviews and unscripted exchanges with colleagues.

He has received seven Emmy Awards during his broadcasting career.

Parente has also spoken publicly about his experiences as an openly gay television personality, describing his visibility on local television as an opportunity to connect with viewers.

His television work extended beyond Denver. He previously appeared as a guest co-host on the nationally syndicated daytime program “Live! With Regis and Kelly.”