Houston anchor leaving after contract wasn’t renewed by Fox station

DaLaun Dillard is leaving Fox-owned KRIV in Houston, Texas, after nearly three years as a morning news anchor. His final day at the station will be Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.

Dillard announced his departure on Instagram, telling viewers that his time at Fox 26 was coming to an end. He told the Houston Chronicle that his contract was not renewed.

“Some chapters are harder to close than others,” Dillard wrote. “This Friday will mark the end of my chapter at Fox 26.”

Dillard joined KRIV in December 2023, succeeding longtime morning anchor José Griñan, who retired after more than three decades at the station.

He has co-anchored “Houston’s Morning Show” alongside Melissa Wilson weekdays from 7 to 10 a.m. and also anchors the station’s noon newscast.

In his farewell message, Dillard expressed appreciation for the Houston community and the relationships he developed during his time at the station.

“Houston, I genuinely struggle to find the words to describe just how much I love this city. How much I love Y’ALL,” he wrote.

Dillard said his nearly three years in Houston included some of the happiest experiences of his personal life. He also thanked viewers for accepting him and allowing him to be himself.

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“Thank you for loving ALLLLLL of me. Thank you for adopting me as y’all’s son, nephew, brother, cousin, etc. Thank you for giving me the freedom to simply be… ME,” he wrote.

Before joining KRIV, Dillard was a weekday evening anchor and reporter at Scripps-owned WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received two Emmy Awards for his reporting.

His assignments included coverage of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.

Earlier in his career, Dillard worked as an anchor and reporter at Hearst Television’s KETV in Omaha, Nebraska, and Nexstar Media Group’s WMBD in Peoria, Illinois.

His work also earned a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for team coverage of protests following the murder of George Floyd.

A native of Battle Creek, Michigan, Dillard graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in broadcast and cinematic arts.

He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and 100 Black Men of America.

Dillard has not announced his next professional move. KRIV has not publicly identified a replacement for his morning and noon anchoring assignments.