Bree Walker
Radio Host, Actress, TV News Anchor
Previously Aired On: July 30, 2007 - Archive Not Currently Available
Bree Walker is a well-known television network news anchor (and later, a talk radio host); she has appeared as a news anchor and/or reporter in San Diego, New York City, and Los Angeles. She was born with ectrodactyly. As an advocate for persons with disabilities, she is one of the first in her field to succeed in spite of a physical deformity.
Established and well into her career at the ABC affiliate KGTV Channel 10 in San Diego and moved up to the larger markets at WCBS Channel 2 in New York City, and in 1988 to KCBS Channel 2 Los Angeles.
Her media career started as an FM rock and roll disc jockey, on KUDL FM as “rock’s lady of the night” in Kansas City in the middle 1970s. She soon after became New York City’s first-ever female morning drive rock personality. She started her television career in 1980 at KGTV as a consumer advocacy reporter. She also dabbled in acting, appearing as herself in the end of the world SF thriller Without Warning and as television reporter Wendy Sorenson in The Chase, both in the early 1990s.
Her career took a surprising twist during the 2003 season when she watched the show Carnivàle, an HBO television series about a Depression-era carnival traveling through the Dust Bowl. She noticed that no cast member had ectrodactyly. She requested, created, auditioned, and won the role of Sabina, The Scorpion Lady. Sabina appeared in three episodes during the 2005 season. She showcases her webbed hands as the series probes public attitudes toward persons with highly visible disabilities. In Walker’s own words: “I really get to be me.” Walker based Sabina on characters she knew existed in the 1920s and 1930s carnival sideshows with names like Lobster Girl or Lobster Boy. These were typically the best jobs persons with ectrodactyly could have, with most others being hidden away.
Walker furthered her acting career in 2006 by appearing as an inspirational woman with ectrodactyly on the fourth season premiere of Nip/Tuck. She and her children were also featured on an episode of TLC’s My Unique Family. Walker can be heard on KTLK AM1150 in Los Angeles on Saturdays from 2-4pm PT as a liberal talk show host. KTLK1150.com
Bree recently purchased Cindy Sheehan’s 5-acre “Camp Casey” site in Crawford. She plans to preserve the property as a peace memorial and garden, and keep it open to antiwar protesters.
