Encyclopedia Of Detroit

Retired award-winning broadcaster Huel Perkins brought news to Metro Detroit residents for 32 years. 

Huel A. Perkins was born in Louisiana in 1954 to Dr. Huel D. and Thelma Perkins. Perkins earned a Communications degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. His professional broadcasting career began in 1982 at WRBT-TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He married his wife Priscilla the following year. Perkins delivered the news in his home state until being pulled to KSDK-TV in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1986. 

Perkins received an offer to come to Detroit station WJBK-TV Channel 2 (which would later become FOX 2) from a former St. Louis colleague. Perkins had only been to Detroit once before, covering Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States in 1987, but decided to join the crew at TV-2 in 1989. There, he co-anchored the 4:30 news broadcast alongside Sherry Margolis. In 1997, Perkins was joined by co-anchor Monica Gayle, who would remain at his side for the remainder of their careers – 25 more years.  

During his tenure at FOX 2, he would cover many major news events, including the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Detroit’s bankruptcy in 2013, the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, presidential elections, the implosion of the Hudson’s Building, and more. Perkins became a reliable and beloved face of the news for many in the Detroit region. He also gave space for more potentially heated discourse on various topics on the Let it Rip program. Throughout his career, he has also frequently acted in a philanthropic capacity, participating with fundraisers and acting as emcee at events in Detroit and elsewhere. 

Perkins retired alongside his longtime on-air partner Gayle following their final broadcast together on March 25, 2022. He has earned three Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a Lifetime achievement award from Society of Professional Journalists, among other accolades.