Tabitha Soren

What became of MTV news reporter Tabitha Soren? She seems to be one of those victims of popular culture condemned to be forgotten by virtue of her chosen profession. As a new reporter for a music station, she released no video cassettes or compact discs, meaning that there is no product or accumulation of her work that can be viewed or later discovered. She came and went in the years prior to the Internet, so there are no contemporary fan pages or tributes to her on the Internets, as no one used the Internets when she was at her most popular.

Really, then, she is mostly remembered by those Generation Xers who watched MTV in the early 1990s, who remember her reports about music news or her attempts to report on politics at the two national political conventions in 1992. (She also committed a gaffe of sorts when she asked, after overhearing Bill Clinton profess a fondness for Thelonious Monk, "Who is The Loneliest Monk?"). These days, it appears that she is a photographer married to author Michael Lewis (who wrote The Blind Side, which became the Sandra Bullock film that I can't bring myself to see); she now goes by the name Tabitha Lee Lewis.

Back in 1986, she had a brief appearance in the music video for the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (To Party)." In the early 1990s, Soren also appeared in the music video for "Down with MTV," an early parody of Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P." Sigh.

What became of her? This site is not the first one to ask that question. In 2007, Mike Reino of the SC6 blog wondered what became of Ms. Soren. Said Reino at that time: "Back in the old days of MTV - when they played videos, had good game shows like Remote Control and Singled Out, and The Real World actually tried to accomplish something (aside from hook-ups) - there was Tabitha, the little red-headed pixie, trying to be a serious journalist. While no one took her too seriously, at least she tried, and she looked pretty good doing it. Yes, I have a soft spot for redheads. She interviewed everyone, although he was tougher on George Bush than Bill Clinton, so I guess there was some legitimacy to it all. Then, POOF! Gone."

And she was gone forever.


Above: Tabitha Soren interviews Trixter in one of her first MTV appearances, likely in 1990 or early 1991. MTV news anchor and old fossil (even then!) Kurt Loder introduces her as "the newest addition to our MTV News team." Surely you remember Trixter.