TV News Anchor and Reporter Get Engaged During Live Broadcast

Tennessee news anchor Cornelia Nicholson gave the most “special report” of her career on Aug. 19 when her boyfriend Riley Nagel dropped to one knee and popped the question live on the air. The heartwarming moment came as Nicholson, an anchor for NBC affiliate WRCB anchor, was recording promos when she suddenly found herself introducing her own engagement.

“And coming up right now, we have the story of two young journalists who just so happen to find love in the same industry,” Nicholson read from a script, written by Nagel, as a photo of the happy couple appeared on the screen behind her. “News 3’s Riley Nagel joins us in the studio with a special report,” a confused Nicholson continued as Nagel appeared with a bouquet of flowers for the “very special report,” telling his soon-to-be-fiancée, “I thought it’d be fitting to ask you this question here, since we met in news. Cornelia Nicholson, would you marry me?” An emotional Nicholson ecstatically stated, “I’m going to cry,” before saying yes.

“You have such an amazing personality. You’re so bright, and you always light up a room when you come in, and make everyone laugh,” Nagel said during the proposal, which has since gone viral on TikTok. “You’re one of the reasons, or pretty much the main reason I’m still in news today. You’re always pushing me to do better in news and in other aspects in my life.”

According to Nagel, who also works at WRCB as a reporter, he and Nicholson first met in Montana nearly four years ago while working at a different news station. Nagel told viewers he was “very drawn to” her and they eventually began dating. He went on to tell PEOPLE in a follow-up interview that he decided to surprise his fiancée on-air after buying a ring and searching for “the perfect moment.” He said “the idea just came to me,” adding that since they first met while working at a television news station, it made for the perfect proposal, and he got permission for the idea from station management a few weeks ago.

Recalling the moment, which aired when Nicholson anchored the 11 p.m. news, Nicholson said, “I’m not going to lie, I blacked out a little bit during his speech. My heart was pounding so much, and I was in shock. Just seeing him so nervous made me nervous, so I didn’t really get to hear everything he said. It was nice to watch it back and really get to appreciate everything – it was just such a special moment.”

The happy couple said they since the proposal aired, they have been surrounded by love from their community, something they said “has been so nice because we both got into this job to be a voice for the community – to get to know our neighbors and share their stories with our audience. It was nice to be able to share our story with them. Every time we’re out at a store lately, people have been getting out of their cars or rolling down their windows, saying congratulations.”