Elizabeth Vargas Talks on Being a Single Mom to Her Two Children

Elizabeth Vargas' children, Zach and Sam, were raised by divorced parents. Nevertheless, they received all the love and care they needed. Vargas divorced her ex-husband after going through alcohol dependency and rehab.

Born on September 6, 1962, Elizabeth Vargas is an actress and producer recognized for her work on "20/20," "Designated Survivor," and "Life."

Before pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, Vargas had her education at the University of Missouri, USA, where she received a journalism degree.

During her time at the university, Vargas began her career as a reporter and anchor for KOMU-TV. She later landed a role in "ABC World News Tonight" alongside David Muir.

Besides her dedication to journalism, Vargas is also a family woman and a proud mother of two. On January 31, 2003, Vargas welcomed her first child, Zachary Raphael Cohn, at 40.

Three years later, she gave birth to another boy, Samuel Wyatt Cohn, on August 16. Vargas shares both her sons with Marc Cohn, her husband of 12 years, with whom she divorced in 2014.

While working at ABC, Vargas took a step back to spend more time with her family. She also took a short hiatus in 2013 and 2014 to complete her two-month rehab stint for alcohol addiction.

Elizabeth Vargas on Being a Single Mom

During her almost 20 years reporting for "World News Tonight" and "20/20," Vargas was able to cover some of the most tragic news, such as Ronald Reagan's death, the "9/11" attack, and other unforgettable local and global events. In 2018, she became the face of "A&E Investigates."

There is no question that Vargas is devoted to her career as a veteran journalist. However, her children, Zach and Sam, will always be the top priority. During one of her interviews, Vargas said:

"I'm doing something I genuinely love, but my children are always my first priority."

Vargas particularly enjoyed pushing her boys to do outdoor activities since they were young, mainly to keep them away from technology. She said:

"I love getting them outside and doing things. We're all really sporty in our family, so we learned how to surf, and I dragged them to the ski slopes, and now they're hooked! Even if it's just tennis or basketball, I like to get them away from the video games!"

Vargas feels fortunate to get to spend time with her boys while progressing in the industry. She knows that reaching success in the business is difficult, but she was able to see it through. "I'm a single working mom, I have two kids to support, but I absolutely love what I do," she added.

Elizabeth Vargas' Divorce with Ex

Vargas married Cohn on July 20, 2002, and had an extremely challenging divorce while she was in rehab. She had only learned of her husband's decision to leave her when she returned home.

In her memoir, "Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction," she revealed that Cohn hired a lawyer for the divorce without giving her notice of the separation. After coming home to such devastating news, Vargas had to do an interview about her alcohol problems.

Looking back, she watches herself in that interview and feels sorry for the woman who went through such pain. Nevertheless, Vargas and Cohn remained on the same side to parent their children.

Because of their boys, Vargas and Cohn are forever tied to one another. "We both love our children," she said. "I think we both focus on that."

Elizabeth Vargas' Son Felt Concerned about His Mom

Vargas did not hide her struggles from her boys. She wanted the news to come from her instead of hearing it on national television for the first time. As a mother, she was particularly careful to let her sons know everything she penned in the memoir.

"'The one thing they hadn't seen or heard before, though, was the two snippets of tape we managed to dig up and find where you could see me very hungover at a shoot, and Zachary turned to me and said, 'Mom, you looked really bad,'" she shared.

Her Struggle with Alcohol

Vargas only came to terms with her alcohol addiction in 2016. However, she has been experiencing dependency before that. Being an alcoholic came from her childhood anxiety and her first job as a reporter, where she did not have confidence in herself yet.

Before she knew it, Vargas drank away her anxieties with her colleagues after hours. What should have been an avenue to relax and unwind became an addiction.

Eventually, Vargas' struggle with controlling her alcohol intake affected her life and ruined her marriage. Real conversations about work and life with her husband turned into questions about alcohol intake.

Surprisingly, even her children couldn't get her to stop drinking. "I would die for my children," she said. "I wouldn't give a nanosecond's worth of thought to die for my children, to kill for my children. But I would die for my children, but I couldn't stop drinking for my children."

Fortunately, after almost dying from intoxication, Elizabeth Vargas realized she had to do something about her alcohol problem. She publicly opened up about her struggles and decided to seek professional help from a rehabilitation center.

Although family and friends supported her, Vargas' journey toward recovery was not easy. She experienced relapses but always managed to try again. Eventually, she was able to become the best version of herself and even wrote a memoir to help those in similar situations.