Before Fox News, Emily Compagno had a diverse career path. According to her Fox News bio, Compagno worked at the Social Security Administration, was a criminal defense and civil attorney, and was an NFL cheerleader. But the Fox News host explains the combination of lawyer and professional cheerleader isn't that unusual. In a 2021 interview with The Wrap, Compagno said, "The common denominator in my background is I was always pursuing a passion mixed with an opportunity." She was already an attorney when she became an Oakland Raiders cheerleader and her job was supportive of the cheerleading role. "They were former professional athletes and coaches themselves, and they represented a lot of professional athletes in many high-profile cases," Compagno explained.
In a 2009 interview with SFGate, Compagno explained, "People in the legal field are always surprised when they learn I'm a Raiderette. I don't broadcast it; I don't have my team poster in the office. And there's equal surprise when people first know me as a Raiderette and find out I'm an attorney." After practicing law since 2006 and becoming the head cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco law graduate moved from private law practice to become a general attorney at the Social Security Administration between 2010 and 2014, eventually becoming Acting Director at the Social Security Administration, per The Sun. Then the ambitious attorney set her sights on becoming a legal analyst.
