Payton May is leaving FOX 4 KDFW Dallas-Fort Worth, where she has spent the past two years as a “Good Day” morning reporter.
May announced her departure in September 2026 during an emotional goodbye segment on the morning newscast. While she did not reveal her next move on the air, she said she plans to share those details on social media.
Anchors Brandon Todd and Lauren Przybyl thanked May for her contributions and the energy she brought to the morning show.
"We just want to thank you for jumping head first into literally everything," Przybyl said. "Pretty much. I mean, pretty much everything. You've been tossed in the air. You've been you've jumped down to the ground. I mean, you've I skated. What have you not done in your, in your two years?"
May said one of her biggest takeaways from her time at FOX 4 was the sense of community surrounding “Good Day.”
“I think this is the first time I've experienced a station like a community that's really felt like a family,” May said. “Everyone and every single place that I've gone to, they're like, ‘Are, the Good Day folks really that close off air off screen?' And it's even more so than what anyone would imagine, I think. And it comes to everything the producers, the photographers, the directors, all of us together. And then of course, all of the viewers. I mean, couldn't be more thankful to just have everyone welcome me. Um, so many crazy moments too that I've just been welcomed into situations I didn't expect to be taking part in."
Todd also praised May's personality and kindness, saying viewers could see the same qualities on camera that the FOX 4 team experienced behind the scenes.
Przybyl highlighted May's ability to adapt to the unpredictable nature of live television, particularly during the early morning hours.
"This girl can pivot on a dime," Przybyl said, laughing. "I tell you, things aren't going her way. She gets down, she starts pivoting with the people. But that's part of life to live TV, especially early morning TV, where we're doing a lot of fun things too."
“I would set this 2 a.m. alarm for you guys and you guys only,” May said. “It was worth every 2 a.m. alarm for the family and the community that this place has brought me.”
During the goodbye, Przybyl also mentioned May's passion for baking and her elaborate cakes, a hobby she has shared on social media.
May clarified that, despite viewers wondering if she was opening a bakery, that is not her immediate plan.
“I am not opening up a bakery,” May said. “Although maybe long term, yes, that would be great down the line. But no, I'm not going into the bakery biz just yet.”
May joined FOX 4 in September 2024 as a “Good Day” reporter. She crossed the Red River to North Texas from FOX25 News KOKH in Oklahoma City, where she had served as a Capitol reporter since August 2021.
Before joining KOKH, the Chicago native worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer at Sinclair Broadcast Group sister station WPBN 7&4 News in Traverse City, Michigan.
May is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. During her time in college, she interned with NewsChannel 9 WSYR in Syracuse, the university-owned 88.3 WAER, and E! News in Los Angeles.
At FOX 4, May took over the “Good Day” reporter role previously held by Paige Ellenberger, who moved into an early-morning anchor position during the summer.
