Pemmaraju was born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India, and grew up in San Antonio, Texas, United States.

Pemmaraju's early television career started in her home state of Texas at KENS-TV and the San Antonio Express-News newspaper as a producer and reporter while keeping a full-time load in college at Trinity University.

[citation needed] Pemmaraju was part of the original Fox News team when the network launched in October 1996.

She has interviewed high-profile newsmakers from the Dalai Lama to astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Joel Osteen, Carly Simon, Donald Trump, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Palin, along with a host of senators and congressional leaders from D.C.

She also attended American University studying international relations for one year as part of an exchange program with Trinity.