After sixteen years in Houston, Sarah Pepper will be saying goodbye to Audacy Hot AC “Mix 96.5” KHMX.

Pepper announced that she will depart KHMX following her show on Friday, May 17 as she is relocating back to Indiana to care for her ailing mother. As part of a staff memo regarding the upcoming departure, Brand Manager Melissa Chase states, “While we are saddened to see her go, we understand and respect her decision to prioritize family during this challenging time.”

Pepper first came to Houston in 2008 to co-host mornings at defunct sister CHR “Hot 95.7” KKHH until its flip to Variety Hits “95.7 The Spot” at the end of 2016. She then moved to KHMX in April 2017 to launch “The Morning Mix” first with Geoff Sheen and Lauren Kelly. She has been paired with Jessie Watt since Watt joined the morning show in January 2020. She also is heard in her native Evansville IN currently hosting middays on Midwest Communications CHR “Hot 96” WSTO. Pepper began her career at that station and previously co-hosted mornings at WSTO from 2003-08 before returning in 2019 first in mornings. For a brief time, Pepper hosted her Houston morning show from Evansville.

Watt will remain in mornings hosting a music-intensive show in the interim while the station begins a search to succeed Pepper.