Ling was born in Sacramento, California. Her mother, Mary Mei-yan (née Wang), is a Taiwanese immigrant from Tainan, Taiwan, who served as the head of the Los Angeles office of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs. Ling's father, Chung Teh "Douglas" Ling, is a Chinese immigrant, born in Hong Kong in 1937. Her paternal grandmother was born on Labuan, now in modern-day Malaysia. Her paternal grandfather, who was from Guangzhou, Guangdong, was one of the first Chinese students allowed to study in the United States[dubious – discuss] in the 1930s.[when?] He earned a degree from New York University and an M.B.A degree from University of Colorado. He struggled to find a job in the United States. He moved to California where he eventually opened the first Chinese restaurant in Folsom.
Ling's parents divorced when she was seven years old. Following the divorce, she and her sister Laura were raised by their father in Carmichael, near Sacramento. Ling admired reporter Connie Chung and aspired to become a journalist.
Ling was educated at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California, graduating in 1991. She studied at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

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