Natalie Morales
Encyclopedia
Natalie Leticia Morales (born June 6, 1972) is the news anchor for NBC
's Today.
from 2002 to 2006. She covered a number of major news stories there including the 2004 Presidential election
, the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece, the Iraqi prisoner abuse
, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
, the Northeast Blackout of 2003
, the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks
, and the investigation and trial of Scott Peterson
. Additionally, she was named one of Hispanic Magazine’s Top Trendsetters of 2003.
Morales joined the Today show in 2006 as a National Correspondent, and was named co-anchor of the third hour of the show in March 2008. It was announced on May 9, 2011 that Natalie will permanently replace Ann Curry as news anchor for "Today" as Ann Curry has been selected to replace Meredith Vieira as Matt Lauer's co-host. Both replacements occurred in June 2011.
Prior to joining MSNBC, Morales served as a weekend anchor/reporter and morning co-anchor at WVIT-TV in Hartford, Connecticut
, where she reported on the Columbine shootings
, Hurricane Floyd
, the 2000 Presidential election
, and the September 11, 2001 attacks
. She also co-hosted and reported for the Emmy-nominated documentary, "Save Our Sound", a joint production with WNBC
on preserving the Long Island Sound
. She began her on-air career at News 12
– The Bronx as the first morning anchor. She also served as camera operator, editor and producer for that network. In 1999, she was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Latinas for her news coverage and reports by the Hispanic daily newspaper El Diario La Prensa
. Previously, Morales spent two years working behind the scenes at Court TV
.
Morales holds a bachelor of arts
degree from Rutgers University
with dual majors in journalism
and Latin American studies. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Following college, she worked at Chase Bank
in New York before pursuing her journalism career. In 2007, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina in Media" award from Catalina
magazine and the National Association of Latina Leaders
. People en Español
named her one of its Fifty Most Beautiful People for 2007. She came in at #1.
Aside from her journalistic duties, Morales was the co-anchor of NBC's coverage of the Macy's
4 July
fireworks spectacular.
She appears on NBC's The Marriage Ref
as the fact checker, and she hosted the Miss USA 2010
at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
and the Miss Universe 2010
at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
, both in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
. She also hosted Miss Universe 2011
on September 12, 2011 at Credicard Hall in São Paulo
, Brazil
.
, Taiwan
, to a Brazilian mother, Penelope Morales, and a Puerto Rican father, Lieutenant Colonel Mario Morales Jr. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and spent the first eighteen years of her life living overseas in Panama
, Brazil
and Spain
as a U.S. Air Force "brat".
Morales married Joe Rhodes on August 22, 1998. They have two sons, Joseph Stockton "Josh" Rhodes & Luke Hudson Rhodes, and reside in Hoboken, New Jersey
. She took a four-month maternity leave from the Today Show between September and December 2008 in order to give birth to her second son, who was born on September 9, 2008. She is an avid runner, having competed in five marathons, including three New York City Marathon
s. Recently, Morales began participating and competing in triathlons as well.
Natalie Morales has been featured in a full-length article and also on the cover of the October 2010 issue of Triathlete Magazine.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Today.
Career
Morales was an anchor and correspondent for MSNBCMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
from 2002 to 2006. She covered a number of major news stories there including the 2004 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens, Greece, the Iraqi prisoner abuse
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
, the Northeast Blackout of 2003
Northeast Blackout of 2003
The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Ontario, Canada on Thursday, August 14, 2003, just before 4:10 p.m....
, the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks
Beltway sniper attacks
The Washington sniper attacks took place during three weeks in October 2002 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others critically injured in various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia...
, and the investigation and trial of Scott Peterson
Scott Peterson
Scott Lee Peterson , an American, was convicted of murdering his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child in Modesto, California, in 2002. Peterson's arrest and subsequent trial dominated the American news media until 2005, when he was sentenced to death by lethal injection...
. Additionally, she was named one of Hispanic Magazine’s Top Trendsetters of 2003.
Morales joined the Today show in 2006 as a National Correspondent, and was named co-anchor of the third hour of the show in March 2008. It was announced on May 9, 2011 that Natalie will permanently replace Ann Curry as news anchor for "Today" as Ann Curry has been selected to replace Meredith Vieira as Matt Lauer's co-host. Both replacements occurred in June 2011.
Prior to joining MSNBC, Morales served as a weekend anchor/reporter and morning co-anchor at WVIT-TV in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, where she reported on the Columbine shootings
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
, Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...
, the 2000 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
, and the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. She also co-hosted and reported for the Emmy-nominated documentary, "Save Our Sound", a joint production with WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
on preserving the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. She began her on-air career at News 12
News 12 Networks
News 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
– The Bronx as the first morning anchor. She also served as camera operator, editor and producer for that network. In 1999, she was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Latinas for her news coverage and reports by the Hispanic daily newspaper El Diario La Prensa
El Diario La Prensa
El Diario la Prensa is the largest and oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in New York City, and the oldest Spanish-language daily in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-interest...
. Previously, Morales spent two years working behind the scenes at Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
.
Morales holds a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
with dual majors in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and Latin American studies. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Following college, she worked at Chase Bank
Chase (bank)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
in New York before pursuing her journalism career. In 2007, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina in Media" award from Catalina
Catalina magazine
Catalina magazine was founded in 2001 by a Latina journalist to break the stereotypes of Hispanics in the US media and entertainment. Cover models have included Daisy Fuentes, Eva La Rue, Mario Lopez, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, María Conchita Alonso, and Natalie Morales...
magazine and the National Association of Latina Leaders
National Association of Latina Leaders
The National Association of Latina Leaders is a non-profit organization representing millions of Hispanic women across the United States. It was co-founded in 2003 by Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and Media entrepreneur Cathy Areu. Rosario Marin served as the organization's Chairwoman during...
. People en Español
People en Español
People en Español is a Spanish-language American magazine published by Time Inc. that debuted in 1996, originally as the Spanish-language edition of its publication People...
named her one of its Fifty Most Beautiful People for 2007. She came in at #1.
Aside from her journalistic duties, Morales was the co-anchor of NBC's coverage of the Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
4 July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
fireworks spectacular.
She appears on NBC's The Marriage Ref
The Marriage Ref
The Marriage Ref is a TV reality show and panel game hosted by comedian Tom Papa and produced by Jerry Seinfeld, in which a rotating group of celebrities decides the winners of real-life marital disputes. The show premiered on NBC on Sunday, February 28, 2010 on the final night of the Olympics...
as the fact checker, and she hosted the Miss USA 2010
Miss USA 2010
Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada, United States. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate.Planet Hollywood is owned by Caesars...
and the Miss Universe 2010
Miss Universe 2010
Miss Universe 2010, the 59th edition of the pageant, was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on August 23, 2010. It was hosted by Bret Michaels and Natalie Morales...
at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a 44-story luxury hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International. Five floors of the main hotel building are occupied by the five-star and AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas...
, both in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. She also hosted Miss Universe 2011
Miss Universe 2011
Miss Universe 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011. Ximena Navarrete of Mexico crowned her successor, Leila Lopes of Angola, at the end of this event...
on September 12, 2011 at Credicard Hall in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Personal life
Morales was born in TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, to a Brazilian mother, Penelope Morales, and a Puerto Rican father, Lieutenant Colonel Mario Morales Jr. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and spent the first eighteen years of her life living overseas in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as a U.S. Air Force "brat".
Morales married Joe Rhodes on August 22, 1998. They have two sons, Joseph Stockton "Josh" Rhodes & Luke Hudson Rhodes, and reside in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
. She took a four-month maternity leave from the Today Show between September and December 2008 in order to give birth to her second son, who was born on September 9, 2008. She is an avid runner, having competed in five marathons, including three New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
s. Recently, Morales began participating and competing in triathlons as well.
Natalie Morales has been featured in a full-length article and also on the cover of the October 2010 issue of Triathlete Magazine.