Who is Laura Jarrett? 'Today' hires new fill-in host for September as NBC praises her 'tireless reporting'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In an unexpected move, ‘Today’ has appointed a new lead co-anchor who will join the team starting September 2023 after NBC executives have commended the host's "tireless reporting."
On Wednesday, August 9 NBC announced that Laura Jarrett, a senior legal correspondent for NBC News will co-anchor the Saturday broadcast of ‘Today.’
Jarrett is expected to take the role at the ‘Today’ desk alongside her continuing duties on NBC News. The newly added face to the morning show is a big switch which all happened after NBC execs noticed her "powerful storytelling."
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Who is Laura Jarrett?
Laura Jarrett, born in 1983, is a well-known political reporter and lawyer. She has served as a senior legal correspondent for NBC News. Jarrett is the daughter of Valerie Jarrett, the senior advisor of former President Barack Obama’s administration.
She was previously engaged with CNN News, however, she decided to leave her job before joining NBC. In 2016, she marked her introduction at CNN and was featured on several programs such as ‘CNN Newsroom,' and 'At This Hour.’
Jarrett has reported extensively on important legal issues such as the separation of migrant families and the immigration ban. Jarrett is married to Canadian politician Tony Balkissoon and has two children together, James and June.
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Laura Jarrett is ‘Today’ show’s new face
‘Today’ hosts officially confirmed that Laura Jarrett will join them on the show to cover Saturday news. Jarrett will host the weekend special of ‘Today’ from the New York City office, which was based in Washington DC for the last two years.
Executive Vice President ‘Today’, Libby Leist told The Sun, “In her first months at NBC News, Laura has quickly made her mark with tireless reporting, sharp legal insight, and powerful storytelling"
"Not only is she a terrific journalist, but she’s also a wonderful colleague. We can’t wait to officially welcome her to Saturday Today," Libby added.
In January 2023, the experienced journalist became a part of ‘NBC News’, focusing on matters concerning the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court. Additionally, she offered insightful analysis on topics such as legal issues, law enforcement, and significant breaking news events.
NBC News correspondent Joe Fryer is also set to become the ‘Today’ Feature Anchor for the New York weekend team, as confirmed by NBC.
Fryer will be joining Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett at Studio 1A. Additionally, meteorologist Angie Lassman, who became a part of NBC News in December 2022, will also join the team.
In a recent announcement, it was revealed that Kristen Welker, who had been co-hosting the ‘Today’ weekend desk, will be assuming a new responsibility as the moderator for ‘Meet The Press.' While Welker will remain a co-anchor for Saturday ‘Today’ until August.
