Natalie Morales

This article is about the television journalist. For the actress of the same name, see Natalie Morales (actress).

Natalie Morales
Morales in the 2007 Red Dress Collection for The Heart Truth campaign
Born	Natalie Leticia Morales June 6, 1972 (1972-06-06) (age 39) Taipei, Taiwan
Education	Rutgers University
Occupation	Anchor/Correspondent
Family	sons Joseph "Josh" Stockton Rhodes and Luke Hudson Rhodes
Spouse(s)	Joe Rhodes (1998–present)
Years active	1990s–present
Notable credit(s)	Today Co-anchor and national correspondent(2006–2011), News anchor (2011–onwards)
Official website

Natalie Leticia Morales (born June 6, 1972) is the news anchor for NBC's Today.

Career

Morales was an anchor and correspondent for MSNBC from 2002-2006. 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,^[1] and was named co-anchor of the third hour of the show in March 2008.^[2][3] 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.^[4]

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.

Personal life

Morales was born in Taipei, Taiwan, to a Brazilian mother, Penelope Morales, and a Puerto Rican father, Lieutenant Colonel Mario Morales Jr.^[5] 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.^[6] She is an avid runner, having competed in five marathons, including three New York City Marathons. Recently, Morales began participating and competing in triathlons as well.^[7]

Natalie Morales has been featured in a full-length article and also on the cover of the October 2010 issue of Triathlete Magazine.

References

1. ^ "NBC names Morales as 'Today' correspondent - USATODAY.com". www.usatoday.com. 2006-04-19. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-04-19-today-morales_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA. Retrieved 2011-02-18. 
2. ^ "Kathie Lee Gifford joins fourth hour of TODAY". today.msnbc.msn.com. 2008-03-31. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23879028/ns/today/. Retrieved 2011-02-18. 
3. ^ "Natalie Morales". today.msnbc.msn.com. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080436. Retrieved 2011-02-18. 
4. ^ Thielman, Sam (May 9, 2011). "'Today' sets new anchor lineup". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118036593. 
5. ^ Biography: Natalie Morales
6. ^ "Having it all: Anchor and Hoboken resident Natalie Morales reflects on motherhood, juggling family and career, and the birth of her son", The Hoboken Reporter, May 8, 2005. Accessed June 1, 2008.
7. ^ "Today Show's Natalie Morales: Hooked on Triathlons"

External links

• Natalie Morales at the Internet Movie Database
• MSNBC Bio
• NBC News Press Release
• People en Español 50 Most Beautiful for 2007 article

Preceded by Billy Bush and Claudia Jordan

Hosts of Miss Universe with Brett Michaels 2010

Succeeded by Current

Persondata
Name	Morales, Natalie
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 6, 1972
Place of birth	Taipei, Taiwan
Date of death
Place of death