Alicia Jacobsen Menendez ( ; born July 2, 1983)PewResearch Hispanic Center: Tell Us Your Story, A Conversation About Identity – IV. Alicia Menendez: My Gringa Mother
June 1, 2012 is an American television commentator, host, and writer. She is the author of ''The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are'' (2019), and an anchor for

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

. Since 2020, she has hosted ''American Voices'' on Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC. She is also a contributing editor at ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

'' and host of its ''Latina to Latina'' podcast. Formerly, she was a correspondent on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

show ''

Amanpour & Company ''Amanpour & Company'' is a late-night global-affairs interview television program hosted by Christiane Amanpour. The hour-long show premiered on PBS on September 10, 2018, as an expanded version of the CNN International show ''Amanpour'', augme ...

'' and the host of ''Come Here and Say That'' on

Fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

. Prior to that she was a host and producer at

HuffPost Live HuffPost Live was an Internet-based video streaming network run by ''The Huffington Post'', a news website in the United States. The network produced original programming as well as live conversations among users via platforms such as Skype and G ...

. She is the daughter of

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Robert Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale (publisher), Gale Biography I ...

Early life

Menendez grew up in

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total population of 68,589,United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was firs ...

and Jane Jacobsen. Her father is a third generation American of

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

ancestry and her mother is of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

, and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry. She graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 2005. She was raised Catholic.

Career

Menendez was a frequent guest on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

, and MSNBC. Prior to joining

, the streaming video network of ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', Menendez co-hosted ''Power Play'' on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

's Cristina Radio, and served as a contributor to NBCLatino.com. In 2011, Menendez and Adriana Maestas founded Dailygrito.com, a website that offers a Latino take on politics and media. In 2012, DailyGrito.com was acquired by Politic365.com. Menendez co-founded Define American with

Jose Antonio Vargas Jose Antonio Vargas (born February 3, 1981) is a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States from the age of twelve, he was part of ''The Washington Post'' team that won the Pu ...

Jake Brewer Jacob "Jake" Brewer (January 20, 1981 – September 19, 2015) was an American White House aide, immigration activist, and Liberalism in the United States, liberal commentator. He was a White House senior policy adviser to the Office of Science and ...

, and

Jehmu Greene Jehmu Greene is an American television commentator, social justice advocate, and political and media strategist. She was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Austin, Texas. The daughter of Liberian immigrants, Greene is a first generation Amer ...

. Define American focuses on immigration reform. She served as Senior Advisor at NDN, a center-left

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

and advocacy organization in Washington, DC. Menendez is a veteran of

Rock the Vote Rock the Vote is a non-profit progressive-aligned organization in the United States whose stated mission is "to engage and build the political power of young Americans." The organization was founded in 1990 by Virgin Records America Co-Chairman ...

and Democracia USA. She also spent time as a television segment producer and on-air contributor for RNN TV in New York. Menendez is a former correspondent for the show ''

'' on

. She joined MSNBC in October 2019. On September 19, 2020, she began hosting a new program on MSNBC, ''American Voices'', which airs on Saturdays and Sundays. In 2022, she was regularly seen on MSNBC serving as guest anchor of other programs such as '' All In'',

Alex Wagner Tonight ''Alex Wagner Tonight'' is an American liberal news and opinion television program hosted by Alex Wagner. It premiered on MSNBC on August 16, 2022, and airs on Tuesdays through Fridays as a substitute for ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (which, since ...

and the ''11th Hour''. At

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, Menendez's senior honors thesis on women's social capital drew the attention of '' U.S. News & World Report'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. In 2005, ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'' named Menendez one of the 15 most interesting members of the class of 2005 and she was selected to deliver her undergraduate commencement address.

Personal life

As of 2012 Menendez resides in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. In 2015, she married Carlos Prío Odio in Coral Gables, Florida. Prío's grandfather,

Carlos Prío Socarrás Carlos Manuel Prío Socarrás (July 14, 1903 – April 5, 1977) was a Cuban politician. He served as the President of Cuba from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952, three months before new elec ...

, was the president of Cuba from 1948 to 1952.

Bibliography

*''The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are'' (

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

, 2019)
"Why We Should Let Go of Old Rules and Reimagine Leadership"
(''

Thrive Global Thrive Global is an American company that provides behavior change technology. It was founded by Arianna Huffington in August 2016. The company is based in New York City. In 2017, Thrive Global raised $30 million in a new funding round that v ...

'', November 5, 2019)

References

External links

Official website
*
Interview
on

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

(11/20/2019). {{DEFAULTSORT:Menendez, Alicia 1983 births Living people American non-fiction writers Harvard College alumni MSNBC people People from Union City, New Jersey Writers from New Jersey American people of Irish descent American people of German descent American people of Norwegian descent American writers of Cuban descent Hispanic and Latino American people in television American women non-fiction writers Catholics from New Jersey