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{{short description|American broadcast commentator and producer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Soledad O'Brien
|name = Soledad O'Brien
| image = Soledad O'Brien.jpg
|image = Soledad O'Brien.jpg
| caption = O'Brien at [[Marquette University]], February 7, 2008
|caption = O'Brien in 2008
| birthname = María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien
|birth_name = María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|9|19}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|9|19}}
| birth_place = [[St. James, New York]], [[United States]]
|birth_place = [[St. James, New York|St. James]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| death_date =
|death_date =
| death_place =
|death_place =
| education = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelors of Arts|B.A.]])
|education = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|AB]])
| occupation = [[Broadcast journalist]]
|occupation = [[Broadcast journalist]]
|spouse = {{marriage|Brad Raymond|1995}}
| alias =
| title =
|children = 4
| family =
| spouse = Bradley Raymond (1995–present)
| children = 2 daughters, 2 sons
| relatives =
| ethnicity =
| religion =
| salary =
| networth =
| credits = Anchor of ''[[CNN In America]]''<br>Author of ''Latino in America'' (2009)
| awards = Local [[Emmy Award]]
| URL = {{URL|http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html|Soledad O'Brien on CNN}}
}}
}}
'''María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien'''<ref name=IndyStar-ButlerDiversity-2005>{{cite news|last1=Edelhart|first1=Courtenay|title=Conversations: CNN's O'Brien embraces her own diversity|url=http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/ENTERTAINMENT05/510240308/1005/ENTERTAINMENT|work=[[The Indianapolis Star]]|date=October 24, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224171230/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20051024%2FENTERTAINMENT05%2F510240308%2F1005%2FENTERTAINMENT|archive-date=December 24, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> (born September 19, 1966)<ref name=FamilySearch-USPR-2001>{{cite web|title=Soledad O Obrien – United States Public Records|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJF7-W72J|website=[[FamilySearch]]|date=June 1, 2001}}</ref> is an American [[broadcast journalist]] and [[executive producer]].<ref name=NYTimes-Starfish-2016>{{cite news|last1=Bryant|first1=Adam|title=Soledad O'Brien: Seek Out the Curious and the Fastidious|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/business/media/soledad-obrien-seek-out-the-curious-and-the-fastidious.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 10, 2016}}</ref> Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for ''[[Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien]],'' a nationally syndicated weekly talk show produced by [[Hearst Television]]. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013.<ref name=StarfishMediaGroup-Story>{{cite web|title=Starfish Media Group Story|url=http://www.starfishmediagroup.com/smg-story|website=Starfish Media Group|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312064633/http://www.starfishmediagroup.com/smg-story|archive-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref> She is also a member of the [[Peabody Award]]s<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/about|title=Who We Are|access-date=November 22, 2019|publisher=Grady College and University of Georgia}}</ref> board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's [[Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication]].


O'Brien co-anchored CNN's ''[[American Morning]]'' from 2003 to 2007,<ref name=CNN-Anchor-Bio>{{cite news|title=Anchors & Reporters: Soledad O'Brien|url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html|work=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828192456/http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html|archive-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> and was the anchor of [[CNN|CNN's]] morning news program ''[[Starting Point (TV program)|Starting Point]]'' from 2012 to 2013.<ref name=Adweek-CNN-StartingPointStart-2011>{{cite news|last1=Ariens|first1=Chris|title=New CNN Morning Show to Launch Monday|url=http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/new-cnn-morning-show-to-launch-monday/105367|work=[[Adweek]]|date=December 29, 2011}}</ref><ref name=TimesColonist-CNN-StartingPointEnd-2013>{{cite news|title=CNN O'Brien leaving morning show, starting Starfish Media Group production company|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/television/cnn-o-brien-leaving-morning-show-starting-starfish-media-group-production-company-1.78232|work=[[Times Colonist]]|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|date=February 21, 2013}}</ref> In 2013, O'Brien became special correspondent on the [[Al Jazeera America]] news program ''[[America Tonight]],''<ref name=Guardian-AlJazeera-2013>{{cite news|last1=McCarthy|first1=Tom|title=Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien to join Al Jazeera America|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/01/soledad-obrien-joins-al-jazeera-america|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=July 1, 2013}}</ref> and was also a correspondent on [[HBO]]'s ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]''<ref name=EW-AlJazeera-2013>{{cite magazine|last1=Watson|first1=Sheridan|title=Soledad O'Brien on move to Al Jazeera|url=http://ew.com/article/2013/07/01/soledad-obrien-al-jazeera/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=July 1, 2013}}</ref><ref name=USAToday-RealSports-2013>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien joining HBO's 'Real Sports'|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/06/12/soledad-obrien-joining-hbos-real-sports/2417599/|work=[[USA Today]]|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|date=June 12, 2013}}</ref> until the show's final episode in December 2023.<ref>Florio, Mike (December 19, 2023). [https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/real-sports-ends-29-year-run-tonight "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ends 29-year run tonight"] NBC Sports. Retrieved February 10, 2024.</ref>
'''María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien'''<ref name="indystar-2005">{{cite news|last=Edelhart|first=Courtenay|url=http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/ENTERTAINMENT05/510240308/1005/ENTERTAINMENT |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20051224171230/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/ENTERTAINMENT05/510240308/1005/ENTERTAINMENT |archivedate = 2005-12-24|title=CNN's O'Brien embraces her own diversity|work=Indianapolis Star|date=2005-10-24|accessdate=April 2, 2006}}</ref> (born September 19, 1966) is an American [[broadcast journalist]]. She is the anchor of CNN's morning news program ''[[Starting Point]]'' which premiered on January 2, 2012 and airs weekdays from 7:00 am to 9:00 am [[Eastern Time Zone|ET]].<ref name="launch">{{cite web |title=New CNN Morning Show to Launch Monday |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/new-cnn-morning-show-to-launch-monday_b104329 |work=[[TV Newser]] |date=2011-12-29 |first=Chris |last=Ariens |accessdate=2011-12-29}}</ref>


== Early life and education ==
Along with ''[[Early Start]]'', ''Starting Point'' replaced ''[[American Morning]]'', which aired from 2001 to 2011. O'Brien co-anchored ''[[American Morning]]'' from July 2003<ref name="cnnbio">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html |title=Anchors & Reporters Soledad O'Brien |accessdate=April 22, 2007}}</ref> to April 2007, with [[Miles O'Brien (journalist)|Miles O'Brien]]. Their common [[surname]] is coincidental.
{{Quote box|"My parents were both immigrants—my mother from Cuba, my father from Australia. Both attended daily Mass at the church near campus. Every day my father would offer my mother a ride. Every day, she declined. Finally, she said yes. One year later, the day after Christmas, the two of them were married."<ref name=Guideposts-Church-2004>{{cite news|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|title=The Church Across the Street|url=http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/Soledad/articles/guideposts4-04.htm|work=[[Guideposts]]|date=April 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040822021446/http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/Soledad/articles/guideposts4-04.htm|archive-date=22 August 2004}}</ref>
|width = 35%
|align = right
}}
O'Brien was born and raised in [[St. James, New York|St. James]], [[New York (state)|New York]], on the [[North Shore (Long Island)|North Shore]] of [[Long Island]] to Edward Ephrem O'Brien (d. 2019), a mechanical engineering professor at [[Stony Brook University]], and Estela O'Brien (née Marquetti y Mendieta) (d. 2019), a French and English teacher at [[Smithtown Central School District|Smithtown High School West]].<ref name=Parade-NextBigStoryExcerpt-2010>{{cite news|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|title=Survival of the Fittest|url=http://parade.com/49019/parade/101017-survival-of-the-fittest/|work=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]|date=October 17, 2010|format=Book excerpt}}</ref> Her parents were both immigrants and met while they were students at [[Johns Hopkins University]] in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]].<ref name=HReporter-Loving-2016>{{cite news|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|last2=Sun|first2=Rebecca (as told to)|title=Soledad O'Brien On Her Parents' Struggles as an Interracial Couple: "People Spit on Them in the Street"|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/soledad-o-brien-her-parents-939252|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=October 19, 2016|language=en}}</ref> Her father is from [[Toowoomba]], [[Queensland]], in [[Australia]] and is of three quarters [[Irish Australian|Irish]] and one quarter [[Scottish Australian|Scottish]] descent.<ref name=SoledadOBrienInfo-1996-1995>{{cite web|title=Soledad 1966–1995|url=http://soledadobrien.info/soledad95.html|website=SoledadObrien.info|date=October 8, 2007}}</ref><ref name=Hispanic-CNN-AmMorning-2005>{{cite news|last1=Anders|first1=Gigi|title=Running with the News: Soledad O'Brien is authoritative, credible, engaging and intelligent. And she's a great mom, too|url=http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/June/CoverStory/index.html|work=[[Hispanic (magazine)|Hispanic]]|date=June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080425112433/http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/June/CoverStory/index.html|archive-date=April 25, 2008}}</ref><ref name=FindingYourRoots-IrishFactor-2016>{{cite news|last1=Gates, Jr.|first1=Henry Louis|title=The Irish Factor: Soledad O'Brien|url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/profiles/soledad-obrien/|work=[[Finding Your Roots]]|date=January 12, 2016}}</ref><ref name=FindingYourRoots-FamilyTree-2016>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien's Interactive Family Tree|url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/blog/soledad-obriens-interactive-family-tree/|work=[[Finding Your Roots]]|date=January 13, 2016}}</ref> O'Brien's mother is from [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], and is of [[Afro-Cuban]] descent.<ref name=Hispanic-CNN-AmMorning-2005 /> When she was 14 years old, she came to the United States, sponsored by [[Oblate Sisters of Providence]] of Maryland.<ref name=CNN-Cuba-2014>{{cite news|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|title=Soledad O'Brien: What my mother left behind|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/opinion/obrien-cuba-relations/|work=[[CNN]]|date=December 19, 2014}}</ref>


[[Interracial marriage]] was [[anti-miscegenation laws in the United States|illegal in Maryland]] before [[Loving v. Virginia|1967]], so in 1958 O'Brien's parents married in [[Washington, D.C.]], where marriage laws were less restrictive.<ref name=HReporter-Loving-2016 /> The newly wedded O'Briens then moved to [[Long Island]], to the town of [[St. James, New York|St. James]]. O'Brien is the fifth of six children, all graduates of [[Harvard College]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Her siblings are law professor Maria O'Brien<ref>{{cite web |title=Maria O'Brien |url=https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/maria-obrien/ |website=Boston University |publisher=Trustees of Boston University |access-date=28 September 2023}}</ref> (born 1960), GE corporate lawyer Cecilia Vega (born 1961), businessman Tony O'Brien (born 1962), who heads a documents company, eye surgeon Estela Ogiste (born 1964), and anesthesiologist Orestes O'Brien (born 1967).<ref name=SoledadOBrienInfo-1996-1995 /><ref name=Hispanic-CNN-AmMorning-2005 /><ref name=CNN-BlackInAmerica-Shopping-2008>{{cite news|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|title=Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/23/btsc.obrien/index.html|work=Black in America 2, [[CNN]]|date=July 24, 2008}}</ref> Her niece is journalist [[Antonia Hylton]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2019-02-07|title="He Was A Generous And Kind Human Being": Soledad O'Brien Reflects On Her Father's Death|url=https://madamenoire.com/1059403/he-was-a-generous-and-kind-human-being-soledad-obrien-reflects-on-her-fathers-death/|access-date=2021-02-17|website=MadameNoire}}</ref>
After leaving the morning anchoring position, O'Brien worked with the "In America" documentary unit on CNN.


O'Brien graduated from [[Smithtown High School|Smithtown High School East]] in 1984.<ref name=SmithtownAlumni-PrideAward-2002>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien: Pride of Smithtown 2002 Recipient|url=http://alumni.smithtown.k12.ny.us/soledad.asp|work=Smithtown Alumni Association|date=April 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210195848/http://alumni.smithtown.k12.ny.us/soledad.asp|archive-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref> She attended [[Radcliffe College]] from 1984 to 1988, starting as pre-med and English and American literature, but left to take a job at [[WBZ-TV]].<ref name=IndyStar-ButlerDiversity-2005 /><ref name=Harvard-Commencement-2013>{{cite web|title=Soledad O'Brien Harvard Commencement Speech – Harvard University Commencement 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BWdqlZKdCI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/4BWdqlZKdCI |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|website=[[Harvard University]]|format=Video|date=May 29, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> O'Brien went back to school while pregnant with her first child and earned her degree from Harvard in English and American Literature in 2000.<ref name=IndyStar-ButlerDiversity-2005 /><ref name=HarvardAlumniDirectory-2000>{{cite book|title=Harvard Alumni Directory 2000|date=2000|pages=1038 (Vol. I) and 300 (Vol II)|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|location=Cambridge, MA}}</ref>
==Personal life==
O'Brien's parents, both immigrants, met at [[Johns Hopkins University]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland]].
<blockquote>My parents were both immigrants—my mother from Cuba, my father from Australia. Both attended daily Mass at the church near campus. Every day my father would offer my mother a ride. Every day, she declined. Finally she said yes. One year later, the day after Christmas, the two of them were married.<ref>[http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/Soledad/articles/guideposts4-04.htm "The Church Across the Street"] Guideposts, April 2004</ref>
</blockquote>
O'Brien's parents married in 1958 in [[Washington, D.C.]] Her father Edward, an [[Australian]] (from [[Toowoomba]], [[Queensland]])<ref name=soledad95>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080426174042/http://soledadobrien.info/soledad95.html Soledad 1966 – 1995]. soledadobrien.info. Retrieved on 2012-06-30.</ref> of [[Irish Australian|Irish]] descent, was a mechanical engineering professor.<ref name=hispMag>Gigi Anders. [http://web.archive.org/web/20080425112433/http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/June/CoverStory/index.html Hispanic Magazine.com – June/July 2005 – Cover Story]. hispaniconline.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-30.</ref> Her mother, Estella, who is Afro-Cuban, was a French and English teacher.<ref name=hispMag/> O'Brien is the fifth of six children, who all graduated from [[Harvard College]]; O'Brien attended Harvard from 1984 to 1988, but did not obtain a degree until she returned in 2000.<ref>Harvard Alumni Directory 2000 (Cambridge: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2000, vol. I, p. 1038, vol. II, p. 300</ref> Her siblings are law professor Maria (born 1961); corporate lawyer Cecilia (born 1962), businessman Tony (born 1963) – who heads a documents company;<ref name=soledad95/> eye surgeon Estela (born 1964); and anesthesiologist Orestes (born 1967).<ref name=hispMag/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/23/btsc.obrien/index.html | work=CNN | title=Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America| date=July 24, 2008 | accessdate=May 23, 2010}}</ref>


== Career ==
At the time, interracial marriage in Maryland was illegal, so O'Brien's parents married in Washington, D.C. where marriage laws were less restrictive.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} The newly wedded O'Briens then moved to the [[Long Island]] community of [[St. James, New York|St. James]], on the affluent North Shore, where Soledad O'Brien was born and raised. She graduated from [[Smithtown Central School District#Smithtown High Schools|Smithtown High School East]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://alumni.smithtown.k12.ny.us/soledad.asp |title=Soledad O'Brien – Pride of Smithtown |publisher=Smithtown Alumni Association |accessdate=March 13, 2011}}</ref> On the [[National Public Radio|NPR]] quiz show ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]]'', O'Brien explained that in Spanish her full name means, "[[Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga|The Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude]]". When she started working in TV, many people recommended that she change her name, but she refused.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=19-08-2006&view=storyview|title=Wait Wait Don't Tell Me|accessdate=August 19, 2006|date=August 19, 2006|publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref>
O'Brien started her career in journalism as a medical reporter on [[WXKS-FM]] in [[Boston]] because of her background as a pre-med student in college.<ref name=CornellDailySun-Convocation-2007>{{cite news|last1=Lieberman|first1=Jonathan|title=Convocation 2007 Preview|url=http://cornellsun.com/2007/05/24/convocation-2007-preview/|work=[[The Cornell Daily Sun]]|date=May 1, 2007}}</ref>


=== NBC and MSNBC (1991–2003) ===
Despite her [[Hispanic]] heritage, O'Brien does not speak Spanish fluently. That has resulted in some awkward exchanges with people who assume she does, including former [[US Vice President]] [[Al Gore]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080531032510/http://dawgnetnews.com/archive/051030/3316.html O'Brien encourages diversity in journalism] [[Butler University]] Dawgnet (2005-10-30).</ref>
O'Brien began her career as an associate producer and news writer at [[WBZ-TV]], then the NBC affiliate in Boston.<ref name=BostonGlobe-Harvard-GSEdu-2014>{{cite news|last1=Carlson|first1=Eryn|title=Soledad O'Brien returns to Harvard to teach where she learned|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2014/01/17/soledad-brien-returns-harvard-teach-where-she-learned/yOGGXsRsDVlROSKOun8p1O/story.html|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=January 17, 2014}}</ref> She joined NBC News in 1991 and was based in New York as a field producer for the ''Nightly News'' and ''Weekend Today''. She then worked for three years as a local reporter and bureau chief for [[San Francisco]]'s then-NBC affiliate [[KRON-TV]]. At KRON she was a reporter on "The Know Zone."<ref name=Hispanic-CNN-AmMorning-2005 />
Since 1995, O'Brien has been married to Bradley Raymond, co-head of investment banking at [[Thomas Weisel Partners]]. Together they have two daughters, Sofia (October 2000) and Cecilia (March 2002); and twin sons Charles and Jackson (August 2004).<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080408022403/http://soledadobrien.info/soledad2004.htm Soledad 2004]. soledadobrien.info. Retrieved on 2012-06-30.</ref>


Starting in 1996 and during the dot-com boom, O'Brien anchored [[MSNBC]]'s weekend morning show and the cable network's technology program ''[[The Site]]'', which aired weeknights from the spring of 1996 to November 1997. The show was unique in that she interacted with a virtual character named [[Dev Null]], played by [[Leo Laporte]] in a motion-capture suit.<ref name=Hispanic-CNN-AmMorning-2005 />
==Television career==
Soledad O'Brien began her career as an associate producer and news writer at [[WBZ-TV]], then the NBC affiliate in [[Boston]]. She joined NBC News in 1991, and was based in New York as a field producer for the ''Nightly News'' and ''Today''. O'Brien then worked for three years as a local reporter and bureau chief for [[San Francisco]] NBC affiliate [[KRON]]. At [[KRON]] she was a reporter on "The Know Zone." The program later moved to [[CNET]] without O'Brien.


O'Brien was featured on a regular segment of the Discovery Channel program ''[[The Next Step (TV series)|The Next Step]]'', holding the position of "[[Sun Microsystems]] Infogal."
From July 1999 to July 2003, O'Brien was co-anchor of the [[NBC News]] program, ''[[Today (NBC program)#Weekend Today|Weekend Today]]'' with
[[Jack Ford (news anchor)|Jack Ford]], [[John Seigenthaler (anchorman)|John Seigenthaler]] later [[David Bloom]] and [[Lester Holt]]. During that time she contributed reports for the weekday ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'' and for weekend editions of ''[[NBC Nightly News]]''. She also covered such notable stories as [[John F. Kennedy Jr.]]'s plane crash and the 1990s [[school shootings]] in [[Columbine High School massacre|Colorado]] and Oregon.<ref name=NYTimes-AmericanMorning-2003>{{cite news|last1=Finn|first1=Robin|title=Public Lives; Interview With the Interviewer (Hands to Yourself)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/nyregion/public-lives-interview-with-the-interviewer-hands-to-yourself.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 26, 2003}}</ref>


=== Warner Bros. Discovery (2003–present) ===
===NBC News===
====CNN: ''American Morning'' (2003–2007) ====
O'Brien then anchored [[MSNBC]]'s weekend morning show and the cable network's award-winning technology program ''[[The Site]]'', which aired weeknights from the Spring of 1996 to November 1997.
O'Brien moved to CNN, where from July 2003 to April 2007, she was co-anchor of the [[CNN]] program, ''[[American Morning]]'' CNN's flagship morning program that aired live from [[New York City]].<ref name=CNN-Anchor-Bio /><ref name=NYTimes-AmericanMorning-2003 />


In 2004, at the age of 38, she was named to Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40" list.<ref>{{cite web |title=40 Under 40 - Soledad O'Brien |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/soledad-obrien |website=Crain's New York Business |access-date=25 July 2021 |language=en |date=1 January 2004}}</ref>
O'Brien co-anchored ''[[Today (NBC program)#Weekend Today|Weekend Today]]'' with [[David Bloom]] beginning July 1999. During that time, she contributed reports for the weekday ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'' and for weekend editions of ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', and covered such notable stories as [[John F. Kennedy Jr.]]'s plane crash and the 1990s school shootings in [[Columbine High School massacre|Colorado]] and Oregon.


In 2005, she covered the aftermath of [[Hurricane Katrina]] in [[New Orleans]], where she interviewed then head of the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)]] [[Michael D. Brown|Michael Brown]].<ref name=CNN-Anchor-Bio />
===CNN===


====''American Morning''====
==== CNN: ''Starting Point'' (2012–2013) ====
From January 2012 to March 2013, O'Brien was anchor of the CNN program, ''[[Starting Point (TV program)|Starting Point]].'' After CNN canceled ''American Morning'' and replaced it with two new programs, ''[[Early Start]]'' and ''[[Starting Point (TV program)|Starting Point]]'' in 2011, O'Brien began anchoring ''Starting Point'' on January 2, 2012.<ref name=HuffPo-StartingPoint-2011>{{cite news|title=CNN's New Morning Show Gets Name And Debut Date|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/cnn-morning-show-debut-date_n_1174201.html|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=December 29, 2011}}</ref> It was announced on February 21, 2013, that O'Brien had reached an agreement with CNN to leave ''Starting Point'' for the new Starfish Media Group production company. CNN would provide funding in return for non-exclusive rights to its documentaries.<ref name=TimesColonist-CNN-StartingPointEnd-2013 /> March 29, 2013, was her last day on air at CNN as an anchor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-03-29 |title=WATCH: Soledad O'Brien Signs Off |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/soledad-obrien-last-day-cnn-starting-point_n_2978703 |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref>
O'Brien moved to CNN where she joined Miles O'Brien to co-anchor CNN's flagship morning program ''American Morning'' from [[New York City]] in July 2003. In 2005, she covered the [[Hurricane Katrina]] aftermath in New Orleans, where she interviewed then head of [[FEMA]] [[Michael D. Brown|Michael Brown]]. On April 16, 2007, reportedly due to lagging ratings, O'Brien was replaced by former Fox News anchor [[Kiran Chetry]] (O'Brien's co-host at the time, [[Miles O'Brien (journalist)|Miles O'Brien]], was replaced as well; former co-host [[Bill Hemmer]] had previously moved to Fox News).


==== HBO: ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' (2013–present) ====
====Post-''American Morning''====
It was announced on June 12, 2013, that O'Brien was joining HBO's ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]'' sports [[news magazine]] as a correspondent.<ref name=USAToday-RealSports-2013 /><ref name=HBO-RealSports-Bio>{{cite news|title=HBO: Real Sports: Soledad O'Brien: Bio|url=http://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel/correspondents/soledad-obrien/index.html|work=[[HBO]]}}</ref>
O'Brien has recently completed a documentary entitled ''Latino In America'' documenting the lives of Latinos living in America. She continues to work as a reporter for CNN,<ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/tv/cnn_flips_american_morning_soledad_miles_obrien_out_john_roberts_scorned_fox_newser_kiran_chetry_in_56315.asp CNN Flips American Morning: Soledad, Miles O'Brien Out; John Roberts, Scorned Fox Newser Kiran Chetry In] MediaBistro, April 4, 2007</ref> mainly hosting "In America" documentaries and occasionally filling in for [[Anderson Cooper]] on ''[[Anderson Cooper 360]]''. She also anchored [[exit poll]] coverage during CNN's coverage of the [[primaries]] and [[caucuses]] in the 2008 [[United States presidential election, 2008|United States presidential race]]. She also has filled in for [[Paula Zahn]] on ''[[Paula Zahn Now]]'' whenever Zahn was unable to make the broadcast (Zahn has since stopped working for CNN as of August 2, 2007).


==== Investigation Discovery: ''Quiet on Set'' (2024) ====
O'Brien anchored a CNN special, ''[[Black in America]]'', in July 2007. The program documented the successes, struggles and complex issues faced by black men, women and families forty years after the death of [[Martin Luther King Jr]]. In the first installment, O'Brien investigated how [[James Earl Ray]], an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent a year on the run just a month before his path collided with Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee. In "The Black Woman & Family," O'Brien explored the varied experiences of black women and families and investigated the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS.
In 2023, O'Brien moderated a discussion with former Nickelodeon child stars that served as the concluding episode of [[Investigation Discovery]]'s (another channel part of Warner Bros. Discovery) ''[[Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV]]'' regarding abuse with MTV Networks officials.


==== Other work at Warner Bros. Discovery====
====''Starting Point''====
In 2009, O'Brien completed a documentary titled ''Latino In America'', documenting the lives of Latinos living in America. She continued working as a reporter for CNN, mainly hosting "In America" documentaries, and occasionally filled in for [[Anderson Cooper]] on ''[[Anderson Cooper 360]]''. She also anchored [[exit poll]] coverage during CNN's coverage of the [[primaries]] and [[caucuses]] in the 2008 [[2008 United States presidential election|United States presidential race]], and filled in for [[Paula Zahn]] on ''[[Paula Zahn Now]]'' before Zahn left CNN in 2007.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}
In 2011, CNN canceled ''American Morning'' and replaced it with two new programs, ''[[Early Start]]'' and ''[[Starting Point]]''. O'Brien began anchoring ''Starting Point'' on January 2, 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=CNN Morning Show Gets Name And Debut Date |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/cnn-morning-show-debut-date_n_1174201.html |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=2011-12-29 |first=Rebecca |last=Shapiro |accessdate=2011-12-29}}</ref>


O'Brien anchored a CNN special, ''[[Black in America]]'', in July 2007. The program documented the successes, struggles, and complex issues faced by black men, women and families 40 years after the death of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] In the first installment, O'Brien investigated how [[James Earl Ray]], an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent a year on the run a month before his path collided with that of Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee. In "The Black Woman & Family", O'Brien explored the varied experiences of black women and families and investigated the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. The fifth installment of the ''Black in America'' series aired in December 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soledad O'Brien and three of the interview subjects from her docu discuss the fifth installment of CNN's Black in America series |url=https://startingpoint.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/10/soledad-obrien-and-three-of-the-interview-subjects-from-her-docu-discuss-the-fifth-installment-of-cnns-black-in-america-series/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214062754/http://startingpoint.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/10/soledad-obrien-and-three-of-the-interview-subjects-from-her-docu-discuss-the-fifth-installment-of-cnns-black-in-america-series/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=2022-03-21 |language=en}}</ref> Her report on children and race featured the work of [[Margaret Spencer]], based on the [[Kenneth and Mamie Clark|Doll Tests]] of the 1940s, polling children on their general color preferences: "white children have an overwhelming white bias, and black children also have a bias toward white, according to a new study.."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/13/doll.study/index.html|title=Study: White and black children biased toward lighter skin - CNN.com|website=www.cnn.com}}</ref>
==Honors and recognitions==
O'Brien's work has been honored several times, including a local [[Emmy]] for her work co-hosting the [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''[[The Know Zone]]''.


O'Brien's Starfish Media Group signed a deal granting [[HBO]] first-look rights for new programs or concepts it develops.<ref name=USAToday-RealSports-2013 />
In 2007, O'Brien was awarded the [[NAACP]] President's Award.


=== Podcasting ===
She is a member of the [[National Association of Black Journalists]], which named her the Journalist of the Year 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nabj.org/newsroom/news_releases/2010/newsrel042210joy.php|title=CNN's Soledad O'Brien Named Journalist of the Year by Black Journalists Group}}</ref> and the [[National Association of Hispanic Journalists]]. She is a member of the Board of Directors of The [[After-School Corporation]], a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for all students.She also serves on the board of directors of [[The Harlem School of the Arts]].


In January 2022, O'Brien and personal financial journalist, [[Jean Chatzky]] launched a podcast, ''Everyday Wealth'', covering personal finance, the economy, wealth management, and other financial topics. It is sponsored by [[Edelman Financial Engines]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cavanaugh |first1=Laura |title=Take control of your financial potential in 2022 |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/san-diego-living/take-control-of-your-financial-potential-in-2022/509-b5617542-3abe-4e79-8073-6c4f1593ec69 |website=CBS8.com |publisher=Tegna Inc. |access-date=1 February 2022 |date=January 7, 2022}}</ref> In fall of 2023, approaching the 60th anniversary of the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy]], O'Brien collaborated with actor and film director [[Rob Reiner]] on a podcast series to cover the controversial topic, ''[https://podcasts.apple.com/az/podcast/who-killed-jfk/id1714611578 Who Killed JFK?]''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
She was named to ''Irish American Magazine'''s "Top 100 Irish Americans" on two occasions. She is also on ''[[Black Enterprise]]'' magazine's 2005 Hot List. Also in 2005, she was awarded "Groundbreaking Latina of the Year" award by [[Catalina magazine]].


==== Other work ====
O'Brien has given several keynote speeches over the years, including the undergraduate commencement at [[Bryant University]] in May 2007, where she was presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree,<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About%20Bryant/News/News%20Releases/2007/Bryant%20University%20Commencement%202007|title= Bryant University Commencement 2007 |accessdate= January 2, 2008|last= Sweeney |first=Tracie |date=August 16, 2007|publisher= Bryant University |quote= Soledad O’Brien will deliver the ceremony’s keynote address. |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071118201917/http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About+Bryant/News/News+Releases/2007/Bryant+University+Commencement+2007 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = November 18, 2007}}</ref> the convocation speech at [[Cornell University]]'s Commencement in May 2007, a speech at [[Binghamton University]] commencement in December 2007, and the keynote speech at the 2008 annual National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Conference in Boston, MA in March 2008.


On February 24, 2021, O'Brien testified at a [[United States House Committee on Ethics|House Committee on Ethics]] subcommittee hearing on "[[disinformation]] and extremism in the media".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Keveney|first=Bill|title='Don't book liars': Soledad O'Brien challenges media at House hearing on disinformation|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/02/24/soledad-obrien-addresses-media-disinformation-congress-hearing/6804381002/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref> At the hearing, she accused [[Lou Dobbs]] and [[Tucker Carlson]] of disinformation, and also claimed [[MSNBC]] anchors [[Rachel Maddow]] and [[Lawrence O'Donnell]] were spreading "[[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian]] [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]]".{{Citation needed|reason=The previously used citation did not support this statement|date=November 2023}}
In April 2008, she became the first recipient of the Soledad O’Brien Freedom’s Voice Award, an award created in her name by Morehouse School of Medicine. "The award was created to recognize her accomplishments and willingness to be a voice for the voiceless in our society, and her determination to cover stories that might otherwise go untold. It will be given annually to mid-career professionals who serve as catalysts for social change in their given fields."


== Starfish Media Group ==
She has been named in ''[[People magazine|People]]'s'' 50 Most Beautiful in 2001 and in ''[[People en Español]]'s'' 50 Most Beautiful in 2004.
In June 2013, O'Brien formed the production and distribution company Starfish Media Group.<ref name=Starfish-Bio-2015>{{cite web|title=Soledad O'Brien Biography – May, 2015|url=https://static1.squarespace.com/enwiki/static/5522de69e4b04bae57cbcd28/t/55670727e4b0187cfc5f6eb7/1432815399420/SoledadOBrien_5_15_BIO.pdf|website=Starfish Media Group|date=May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202100701/https://static1.squarespace.com/enwiki/static/5522de69e4b04bae57cbcd28/t/55670727e4b0187cfc5f6eb7/1432815399420/SoledadOBrien_5_15_BIO.pdf|archive-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes-StarfishMediaGroup-2013>{{cite news|last1=Stelter|first1=Brian|title=Soledad O'Brien to Take on New Role at CNN|url=https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/soledad-obrien-to-take-on-new-role-at-cnn/|work=Media Decoder Blog, [[The New York Times]]|date=February 21, 2013}}</ref> Starfish Media Group signed a deal to produce a series of hour-long documentary specials for [[Al Jazeera America]].<ref name=AlJazeeraAmerica-Correspondent-2013>{{cite news|title=Al Jazeera America signs Soledad O'Brien as special correspondent|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/update/al-jazeera-america-signs-soledad-obrien-special-correspondent|work=[[Al Jazeera America]]|date=July 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702023536/http://america.aljazeera.com/update/al-jazeera-america-signs-soledad-obrien-special-correspondent|archive-date=July 2, 2013|format=Press release}}</ref>


In September 2016, O'Brien became a host of the [[Hearst Television]] show, ''Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien''; in addition to its broadcast availability, it is carried by [[FYI (American TV channel)|FYI]] on Sunday mornings (a network Hearst partly owns).<ref name=MatterOfFact-Bio>{{cite web|title=About Soledad|url=http://matteroffact.tv/about-soledad/|website=Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien}}</ref>
In November 2008, the [[Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health]] awarded CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien the Goodermote Humanitarian Award for her efforts while reporting on the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Asian Tsunami.<ref>[http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2008/obrien_goodermote_award.html Bloomberg School Awards Goodermote Humanitarian Award to Soledad O’Brien], Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, November 18, 2008</ref>


In 2018, O'Brien hosted the documentary series ''Mysteries & Scandals'' on [[Oxygen (TV channel)|Oxygen]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oxygen.com/mysteries-scandals | title=Mysteries & Scandals | date=November 20, 2017 }}</ref>
“Ms. O’Brien has shown the world tragedies of human conflict, natural disasters, chronic and infectious diseases,” said Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. “In addition to focusing attention on the people impacted, she has shed a light on how humanitarian efforts can help alleviate suffering and where current efforts have fallen short. Ms. O’Brien has challenged all of us to think and act in ways that offer humanitarian answers to the problems of the moment and the problems of the century, including public health issues.”


== Other work ==
During a panel discussion for the 50th National Convention for [[Delta Sigma Theta]] sorority in New Orleans, LA, O'Brien announced that she would be inducted as an honorary member of the sorority in February 2011. She was inducted on February 7, 2011 during the Sorority's 22nd Annual Delta Days in the Nation’s Capital.


From 2013 to 2016, O'Brien was moderator of ''[[National Geographic Bee]],'' replacing [[Alex Trebek]] who moderated for 25-plus years.<ref name="NatGeo-NatGeoBee-2013">{{cite news|last1=Flora|first1=Kelsey|title=Soledad O'Brien Named New Moderator of National Geographic Bee – National Geographic Society Press Room|url=http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/22/soledad-obrien-named-new-moderator-of-national-geographic-bee/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619184215/http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/22/soledad-obrien-named-new-moderator-of-national-geographic-bee/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 19, 2013|work=[[National Geographic (U.S. TV channel)|National Geographic]]|date=May 22, 2013|format=Press release}}</ref>
==Criticism==
:2008
:*O'Brien drew criticism from [[FactCheck.org]] on September 8, 2008, for falsely asserting during an interview with a McCain campaign spokesperson that vice presidential candidate [[Sarah Palin]], as Governor of Alaska, had slashed the special education budget by 62%,<ref name=cnnspecialneeds>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0809/04/cnr.01.html CNN transcript]. transcripts.cnn.com (2008-09-04).</ref><ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/10/cnn-reports-palin-bikini-photo-but-fails-to-tell-viewers-its-a-fake/ CNN comes up short on reporting Palin bikini photo fraud and other rumors], FoxNews.com (2008-09-10). {{dead link|date=August 2012}}</ref> when she had increased it.<ref name=factcheckorgslimingpalin>[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html FactCheck.org: Sliming Palin]. factcheck.org (2008-09-08).</ref><ref>[http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/04/30/35recaps.h27.html Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding], Education Week, April 29, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986 Sliming Palin, False Internet claims and rumors fly about McCain's running mate], Newsweek (2008-09-08).</ref> O'Brien was also criticized for these claims by other sources,<ref>[http://www.carolinajournal.com/mediamangle/display_story.html?id=4977 Reporters’ fuzzy math], Carolina Journal Online (2008-09-04).</ref> including the McCain/Palin campaign.<ref>[http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/Read.aspx?Guid=c0203645-4760-47ac-b973-acbc745c2af8 ICYMI: FactCheck.org: "Sliming Palin"], JohnMcCain.com (2008-09-09).</ref>


In 2014, O'Brien co-taught a [[Harvard University Graduate School of Education]] class with Professor Joe Blatt on "Advancing the Public Understanding of Education."<ref name=BostonGlobe-Harvard-GSEdu-2014 />
:2012
:*On March 8, 2012, on Starting Point, O'Brien clashed with guest [[Joel Pollak]] over [[Critical race theory]], with O'Brien rejecting Pollak's assertion that the theory is predicated on a perception of [[white supremacy]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Crugnale|first=James|title=Soledad O’Brien And Breitbart’s Joel Pollak Clash Over Critical Race Theory|url=http://www.mediaite.com/tv/soledad-obrien-and-breitbarts-joel-pollak-clash-over-critical-race-theory/|publisher=Mediaite}}</ref>. She was subsequently criticised for misrepresenting critical race theory<ref>{{cite web|last=Weinstein|first=Jamie|title=http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/13/thedc-morning-soledad-obrien-prolongs-her-humiliation/|url=http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/13/thedc-morning-soledad-obrien-prolongs-her-humiliation/|publisher=The Daily Caller}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Wemple|first=Erik|title=CNN’s O’Brien goes for a do-over|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/cnns-obrien-goes-for-a-do-over/2012/03/12/gIQAFEVY7R_blog.html|publisher=The Washington Post}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Lane|first=Moe|title=Soledad O’Brien critic of Joel Pollak’s criticism of Derrick Bell’s Critical Race Theory.|url=http://www.redstate.com/moe_lane/2012/03/09/soledad-obrien-critic-of-joel-pollaks-criticism-of-derrick-bells-critical-race-theory/|publisher=RedState.com}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Patrick|title=Pollak Beats O’Brien on Critical Race Theory|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/293092/pollak-beats-o-brien-critical-race-theory-patrick-brennan|publisher=National Review}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Malkin|first=Michelle|title=What’s the Matter with Soledad O’Brien?|url=http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2012/03/14/whats_the_matter_with_soledad_obrien/page/full//|publisher=townhall.com}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Shapiro|first=Ben|title=SOLEDAD’S EXPERTISE ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY FROM… WIKIPEDIA|url=http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/03/08/Soledad-Pollak-Wikipedia|publisher=Breitbart.com}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|last=Shapiro|first=Ben|title=CRITICAL RACE THEORY EXPLAINED|url=http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/03/11/What%20Is%20Critical%20Race%20Theory|publisher=Breitbart.com}}</ref>, after a video<ref>{{cite web|last=Holt|first=Mytheos|title=REVEALED: THE RADICAL RACIAL IDEAS OF THE PROF. OBAMA RAVES ABOUT IN NEW HARVARD VIDEO|url=http://www.theblaze.com/stories/revealed-the-radical-racial-ideas-of-the-prof-obama-raves-about-in-new-harvard-video/|publisher=theblaze.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Obama Speaks at Harvard Law in '90|url=http://video.pbs.org/video/2207363899|publisher=PBS}}</ref> was released of [[Barack Obama]] speaking in support of a 1991 Harvard University protest centred around [[Derrick Bell]], the founder of critical race theory. Bell was taking unpaid leave in protest from Harvard University until it hired a "woman of color"<ref>{{cite web|last=Jeltsen|first=Melissa|title=Obama Harvard Video Released, Shows Young Obama At 1991 Protest For Derrick Bell, Diversity (UPDATE)|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/obama-harvard-video-derrick-bell-protest_n_1327320.html|publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref>. It was suggested that O'Brien requested her producer to read material about critical race theory from Wikipedia on air, as O'Brien's statement closely resembled the introductory sentence of the associated article<ref>{{cite web|last=Hayward|first=John|title=CNN HOST’S CRITICAL RACE THEORY BRAIN LOCK EXPLAINED|url=http://www.humanevents.com/2012/03/09/cnn-hosts-critical-race-theory-brain-lock-explained/|publisher=Human Events}}</ref>. This exchange sparked an "edit war" on Wikipedia, with attempted vandalism to remove references to critical race theory's foundation as a response to white supremacy to conform the article to O'Brien's assertion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Josh|title=http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/12/wikipedia-editor-responds-to-critical-race-theory-edit-war/|url=http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/12/wikipedia-editor-responds-to-critical-race-theory-edit-war/|publisher=The Daily Caller}}</ref>
:*Soledad O'Brien drew criticism of biased reporting after filling in for [[Anderson Cooper 360]] on August 13, 2012. During an interview with Barbara Comstock, a Romney adviser, Soledad O'Brien was seen on screen using an article titled 'The Myth of Paul Ryan the Bipartisan Leader,'<ref>{{cite web|title=Cameras catch CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien reading liberal blog during debate with Romney adviser |url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/08/14/cameras-catch-cnn-anchor-soledad-obrien-reading-liberal-blog-during-debate-with/|publisher=Foxnews.com|accessdate=3 September 2012}}</ref> from the left-wing blog site Talking Points Memo<ref>{{cite web|title=Talking Points Memo|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sahil|first=Kapur|title=The Myth Of Paul Ryan The Bipartisan Leader|url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/the-myth-of-paul-ryan-the-bipartisan-leader.php|publisher=TPMDC|accessdate=3 September 2012}}</ref> . O'Brien responded to the charge of bias in her reporting by saying, "Editorially, I was not reading off the Talking Points Memo, The memo had an accurate, verbatim quote of what Sen. Wyden said, and when I was talking to Ms. Comstock, she was saying something that was patently untrue."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bond|first=Paul|title=CNN's Soledad O'Brien Responds to Critics Who Claim She's Biased|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/soledad-obrien-cnn-liberals-talking-points-memo-rush-limbaugh-362763|accessdate=3 September 2012|newspaper=Hollywood Reporter|date=8/15/2012}}</ref>
:*On [[Starting Point]] the next day, August 14, 2012, while O'Brien was interviewing [[Mitt Romney]] adviser and former [[New Hampshire]] Governor [[John H. Sununu]], Sununu accused her of of "aiding and abetting" President [[Barack Obama]]'s "dishonesty" by not mentioning that the Republican-controlled [[United States House of Representatives|House]] had passed a drought relief bill. Sununu asserted that "it's the [Democratic-controlled] Senate that's holding it up not Republicans." O'Brien countered that she suspected that Senate Democrats would say that they did not want to pass a "short-term answer". A few minutes later, in a disagreement over [[Mitt Romney]] and [[Paul Ryan]]'s [[Medicare_(United_States)|Medicare]] plans, Sununu accused her of "mimicking the stuff that comes out of the White House and gets repeated on the Democratic blog boards" and stated that she should "Put an Obama bumper sticker on your forehead when you do this.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sheppard|first=Noel|title=John Sununu Tells Soledad O'Brien 'Put an Obama Bumper Sticker On Your Forehead When You Do This'|url=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/08/14/john-sununu-tells-soledad-obrien-put-obama-bumper-sticker-your-forehe|accessdate=15 September 2012|newspaper=NewsBusters|date=8/14/2012}}</ref>


On May 1, 2016, O'Brien hosted [[PBS NewsHour]] Weekend, filling in for [[Alison Stewart]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
==Career timeline==
*July 1999 – July 2003: ''[[Weekend Today]]'' co-anchor<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html | title=Anchors/Reporters: Soledad O'Brien | accessdate=May 23, 2010|publisher=CNN}}</ref>
*July 2003 – April 2007 ''[[American Morning]]'' co-anchor<ref name=autogenerated1 />
November 2010 ''The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities'' written by Soledad O'Brien and Rose Marie Arce published.


On January 12, 2016, O'Brien appeared on [[PBS]]'s TV genealogy program, [[Henry Louis Gates Jr.]]'s ''[[Finding Your Roots]].'' The focus was on O'Brien's Irish ancestry.
==References==

{{Reflist|35em}}
In 2016, O'Brien presented the 'I Am Latino in America' tour, with nationwide stops across the United States. The tour was streamed live globally on [[MOSH (Nokia)|MOSH]].<ref name=MOSH-IAmLatino-2016>{{cite news|last1=Dizdar|first1=Petra|title=Nation's Top Hispanic Influencers and Business Leaders Coalesce Around New Digital Platform MOSH|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nations-top-hispanic-influencers-and-business-leaders-coalesce-around-new-digital-platform-mosh-300219645.html|work=[[MOSH (Nokia)|MOSH]]|date=February 12, 2016|format=Press release}}</ref>

In May 2022, Soledad O'Brien partnered with JP Morgan to advise and give a lecture at the company's financial health education, wealth-building, and financial inclusion for Dallas' Black and Hispanic communities. O'Brien took the stage to discuss potential impacts and value of the event and its subsequent activity. As an Adviser to the summit, O'Brien stated she had made it her mission to ensure that the event isn't and won't be lip service without action and outlined plans for future events.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soledad O'Brien teams up with JP Morgan Chase for Impactful Health & Wellness Event|url=https://dallasweekly.com/2022/05/soledad-obrien-teams-up-with-jpmorgan-chase-for-impactful-health-wellness-event/|date=16 May 2022|website=Dallas Weekly|access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
In 1995, O'Brien married Bradford "Brad" Raymond, co-head of investment banking at [[Stifel]].<ref name=Stifel-Husband-Bio>{{cite news|title=Stifel Senior Management: Brad Raymond|url=http://www.stifel.com/institutional/investment-banking/ib-senior-management|work=[[Stifel]]}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes-StartingPoint-SundayRoutine-2012>{{cite news|last1=Leland|first1=John|title=Sunday Routine: On Sundays, Soledad O'Brien Rides a Racehorse and Preps for Her TV Show|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/21/nyregion/on-sundays-soledad-obrien-rides-a-racehorse-and-preps-for-her-tv-show.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 19, 2012}}</ref> They have four children: two daughters, Sofia (b. October 2000) and Cecilia (b. March 2002), and twin sons Charles and Jackson (b. August 2004).<ref name=SoledadOBrienInfo-CNN-2003-2007 >{{cite web|title=CNN 2003–2007|url=http://soledadobrien.info/p/cnn-03-07.html |website=SoledadObrien.info}}</ref>

On the [[NPR]] quiz show ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]],'' O'Brien explained that in Spanish her full name means "[[María de la Soledad|The Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude]]". When she started working in TV, many people recommended that she change her name, but she refused.<ref name=NPR-WaitWait-NotMyJob-2006>{{cite news|last1=Sagal|first1=Peter|title=Not My Job: CNN Anchor Soledad O'Brien|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5672357|work=Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=August 19, 2006|language=en}}</ref>

O'Brien has said she does not speak Spanish fluently.<ref name=IndyStar-ButlerDiversity-2005 />

O'Brien has been riding horses since she was 13 years old, a hobby which she now enjoys with her family.<ref name=NYTimes-Starfish-2016 /> She and her husband run a foundation called PowHERful Foundation (formerly called the Starfish Foundation, and before that the Soledad O'Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation), which mentors women to send them to college.<ref name=NYTimes-StartingPoint-SundayRoutine-2012 /><ref name=PowHERfulFoundation-Board>{{cite web|title=PowHERful Board|url=http://powherful.org/board/|website=PowHERful Foundation}}</ref> The foundation began in 2011.<ref name=GlobalGrind-Foundation-2011>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien: "They Call Me Auntie Sole"|url=https://globalgrind.com/1712486/they-call-me-auntie-sole/|work=Global Grind|date=August 12, 2011}}</ref>

On February 7, 2011, O'Brien was inducted as an Honorary Member of [[Delta Sigma Theta]] sorority.

== Honors ==
* 1995: Local [[Emmy]], Co-Host [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''The Know Zone''<ref name=CNN-AmMorning-2003>{{cite news|title=CNN hires Soledad O'Brien for morning show|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/12/cnn.obrien/|work=[[CNN]]|date=June 12, 2003}}</ref>
* 1997: Hispanic Achievement Award in Communications
* 2000: [[Newsweek]], Critical Más: 20 for 2000<ref name=Newsweek-CriticalMas-2000>{{cite news|title=Critical Más: 20 for 2000|url=http://www.newsweek.com/critical-mas-20-2000-168456|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=July 11, 1999|language=en}}</ref>
* 2000: ''[[People magazine|People]],'' 50 Most Beautiful<ref name=People-50-Beautiful-2000>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien: TV Anchor|volume=53|url=http://people.com/archive/soledad-obrien-tv-anchor-vol-53-no-18/|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|issue=18|date=May 8, 2000}}</ref>
* 2004: Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40" honoree<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/soledad-obrien|title=40 Under 40 - Soledad O'Brien|date=January 1, 2004|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref>
* 2004: ''[[People en Español]],'' 50 Most Beautiful
* 2005: ''[[Black Enterprise]],'' Hot List
* 2005: ''[[Catalina magazine]],'' Groundbreaking Latina of the Year
* 2005: [[Peabody Award]], CNN coverage of [[Hurricane Katrina]]<ref name=PeabodyAward-Katrina-2005>{{cite web|title=CNN: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/coverage-of-hurricane-katrina3|website=[[Peabody Award]]|date=2005}}</ref>
* 2006: ''[[Newsweek]],'' "15 People Who Make America Great"<ref name=CNN-Anchor-Bio />
* 2007: [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People|National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)]], [[NAACP Image Award – President's Award|President's Award]]<ref name=CNN-Anchor-Bio />
* 2007: Gracie Allen Award
* 2008: [[Morehouse School of Medicine]], Soledad O'Brien Freedom's Voice Award, first recipient<ref name=Morehouse-FreedomsVoiceAward-2008>{{cite web|title=Soledad O'Brien Freedom's Voice Awards Gala|url=http://www.msm.edu/exec_offices/office_marketing/Events/freedomsvoice/gala.aspx|website=[[Morehouse School of Medicine]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011520/http://www.msm.edu/exec_offices/office_marketing/Events/freedomsvoice/gala.aspx|archive-date=December 3, 2013|date=2008}}</ref>
* 2008: [[Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health]], ''Goodermote Humanitarian Award'' for [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]]<ref name=JohnsHopkinsBloomberg-Award-2008>{{cite news|last1=Parsons|first1=Tim|title=Bloomberg School Awards Goodermote Humanitarian Award to Soledad O'Brien|url=http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2008/obrien-goodermote-award.html|work=[[Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health]]|date=November 18, 2008|format=Press release}}</ref>
* 2009: [[Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute]], Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service Award
* 2010: [[National Association of Black Journalists]], Journalist of the Year<ref name=NABJ-JournYear-PressRelease-2010>{{cite news|last1=Williams|first1=Ryan|title=CNN's Soledad O'Brien Named Journalist of the Year by Black Journalists Group – National Association of Black Journalists|url=http://www.nabj.org/news/48864/CNNs-Soledad-OBrien-Named-Journalist-of-the-Year-by-Black-Journalists-Group.htm|work=[[National Association of Black Journalists]]|date=April 22, 2010|format=Press release}}</ref><ref name=NABJ-JournYear-2010>{{cite news|last1=Green|first1=Ashlee|title=Soledad O'Brien, Journalist of the Year|url=http://www.nabj.org/?page=SoledadOBrien|work=[[National Association of Black Journalists]]|date=2010}}</ref>
* 2010: Edward R. Murrow Award, RTDNA/UNITY Award for ''Latino in America''
* 2010: [[Peabody Award]], CNN coverage of [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|BP oil spill]]<ref name=Peabody-GulfOilSpill-2010>{{cite web|title=Coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill (CNN)|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/coverage-of-the-gulf-oil-spill|website=[[Peabody Award]]|date=2010}}</ref>
* 2011: [[Emmy]], Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story Long Form for ''Crisis in Haiti'' on the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]]
* 2016: [[Vanderbilt University]], [[The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal]]<ref name=Vanderbilt-NicholsChancellorsMedal-2016>{{cite news|last1=Patterson|first1=Jim|title=Soledad O'Brien to seniors: Finding your passion can take time|url=https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2016/05/12/soledad-obrien-to-seniors-finding-your-passion-can-take-time/|work=[[Vanderbilt University]]|date=May 12, 2016|format=Includes video}}</ref>
* ''Irish American Magazine,'' Top 100 Irish Americans" (twice)
* [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award]], [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]]<ref name=Mediabistro-Starfish-2015>{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Janelle|title=So What Do You Do, Soledad O'Brien, Journalist and CEO of Starfish Media Group?|url=https://www.mediabistro.com/interviews/so-what-do-you-do-soledad-obrien-journalist-ceo-of-starfish-media-group/|work=[[Mecklermedia|Mediabistro]]|date=October 15, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Emmy]], 2012 election
* [[Emmy]], "Kids on Race"<ref name=Mediabistro-Starfish-2015 />
* 2022: [[Peabody Awards|Peabody Award]], ''The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks''<ref>{{cite web |title=Winner 2022: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks |url=https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/the-rebellious-life-of-mrs-rosa-parks/ |website=peabodyawards.com |publisher=[[Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication]] at the [[University of Georgia]] |access-date=9 May 2023 |date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
* 2023: [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences#Television Academy Honors|Television Academy Honors]], ''The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks''<ref>{{cite web |last1=VERHOEVEN |first1=Beatrice |title='Mo,' 'We're Here' Among 2023 Television Academy Honors |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2023-television-academy-honors-1235404009/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |access-date=10 May 2023 |date=27 April 2023}}</ref>

== Leadership and membership ==
* 2007: [[Bryant University]], Doctor of Humane Letters<ref name=Bryant-DocHumane-2007>{{cite web|title=Bryant University Commencement 2007. Soledad O'Brien: Doctor of Humane Letters|url=http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About%20Bryant/News/News%20Releases/2007/Bryant%20University%20Commencement%202007|website=[[Bryant University]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118201917/http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About%20Bryant/News/News%20Releases/2007/Bryant%20University%20Commencement%202007|archive-date=November 18, 2007|date=2007}}</ref>
* 2011: [[Delta Sigma Theta]], Honorary Member<ref name=DeltaSigmaTheta-Honorary-2011>{{cite web|last1=Chaney|first1=Ashley|title=Delta Sigma Theta Welcomes New Honorary Members, Gwen Ifill and Soledad O'Brien|url=http://www.deltasigmatheta.org/downloads/sacenter/honorary2011.pdf|website=Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated|format=Press release|date=February 7, 2011}}</ref>
* 2013: [[Harvard University Graduate School of Education]], Distinguished Visiting Fellow<ref name=BostonGlobe-Harvard-GSEdu-2014 /><ref name=HarvardGSEdu-Fellow-2013>{{cite news|title=Soledad O'Brien Named Distinguished Visiting Fellow|url=https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/13/04/soledad-obrien-named-distinguished-visiting-fellow|work=[[Harvard University Graduate School of Education]]|date=April 24, 2013|language=en}}</ref>
* 2013: [[Foundation for the National Archives]] (Washington, DC), Board of Directors<ref name=NationalArchives-Board-2013>{{cite web|title=Board of Directors: Soledad O'Brien|url=https://www.archivesfoundation.org/board-of-directors/|website=National Archives Foundation|date=September 4, 2013}}</ref>
* 2014: [[Spelman College]] (Atlanta, GA), Doctor of Humane Letters
* 2016: [[Stony Brook University]], Honorary Doctorate of Letters
* ExpandED Schools, formerly The After School Corp (TASC), Leadership Council<ref name=ExpandED-LeadershipCouncil>{{cite web|title=Leadership Council: Soledad O'Brien|url=http://www.tascorp.org/about-us/board#sthash.Tfqf3SFM.dpbs|website=ExpandED Schools}}</ref>
* [[National Association of Black Journalists]], Member
* [[National Association of Hispanic Journalists]], Member
* [[The Harlem School of the Arts]], Board Member

== Filmography ==
* 1989: ''Second Opinion,'' [[WXKS-FM]] (Boston) – Host
* 1989: ''Health Week in Review,'' [[WXKS-FM]] (Boston) – Host
* 1989: ''Eyewitness News First Edition,'' [[WBZ-TV]] (Boston) – Associate producer, Writer
* 1991–1993: ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'' – Producer
* 1991–1993: ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' – Producer
* 1993: [[KRON-TV]] (San Francisco) – Reporter
* 1993–1996: ''The Know Zone'' (TV Series) – Co-host
* 1996–1997: ''[[The Site]]'', [[MSNBC]] (TV Series) – Host
* 1997: ''Imaging America,'' [[WNET]] (New York) – Host
* 1997–1999: ''Morning Blend,'' [[MSNBC]] (TV Series) – Host
* 1997–2003: ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]],'' [[NBC]] (New York) – Host
* 1997–2003: ''Weekend Today,'' [[NBC]] (New York) – Host
* 2003–2007: ''American Morning'', [[CNN]] (TV Series) – Co-Host (Producer, 1 episode: "Microsoft Security Suit")
* 2007–2011: ''Special Investigations Unit,'' [[CNN]] – Host
* 2007–2011: ''AC360,'' [[CNN]] – Host
* 2007–2011: ''In America,'' [[CNN]] – Host
* 2012–2013: ''Starting Point,'' [[CNN]] – Host
* 2013: ''America Tonight,'' [[Al Jazeera America]] – Host
* 2013–2015: ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]'' – Correspondent (10 episodes)
* 2013: ''Black in America: Black & Blue – Soledad O'Brien Reports'' (TV Movie documentary) – Executive producer, Producer, Director, Writer
* 2014: ''Da Sweet Blood of Jesus'' – Associate producer
* 2014: ''The War Comes Home: Soledad O'Brien Reports'' (TV Movie documentary) – Executive producer, Producer, Director, Writer
* 2015: ''Kids Behind Bars: A Soledad O'Brien Special Report'' (TV Movie documentary) – Producer, Director
* 2015: ''Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America'' (TV Movie – Executive producer
* 2015: ''Billboard Women in Music 2015'' (TV Movie) – Executive producer
* 2015: ''Babies Behind Bars'' (Documentary) – Executive producer, Co-director, Writer
* 2016: ''Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien,'' [[Hearst Television]] – Host
* 2016: ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'', Herself
* 2019: ''[[Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt]]'', Herself

== Works and publications ==
;Books
* {{cite book|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|last2=Arce|first2=Rose Marie (with)|title=Latino in America|date=2009|publisher=Celebra|location=New York|isbn=978-1-101-14961-4|oclc=760072829}}
* {{cite book|last1=O'Brien|first1=Soledad|last2=Arce|first2=Rose Marie (with)|title=The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities|date=2011|publisher=New American Library|location=New York|isbn=978-0-451-23284-7|oclc=706018286}}
;Selected works
* 2008: ''Black in America'' ([[CNN]])
* 2009: ''Latino in America'' (CNN and CNN en Español)
* 2009: ''Black in America 2'' (CNN)
* 2010: ''The Atlanta Child Murders'' (CNN)
* 2011: ''Don't Fail Me: Education in America'' (CNN)
* 2011: ''The Women Who Would be Queen'' (CNN)
* 2012: ''Who Is Black in America?'' (CNN)
* ''Almighty Debt'' (Black in America) (CNN)
* ''Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11''
* ''Children of the Storm''
* ''Crisis in Haiti'' (Anderson Cooper 360, CNN)
* ''Don't Fail Me: Education in America'' (CNN)
* ''Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination'' (CNN)
* ''Gary and Tony Have a Baby'' (CNN)
* ''Her Children of the Storm''
* ''Latino in America: Courting Their Vote''
* ''Latino in America 2: In Her Corner''
* ''One Crime at a Time''
* ''Pictures Don't Lie''
* ''Rescued''
* ''The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley'' (Black in America) (CNN)
* ''The Women Who Would be Queen''
* ''Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door'' (CNN)
* ''Words That Changed a Nation'' (CNN)
* “Who shot Biggie and Tupac”

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Soledad O'Brien|nowrap=yes}}
*[http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html Soledad O'Brien], CNN.com biography
* {{Twitter}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0639821}}
* [https://www.starfishmediagroup.com/soledad2/ Soledad O'Brien] at Starfish Media Group
*[http://cornellsun.com/node/23456 Convocation 2007 Preview] Cornell Daily Sun, May 24, 2007 – Interview with O'Brien
* {{IMDb name|id=0639821}}
*[http://atlantaboy.com/soledad-obrien-the-atlanta-interview-85754/ Soledad O'Brien Interview]
* [http://powherful.org/ PowHERful Foundation]
* {{C-SPAN|48682}}
* {{the interviews name|soledad-obrien}}


{{NAACP Image Award – President's Award}}
{{Al Jazeera America anchors and reporters}}
{{CNN Anchors}}
{{CNN Anchors}}
{{AmericanMorningHosts}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata

|NAME=O'Brien, Soledad
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[Broadcast journalist]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=September 19, 1966
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[St. James, New York|St. James]], [[New York]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Soledad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Soledad}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:African-American television personalities]]
[[Category:20th-century American women journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women journalists]]
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
[[Category:American people of Australian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Australian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Cuban descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Cuban descent]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American television news anchors]]
[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:American women journalists]]
[[Category:American women television journalists]]
[[Category:CNN people]]
[[Category:Delta Sigma Theta members]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American female journalists]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American women journalists]]
[[Category:People from Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Journalists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:San Francisco, California television anchors]]
[[Category:MSNBC people]]
[[Category:News & Documentary Emmy Award winners]]

[[Category:Peabody Award winners]]
[[da:Soledad O'Brien]]
[[Category:People from St. James, New York]]
[[no:Soledad O'Brien]]
[[Category:People of Afro–Cuban descent]]
[[ru:О’Брайен, Соледад]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Radcliffe College alumni]]

Latest revision as of 07:34, 16 November 2024

Soledad O'Brien
O'Brien in 2008
Born
María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien

(1966-09-19) September 19, 1966 (age 58)
St. James, New York, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (AB)
OccupationBroadcast journalist
Spouse
Brad Raymond
​
(m. 1995)​
Children4

María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien[1] (born September 19, 1966)[2] is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer.[3] Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated weekly talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013.[4] She is also a member of the Peabody Awards[5] board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

O'Brien co-anchored CNN's American Morning from 2003 to 2007,[6] and was the anchor of CNN's morning news program Starting Point from 2012 to 2013.[7][8] In 2013, O'Brien became special correspondent on the Al Jazeera America news program America Tonight,[9] and was also a correspondent on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel[10][11] until the show's final episode in December 2023.[12]

Early life and education

[edit]

"My parents were both immigrants—my mother from Cuba, my father from Australia. Both attended daily Mass at the church near campus. Every day my father would offer my mother a ride. Every day, she declined. Finally, she said yes. One year later, the day after Christmas, the two of them were married."[13]

O'Brien was born and raised in St. James, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island to Edward Ephrem O'Brien (d. 2019), a mechanical engineering professor at Stony Brook University, and Estela O'Brien (née Marquetti y Mendieta) (d. 2019), a French and English teacher at Smithtown High School West.[14] Her parents were both immigrants and met while they were students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.[15] Her father is from Toowoomba, Queensland, in Australia and is of three quarters Irish and one quarter Scottish descent.[16][17][18][19] O'Brien's mother is from Havana, Cuba, and is of Afro-Cuban descent.[17] When she was 14 years old, she came to the United States, sponsored by Oblate Sisters of Providence of Maryland.[20]

Interracial marriage was illegal in Maryland before 1967, so in 1958 O'Brien's parents married in Washington, D.C., where marriage laws were less restrictive.[15] The newly wedded O'Briens then moved to Long Island, to the town of St. James. O'Brien is the fifth of six children, all graduates of Harvard College.[citation needed] Her siblings are law professor Maria O'Brien[21] (born 1960), GE corporate lawyer Cecilia Vega (born 1961), businessman Tony O'Brien (born 1962), who heads a documents company, eye surgeon Estela Ogiste (born 1964), and anesthesiologist Orestes O'Brien (born 1967).[16][17][22] Her niece is journalist Antonia Hylton.[23]

O'Brien graduated from Smithtown High School East in 1984.[24] She attended Radcliffe College from 1984 to 1988, starting as pre-med and English and American literature, but left to take a job at WBZ-TV.[1][25] O'Brien went back to school while pregnant with her first child and earned her degree from Harvard in English and American Literature in 2000.[1][26]

Career

[edit]

O'Brien started her career in journalism as a medical reporter on WXKS-FM in Boston because of her background as a pre-med student in college.[27]

NBC and MSNBC (1991–2003)

[edit]

O'Brien began her career as an associate producer and news writer at WBZ-TV, then the NBC affiliate in Boston.[28] She joined NBC News in 1991 and was based in New York as a field producer for the Nightly News and Weekend Today. She then worked for three years as a local reporter and bureau chief for San Francisco's then-NBC affiliate KRON-TV. At KRON she was a reporter on "The Know Zone."[17]

Starting in 1996 and during the dot-com boom, O'Brien anchored MSNBC's weekend morning show and the cable network's technology program The Site, which aired weeknights from the spring of 1996 to November 1997. The show was unique in that she interacted with a virtual character named Dev Null, played by Leo Laporte in a motion-capture suit.[17]

From July 1999 to July 2003, O'Brien was co-anchor of the NBC News program, Weekend Today with Jack Ford, John Seigenthaler later David Bloom and Lester Holt. During that time she contributed reports for the weekday Today Show and for weekend editions of NBC Nightly News. She also covered such notable stories as John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash and the 1990s school shootings in Colorado and Oregon.[29]

Warner Bros. Discovery (2003–present)

[edit]

CNN: American Morning (2003–2007)

[edit]

O'Brien moved to CNN, where from July 2003 to April 2007, she was co-anchor of the CNN program, American Morning CNN's flagship morning program that aired live from New York City.[6][29]

In 2004, at the age of 38, she was named to Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40" list.[30]

In 2005, she covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where she interviewed then head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Michael Brown.[6]

CNN: Starting Point (2012–2013)

[edit]

From January 2012 to March 2013, O'Brien was anchor of the CNN program, Starting Point. After CNN canceled American Morning and replaced it with two new programs, Early Start and Starting Point in 2011, O'Brien began anchoring Starting Point on January 2, 2012.[31] It was announced on February 21, 2013, that O'Brien had reached an agreement with CNN to leave Starting Point for the new Starfish Media Group production company. CNN would provide funding in return for non-exclusive rights to its documentaries.[8] March 29, 2013, was her last day on air at CNN as an anchor.[32]

HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (2013–present)

[edit]

It was announced on June 12, 2013, that O'Brien was joining HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel sports news magazine as a correspondent.[11][33]

Investigation Discovery: Quiet on Set (2024)

[edit]

In 2023, O'Brien moderated a discussion with former Nickelodeon child stars that served as the concluding episode of Investigation Discovery's (another channel part of Warner Bros. Discovery) Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV regarding abuse with MTV Networks officials.

Other work at Warner Bros. Discovery

[edit]

In 2009, O'Brien completed a documentary titled Latino In America, documenting the lives of Latinos living in America. She continued working as a reporter for CNN, mainly hosting "In America" documentaries, and occasionally filled in for Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper 360. She also anchored exit poll coverage during CNN's coverage of the primaries and caucuses in the 2008 United States presidential race, and filled in for Paula Zahn on Paula Zahn Now before Zahn left CNN in 2007.[citation needed]

O'Brien anchored a CNN special, Black in America, in July 2007. The program documented the successes, struggles, and complex issues faced by black men, women and families 40 years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. In the first installment, O'Brien investigated how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent a year on the run a month before his path collided with that of Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee. In "The Black Woman & Family", O'Brien explored the varied experiences of black women and families and investigated the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. The fifth installment of the Black in America series aired in December 2012.[34] Her report on children and race featured the work of Margaret Spencer, based on the Doll Tests of the 1940s, polling children on their general color preferences: "white children have an overwhelming white bias, and black children also have a bias toward white, according to a new study.."[35]

O'Brien's Starfish Media Group signed a deal granting HBO first-look rights for new programs or concepts it develops.[11]

Podcasting

[edit]

In January 2022, O'Brien and personal financial journalist, Jean Chatzky launched a podcast, Everyday Wealth, covering personal finance, the economy, wealth management, and other financial topics. It is sponsored by Edelman Financial Engines.[36] In fall of 2023, approaching the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, O'Brien collaborated with actor and film director Rob Reiner on a podcast series to cover the controversial topic, Who Killed JFK?.[5][23]

Other work

[edit]

On February 24, 2021, O'Brien testified at a House Committee on Ethics subcommittee hearing on "disinformation and extremism in the media".[37] At the hearing, she accused Lou Dobbs and Tucker Carlson of disinformation, and also claimed MSNBC anchors Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell were spreading "Russian conspiracy theories".[citation needed]

Starfish Media Group

[edit]

In June 2013, O'Brien formed the production and distribution company Starfish Media Group.[38][39] Starfish Media Group signed a deal to produce a series of hour-long documentary specials for Al Jazeera America.[40]

In September 2016, O'Brien became a host of the Hearst Television show, Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien; in addition to its broadcast availability, it is carried by FYI on Sunday mornings (a network Hearst partly owns).[41]

In 2018, O'Brien hosted the documentary series Mysteries & Scandals on Oxygen.[42]

Other work

[edit]

From 2013 to 2016, O'Brien was moderator of National Geographic Bee, replacing Alex Trebek who moderated for 25-plus years.[43]

In 2014, O'Brien co-taught a Harvard University Graduate School of Education class with Professor Joe Blatt on "Advancing the Public Understanding of Education."[28]

On May 1, 2016, O'Brien hosted PBS NewsHour Weekend, filling in for Alison Stewart.[citation needed]

On January 12, 2016, O'Brien appeared on PBS's TV genealogy program, Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots. The focus was on O'Brien's Irish ancestry.

In 2016, O'Brien presented the 'I Am Latino in America' tour, with nationwide stops across the United States. The tour was streamed live globally on MOSH.[44]

In May 2022, Soledad O'Brien partnered with JP Morgan to advise and give a lecture at the company's financial health education, wealth-building, and financial inclusion for Dallas' Black and Hispanic communities. O'Brien took the stage to discuss potential impacts and value of the event and its subsequent activity. As an Adviser to the summit, O'Brien stated she had made it her mission to ensure that the event isn't and won't be lip service without action and outlined plans for future events.[45]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1995, O'Brien married Bradford "Brad" Raymond, co-head of investment banking at Stifel.[46][47] They have four children: two daughters, Sofia (b. October 2000) and Cecilia (b. March 2002), and twin sons Charles and Jackson (b. August 2004).[48]

On the NPR quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, O'Brien explained that in Spanish her full name means "The Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude". When she started working in TV, many people recommended that she change her name, but she refused.[49]

O'Brien has said she does not speak Spanish fluently.[1]

O'Brien has been riding horses since she was 13 years old, a hobby which she now enjoys with her family.[3] She and her husband run a foundation called PowHERful Foundation (formerly called the Starfish Foundation, and before that the Soledad O'Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation), which mentors women to send them to college.[47][50] The foundation began in 2011.[51]

On February 7, 2011, O'Brien was inducted as an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Honors

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Leadership and membership

[edit]

Filmography

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  • 1989: Second Opinion, WXKS-FM (Boston) – Host
  • 1989: Health Week in Review, WXKS-FM (Boston) – Host
  • 1989: Eyewitness News First Edition, WBZ-TV (Boston) – Associate producer, Writer
  • 1991–1993: NBC Nightly News – Producer
  • 1991–1993: Today – Producer
  • 1993: KRON-TV (San Francisco) – Reporter
  • 1993–1996: The Know Zone (TV Series) – Co-host
  • 1996–1997: The Site, MSNBC (TV Series) – Host
  • 1997: Imaging America, WNET (New York) – Host
  • 1997–1999: Morning Blend, MSNBC (TV Series) – Host
  • 1997–2003: Today, NBC (New York) – Host
  • 1997–2003: Weekend Today, NBC (New York) – Host
  • 2003–2007: American Morning, CNN (TV Series) – Co-Host (Producer, 1 episode: "Microsoft Security Suit")
  • 2007–2011: Special Investigations Unit, CNN – Host
  • 2007–2011: AC360, CNN – Host
  • 2007–2011: In America, CNN – Host
  • 2012–2013: Starting Point, CNN – Host
  • 2013: America Tonight, Al Jazeera America – Host
  • 2013–2015: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – Correspondent (10 episodes)
  • 2013: Black in America: Black & Blue – Soledad O'Brien Reports (TV Movie documentary) – Executive producer, Producer, Director, Writer
  • 2014: Da Sweet Blood of Jesus – Associate producer
  • 2014: The War Comes Home: Soledad O'Brien Reports (TV Movie documentary) – Executive producer, Producer, Director, Writer
  • 2015: Kids Behind Bars: A Soledad O'Brien Special Report (TV Movie documentary) – Producer, Director
  • 2015: Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America (TV Movie – Executive producer
  • 2015: Billboard Women in Music 2015 (TV Movie) – Executive producer
  • 2015: Babies Behind Bars (Documentary) – Executive producer, Co-director, Writer
  • 2016: Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, Hearst Television – Host
  • 2016: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Herself
  • 2019: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Herself

Works and publications

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Books
  • O'Brien, Soledad; Arce, Rose Marie (with) (2009). Latino in America. New York: Celebra. ISBN 978-1-101-14961-4. OCLC 760072829.
  • O'Brien, Soledad; Arce, Rose Marie (with) (2011). The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities. New York: New American Library. ISBN 978-0-451-23284-7. OCLC 706018286.
Selected works
  • 2008: Black in America (CNN)
  • 2009: Latino in America (CNN and CNN en Español)
  • 2009: Black in America 2 (CNN)
  • 2010: The Atlanta Child Murders (CNN)
  • 2011: Don't Fail Me: Education in America (CNN)
  • 2011: The Women Who Would be Queen (CNN)
  • 2012: Who Is Black in America? (CNN)
  • Almighty Debt (Black in America) (CNN)
  • Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11
  • Children of the Storm
  • Crisis in Haiti (Anderson Cooper 360, CNN)
  • Don't Fail Me: Education in America (CNN)
  • Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination (CNN)
  • Gary and Tony Have a Baby (CNN)
  • Her Children of the Storm
  • Latino in America: Courting Their Vote
  • Latino in America 2: In Her Corner
  • One Crime at a Time
  • Pictures Don't Lie
  • Rescued
  • The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley (Black in America) (CNN)
  • The Women Who Would be Queen
  • Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door (CNN)
  • Words That Changed a Nation (CNN)
  • “Who shot Biggie and Tupac”

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Edelhart, Courtenay (October 24, 2005). "Conversations: CNN's O'Brien embraces her own diversity". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on December 24, 2005.
  2. ^ "Soledad O Obrien – United States Public Records". FamilySearch. June 1, 2001.
  3. ^ a b Bryant, Adam (June 10, 2016). "Soledad O'Brien: Seek Out the Curious and the Fastidious". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Starfish Media Group Story". Starfish Media Group. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Who We Are". Grady College and University of Georgia. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Anchors & Reporters: Soledad O'Brien". CNN. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013.
  7. ^ Ariens, Chris (December 29, 2011). "New CNN Morning Show to Launch Monday". Adweek.
  8. ^ a b "CNN O'Brien leaving morning show, starting Starfish Media Group production company". Times Colonist. The Associated Press. February 21, 2013.
  9. ^ McCarthy, Tom (July 1, 2013). "Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien to join Al Jazeera America". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Watson, Sheridan (July 1, 2013). "Soledad O'Brien on move to Al Jazeera". Entertainment Weekly.
  11. ^ a b c "Soledad O'Brien joining HBO's 'Real Sports'". USA Today. The Associated Press. June 12, 2013.
  12. ^ Florio, Mike (December 19, 2023). "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ends 29-year run tonight" NBC Sports. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  13. ^ O'Brien, Soledad (April 2004). "The Church Across the Street". Guideposts. Archived from the original on August 22, 2004.
  14. ^ O'Brien, Soledad (October 17, 2010). "Survival of the Fittest" (Book excerpt). Parade.
  15. ^ a b O'Brien, Soledad; Sun, Rebecca (as told to) (October 19, 2016). "Soledad O'Brien On Her Parents' Struggles as an Interracial Couple: "People Spit on Them in the Street"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ a b "Soledad 1966–1995". SoledadObrien.info. October 8, 2007.
  17. ^ a b c d e Anders, Gigi (June 2005). "Running with the News: Soledad O'Brien is authoritative, credible, engaging and intelligent. And she's a great mom, too". Hispanic. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008.
  18. ^ Gates, Jr., Henry Louis (January 12, 2016). "The Irish Factor: Soledad O'Brien". Finding Your Roots.
  19. ^ "Soledad O'Brien's Interactive Family Tree". Finding Your Roots. January 13, 2016.
  20. ^ O'Brien, Soledad (December 19, 2014). "Soledad O'Brien: What my mother left behind". CNN.
  21. ^ "Maria O'Brien". Boston University. Trustees of Boston University. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  22. ^ O'Brien, Soledad (July 24, 2008). "Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America". Black in America 2, CNN.
  23. ^ a b ""He Was A Generous And Kind Human Being": Soledad O'Brien Reflects On Her Father's Death". MadameNoire. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "Soledad O'Brien: Pride of Smithtown 2002 Recipient". Smithtown Alumni Association. April 2002. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010.
  25. ^ "Soledad O'Brien Harvard Commencement Speech – Harvard University Commencement 2013" (Video). Harvard University. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  26. ^ Harvard Alumni Directory 2000. Cambridge, MA: President and Fellows of Harvard College. 2000. pp. 1038 (Vol. I) and 300 (Vol II).
  27. ^ Lieberman, Jonathan (May 1, 2007). "Convocation 2007 Preview". The Cornell Daily Sun.
  28. ^ a b c Carlson, Eryn (January 17, 2014). "Soledad O'Brien returns to Harvard to teach where she learned". The Boston Globe.
  29. ^ a b Finn, Robin (June 26, 2003). "Public Lives; Interview With the Interviewer (Hands to Yourself)". The New York Times.
  30. ^ "40 Under 40 - Soledad O'Brien". Crain's New York Business. January 1, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  31. ^ "CNN's New Morning Show Gets Name And Debut Date". The Huffington Post. December 29, 2011.
  32. ^ "WATCH: Soledad O'Brien Signs Off". HuffPost. March 29, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  33. ^ "HBO: Real Sports: Soledad O'Brien: Bio". HBO.
  34. ^ "Soledad O'Brien and three of the interview subjects from her docu discuss the fifth installment of CNN's Black in America series". Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  35. ^ "Study: White and black children biased toward lighter skin - CNN.com". www.cnn.com.
  36. ^ Cavanaugh, Laura (January 7, 2022). "Take control of your financial potential in 2022". CBS8.com. Tegna Inc. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  37. ^ Keveney, Bill. "'Don't book liars': Soledad O'Brien challenges media at House hearing on disinformation". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  38. ^ "Soledad O'Brien Biography – May, 2015" (PDF). Starfish Media Group. May 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017.
  39. ^ Stelter, Brian (February 21, 2013). "Soledad O'Brien to Take on New Role at CNN". Media Decoder Blog, The New York Times.
  40. ^ "Al Jazeera America signs Soledad O'Brien as special correspondent". Al Jazeera America. July 1, 2013. Archived from the original (Press release) on July 2, 2013.
  41. ^ "About Soledad". Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien.
  42. ^ "Mysteries & Scandals". November 20, 2017.
  43. ^ Flora, Kelsey (May 22, 2013). "Soledad O'Brien Named New Moderator of National Geographic Bee – National Geographic Society Press Room". National Geographic. Archived from the original (Press release) on June 19, 2013.
  44. ^ Dizdar, Petra (February 12, 2016). "Nation's Top Hispanic Influencers and Business Leaders Coalesce Around New Digital Platform MOSH" (Press release). MOSH.
  45. ^ "Soledad O'Brien teams up with JP Morgan Chase for Impactful Health & Wellness Event". Dallas Weekly. May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  46. ^ "Stifel Senior Management: Brad Raymond". Stifel.
  47. ^ a b Leland, John (October 19, 2012). "Sunday Routine: On Sundays, Soledad O'Brien Rides a Racehorse and Preps for Her TV Show". The New York Times.
  48. ^ "CNN 2003–2007". SoledadObrien.info.
  49. ^ Sagal, Peter (August 19, 2006). "Not My Job: CNN Anchor Soledad O'Brien". Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. NPR.
  50. ^ "PowHERful Board". PowHERful Foundation.
  51. ^ "Soledad O'Brien: "They Call Me Auntie Sole"". Global Grind. August 12, 2011.
  52. ^ "CNN hires Soledad O'Brien for morning show". CNN. June 12, 2003.
  53. ^ "Critical Más: 20 for 2000". Newsweek. July 11, 1999.
  54. ^ "Soledad O'Brien: TV Anchor". People. Vol. 53, no. 18. May 8, 2000.
  55. ^ "40 Under 40 - Soledad O'Brien". Crain's New York Business. January 1, 2004. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  56. ^ "CNN: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina". Peabody Award. 2005.
  57. ^ "Soledad O'Brien Freedom's Voice Awards Gala". Morehouse School of Medicine. 2008. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  58. ^ Parsons, Tim (November 18, 2008). "Bloomberg School Awards Goodermote Humanitarian Award to Soledad O'Brien" (Press release). Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
  59. ^ Williams, Ryan (April 22, 2010). "CNN's Soledad O'Brien Named Journalist of the Year by Black Journalists Group – National Association of Black Journalists" (Press release). National Association of Black Journalists.
  60. ^ Green, Ashlee (2010). "Soledad O'Brien, Journalist of the Year". National Association of Black Journalists.
  61. ^ "Coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill (CNN)". Peabody Award. 2010.
  62. ^ Patterson, Jim (May 12, 2016). "Soledad O'Brien to seniors: Finding your passion can take time" (Includes video). Vanderbilt University.
  63. ^ a b Harris, Janelle (October 15, 2015). "So What Do You Do, Soledad O'Brien, Journalist and CEO of Starfish Media Group?". Mediabistro.
  64. ^ "Winner 2022: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks". peabodyawards.com. Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  65. ^ VERHOEVEN, Beatrice (April 27, 2023). "'Mo,' 'We're Here' Among 2023 Television Academy Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  66. ^ "Bryant University Commencement 2007. Soledad O'Brien: Doctor of Humane Letters". Bryant University. 2007. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007.
  67. ^ Chaney, Ashley (February 7, 2011). "Delta Sigma Theta Welcomes New Honorary Members, Gwen Ifill and Soledad O'Brien" (Press release). Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
  68. ^ "Soledad O'Brien Named Distinguished Visiting Fellow". Harvard University Graduate School of Education. April 24, 2013.
  69. ^ "Board of Directors: Soledad O'Brien". National Archives Foundation. September 4, 2013.
  70. ^ "Leadership Council: Soledad O'Brien". ExpandED Schools.
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