Multiple Daytime Emmy Award-winning journalist Natalie Morales is joining The Talk, becoming the first Latina regular host in the 11-year-long history of the popular CBS national talk show.
Morales will debut live Oct. 11. alongside current hosts former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila, fitness instructor Amanda Kloots, actor Jerry O’Connell and comedian Sheryl Underwood. The national show features the prominent personalities discussing current events, pop culture, family, celebrity and trending topics of the day. The hosts exchange stories and share their opinions on issues and events in the headlines. The show also features celebrity guest interviews, musical performances and cooking segments, as well as human interest stories. Morales is the only professional journalist on the show’s hosting panel.
Morales is the second new host to join the show to join The Talk in three months. In July, O’Connell replaced Sharon Osbourne, who left the show after having a controversial on-air exchange with Underwood.
LATINO INCLUSION
With Morales’s arrival, The Talk will finally catch up with its rival The View on ABC on Latino representation. The latter New York-produced show has featured two Latinas in its 20-plus-years history–actress Rosie Perez was brought in in 2014 and political commentator Ana Navarro has been a co-host since 2018.
The Talk is broadcast live weekdays at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. Morales has lived in Los Angeles since 2016.
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to be joining this team at The Talk,” said Morales, a journalist who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, was born in Taiwan and spent much of the first 18 years of her life living overseas in Panama, Brazil and Spain as the daughter of an Air Force family. “I love the new energy and direction and couldn’t be more excited to join Sheryl, Amanda, Jerry and Akbar,” she added. “I’m looking forward to many good times while talking about the days’ topics, and I can’t wait to get going.”
Morales was born in Taiwan while her Air Force family was stationed there. She graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Latin American studies.
LONG CAREER AT NBC
Morales comes from NBC Universal, a media company in which she spent 15 years as an anchor and national correspondent in some of the network’s most prominent national shows. Most recently she was West Coast anchor of NBC News’ Today, a correspondent for Dateline NBC as well as the anchor of Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales.
She previously served as host of Access and co-host of Access Live and as news anchor of Today, co-hosting the show’s third hour. Morales joined Today in 2006 as a national correspondent and reported across all of NBCUniversal News’ platforms, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and MSNBC.
In a Today first, Morales followed 20 children from the class of 2020–all of whom were born a year after 9/11–from their first day of kindergarten to graduation, amid a global pandemic nonetheless. In addition to hosting At Home With Natalie, Morales contributed to several major breaking news stories, including the sexual harassment scandals, the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the rescue of the Chilean miners in 2010. The latter coverage was seen worldwide and earned a National Headliner Award.
EXCLUSIVES & NOTABLE INTERVIEWS
In August 2008, Morales had the exclusive jailhouse interview with the infamous convicted murderer and impostor Clark Rockefeller. Her other notable reports include the 2009 presidential inauguration; Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005; and the election of Pope Francis in 2013. She also reported on the royal wedding in 2011 and the birth of Prince George in 2013.
As a part of the Shine a Light campaign in 2014, Morales ran in the Boston Marathon and raised over $70,000 for victims of the 2013 bombing. Morales has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of Today’s recognition as the best morning news program. She won a Robert F. Kennedy Award in international journalism for her report on Honduran lobster divers for Rock Center with Brian Williams in June 2013. She has won three Gracie Awards, one for Outstanding Series for her Dateline NBC special, “My Kid Would Never,” and two for her reporting in 2016 and 2017.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Natalie Morales join the Talk family,” said executive producers Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews. “We have been fans of her and her work for years. Her varied skill set and versatility are a great addition to our talented panel. Natalie’s intelligence, passion and enthusiasm always shine through in all her work, and we are fortunate to have her on the team. In addition to her role as an exceptional broadcaster, we believe her perspective as a wife and mother will provide a special connection with our audience.”
The Talk airs weekdays, 2-3 p.m., ET and 1-2 p.m. PT/CT, on the CBS Television Network. It is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. The show is produced by CBS Studios.
Featured Photo: Natalie Morales (Credit: CBS)