Ali Velshi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ali Velshi
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Velshi at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2019
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| Born | October 29, 1968 or 1969 (age 56–55) Nairobi, Kenya
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| Alma mater | Queen's University |
| Occupation | Broadcast journalist, author |
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| Relatives | Murad Velshi (father) Shaf Keshavjee Mohamed Keshavjee |
Ali Velshi (born October 29, 1968, or 1969) is a Canadian television journalist. He is a top reporter for NBC News and an anchor for MSNBC. He often reports on important money and business news.
Ali Velshi also fills in as an anchor for The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. He works from New York City. Before joining NBC and MSNBC, he was well-known for his work at CNN. There, he was the Chief Business Correspondent and hosted shows like Your Money. In 2013, he joined Al Jazeera America, where he hosted Ali Velshi on Target. He has been with MSNBC since October 2016.
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About Ali Velshi's Life
Ali Velshi's family originally came from India. In 1961, they moved to Kenya. Ali Velshi was born in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1971, his family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he grew up.
He is an Ismaili Muslim. His family is of Gujarati Indian descent. His father, Murad Velshi, was the first Canadian of Indian origin to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. His mother, Mila, also Indian, grew up in South Africa. Ali Velshi's parents ran a bakery in South Africa. They moved to Kenya in 1960 because of Apartheid, a system of unfair racial separation. In Toronto, his parents owned a group of travel agencies.
Ali Velshi went to Northern Secondary School in Toronto. He was even elected school president! Later, he studied religious studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. This was in 1994. While at Queen's, he organized protests against certain political parties. In 2010, he received a special award from Queen's University. In 2016, he was given an honorary law degree from the university.
Ali Velshi is married to Lori Wachs, who works in finance. They met when she was a guest on his show. They have one daughter together. Ali Velshi spends his time between New York City and his home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Ali Velshi's Career in Journalism
In 1996, Ali Velshi received a special fellowship. This allowed him to work with the United States Congress. He worked with Lee H. Hamilton, a Democratic Representative from Indiana.
Working in Television News
Ali Velshi started his reporting career in Toronto. He worked as a general reporter for CFTO. Later, he became a business reporter and anchor for other local stations. In 1999, he joined Report on Business Television, which was Canada's first all-business news channel. He hosted The Business News, which was Canada's first prime-time business news show.
His Time at CNN
In September 2001, Ali Velshi moved to the U.S. He joined the business news channel CNNfn in New York City. He hosted several shows there, like Insights and Your Money. When CNNfn closed in 2004, he moved to the main CNN network.
In 2005, Velshi hosted a reality television show called The Turnaround. On this show, he traveled across America. He helped small business owners who were having problems. He connected them with experienced mentors who helped them make plans to succeed. After this, he worked on The Situation Room. He also joined American Morning as a business reporter.
In 2008, Ali Velshi took a road trip across the country. He traveled on the CNN Election Express. He stopped to talk about money issues with Americans. He also reported from places affected by major events. This included the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing in Pakistan. He also reported from hurricane-hit areas during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
During the 2007–2008 financial crisis, Ali Velshi was on TV often. He explained the crisis on shows like American Morning and Anderson Cooper 360°. He also took calls from viewers during special shows.
Ali Velshi is Muslim. He often shares his background when discussions involve Islam. He has spoken up for the right of the Muslim community to build a mosque in New York City. He has also criticized ideas that unfairly target Muslims.
Joining Al Jazeera America
On April 4, 2013, Ali Velshi announced he was leaving CNN. He joined Al Jazeera America. He was the first person hired to be on air for the new channel. He hosted a show called Real Money with Ali Velshi. It started as a weekly show and soon became a daily show. In May 2015, the show changed its name to Ali Velshi on Target. This show ended in April 2016 when Al Jazeera America closed down.
Working at MSNBC and NBC
Ali Velshi joined MSNBC in October 2016. He also took on duties at NBC News, which is MSNBC's parent company. There, he works as a Business Correspondent.
He first co-anchored the MSNBC news program Velshi & Ruhle. He also had his own show, MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi. He often fills in as host for The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on Fridays.
In December 2019, Ali Velshi moved to weekend mornings. He now hosts his own two-hour show called Velshi. He still fills in for other hosts during the week.
Books Written by Ali Velshi
Ali Velshi has written two books. His first book, Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis, came out in 2009. His second book, How to Speak Money: The Language & Knowledge You Need Now, was written with his friend and co-anchor Christine Romans. It was published in 2011.
Awards and Special Recognition
In 2010, Ali Velshi received the highest award given to alumni from Queen's University. Also in 2010, his reporting for CNN on "How the Wheels Came Off" won an award. This report was about the near collapse of the U.S. Auto Industry.
CNN was nominated for an Emmy award in 2010 for its coverage of a terror attack attempt on a flight. Ali Velshi was the anchor for this breaking news. In 2015, he was nominated for two more Emmy awards for his work at Al Jazeera. These nominations were for his reports on low wages for disabled workers and a scandal in Chicago.
Special Honors
- Honorary Degrees
| Location | Date | School | Degree | Gave Commencement Address |
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 Ontario |
7 June 2016 | Queen's University | Doctor of Laws (LL.D) | Yes |
Groups and Charity Work
Ali Velshi is a member of several important groups. These include the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of New York. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the Chicago History Museum and Seeds of Peace. He is also on the board of the X Prize Foundation. This non-profit group creates public competitions. These competitions encourage new technologies that can help humanity.
See also
- Broadcast journalism
- Gujarati people
- Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
- New Yorkers in journalism
