Soledad O’Brien

Documentarian
Journalist
Author
Speaker
Philanthropist
Thought leader

"I’ve reported all over the world, talking to people in their best and worst moments, under fire and finding joy. I believe in accountability and equal access. I try to get out of the way so people can tell their stories because I trust our viewers. Facts matter. Giving voice is important.”

Soledad O’Brien is a journalist, documentarian, philanthropist and popular speaker with over two million followers on social media.

She was a founding anchor at MSNBC, anchored at NBC’s “Weekend Today,” anchored CNN’s morning show for more than a decade, and was a correspondent for HBO RealSports. She has also reported news, shows, documentaries and podcasts for the PBS NewsHour, NatGeo, Hearst, Scripps, A&E, Audible, IHeart, among others, most recently anchoring and producing "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien," a national Hearst political magazine for a decade. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in May 2023.

Soledad O'Brien taking a selfie at a graduation

Soledad has made a name across media as a thought leader and speaker, authoring 2 critically acclaimed books with her production partner Rose Arce, testifying before a congressional committee on media disinformation and creating the PowHerful Foundation which puts young women through college. She is Executive Producer of 2 Oscar nominated documentaries, host w/Rob Reiner of Who Killed JFK which debuted #1 on Apple, and has anchored nationally televised town halls for CNN, A&E, BET, and others. She has interviewed numerous presidents, including Donald Trump and Barack Obama, celebrities across the spectrum, scores of political leaders, CEOs, athletes and entertainers,

In 2026, Soledad reported She Was First, a 6 part documentary series on women in the arts who were first in their field and the documentary War on La Radio for In Real Life on Scripps. She was executive producer of the Oscar nominated documentaries, "The Devil Is Busy,” on HBO and Netflix "The Perfect Neighbor," which earned the Best Director award at Sundance, debuted as the number one–streamed documentary on Netflix and won 5 Critics Choice Awards and the Cinema Eye. SO’B has also produced The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks for Peacock, Black and Missing for HBO, and many other films. She has won ten Emmys, three George Foster Peabody Awards, the Alfred I Dupont Award, and many others.

News and Documentary Emmy Award
Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story, Long Form
Soledad O’Brien and Rose Arce, Crisis in Haiti (2010)
News and Documentary Emmy Award
CNN Election Night in America
Soledad O’Brien, reporter
George Foster Peabody Award
Best News Reporting
Soledad O’Brien, CNN Coverage of the BP Oil Spill
News and Documentary Emmy Award
CNN Who Is Black in America? Kids and Race (2012)
Soledad O’Brien and Anderson Cooper, reporters
Sports Emmy Award
Outstanding Hosted Edited Series
Soledad O’Brien, reporter