Laura Jarrett has officially taken her seat at the Saturday TODAY anchor desk!
On Sept. 9, the senior legal correspondent for NBC News hosted her first Saturday TODAY show, sitting alongside TODAY co-anchor Peter Alexander and Joe Fryer, who has also recently been namedSaturday TODAY’sfeature anchor.
"I couldn't sleep a wink last night," Laura said while making her big debut Saturday. "My husband was snoozing away and I'm doom-scrolling, trying to make sure I'm prepared."
"I was so excited. I'm just bursting," she told Peter. "I'm so happy to sit next to you."
On Sept. 8, Laura and Peter joined the TODAY family in Studio 1A ahead of the new team's debut.
“There’s a tradition on the first day when they have the announce, when we say the anchor’s name. So we’ll see Laura’s expression when she hears her name for the first time," Peter said.
On the day of the broadcast, Laura said it sounded so "magical" hearing her name alongside Peter's.
"I don't think you can ever get used to that," she said.
Laura takes over for Kristen Welker, the new moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Kristen gave her successor a sweet shoutout in a congratulatory video compilation for Laura, also featuring Lester Holt and her family.
"I know that you are going to be awesome," Kristen said. "I will be watching every single Saturday and cheering you and Peter on."
After finding out about her new gig, Laura told TODAY.com that she was “stunned.”
“It is such a huge honor, and I am so excited about the opportunity,” she said. “And of course, I’m excited for how much fun Peter and I are going to have together.”
Read on for everything to know about Laura.
Where is Laura from?
Laura, 37, is originally from Chicago and attended Amherst College in Massachusetts. She was raised on the South Side of the city surrounded by family.
"Every Sunday night, my grandmother would invite all of our extended family over for a big dinner," Laura said on TODAY Sept. 9. "My mom was a single mom and was working all the time, and I think it was really helpful to have that support system."
She then studied at Harvard Law School, where she met her husband, Tony Balkissoon. They met in 2008 while second-year law students and got married in 2012.
Where has Laura worked before?
After law school, Laura traveled back to the Windy City and clerked for two federal judges before getting a job at a law firm, where she primarily defended corporations and individuals under investigation by the justice department.
But even in her 20s, Laura had ambitions of becoming a TV news legal analyst.
Once she was a six-year law associate, she started to consider if she wanted to try and make partner at her firm.
"I realized there was no path for me that I was going to enjoy long term," she told TODAY.com.
After making the jump from law to media, Laura became a reporter at CNN. Since January 2023, Laura has been with NBC News covering the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court.
Laura credits TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who attended Georgetown Law School and was previously a lawyer, with encouraging her to make the career shift.
“She was one of the people that I talked to who I knew had a legal background and was able to make that pivot,” Laura said of Savannah. “She encouraged me so much, and said, ‘You can always go back to being a lawyer, but don’t you want to have more fun?’ She was so supportive, and I think back to that moment a lot. I think back to where I would be if I hadn’t taken the plunge.”
She also says part of the motivation to move jobs came from her plans to grow her family.
“I felt like if I didn’t jump before I had kids, I wasn’t going to have the courage to do it — and I didn’t want to get stuck,” she told TODAY.com.
Does Laura have any children?
Laura and her husband currently live in New York City and share two children, James, 4, and June, 1.
“Peter and I are very much aligned about wanting to meet people where they are on Saturday mornings,” Laura said of her co-anchor. “We’re both parents of young children.”
Traditionally, Laura said her Saturday mornings consisted of watching TODAY while making pancakes for her kids, which now allows her relate to viewers on the other side of the television screens.
“When you have that perspective, it helps a little bit when thinking of what viewers are looking forward to,” she said.
Will Laura still report on legal matters for NBC News?
Yes, Laura willcontinue covering legal issues for NBC News amid her new role anchoring Saturday TODAY.
How did her new co-workers and family react to her joining Saturday TODAY?
Laura joins Saturday TODAY this weekend in place of Kristen, whose last show was Aug. 26.
Kristen has said she is “thrilled” to pass the baton to Laura.
“Anchoring the show with my best friend was the highlight of every week. I am so thrilled that my friend Laura will now join Peter as the next co-anchor of Saturday TODAY,” Kristen told TODAY.com in August. “We have all seen Laura’s brilliant legal analysis, and now we can’t wait to watch her shine on Saturdays.”
Laura's new co-host, Peter, is also confident about the change, predicting that the TODAY audience “is going to love” her.
“It’s been an absolute joy getting to know Laura since she joined our team at NBC News,” Peter said. “I’m so thrilled to welcome her as my teammate on Saturday mornings. Not only is she one of the smartest journalists around, she’s so much fun to be with.”
Laura's mother, Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, was elated to hear about her daughter's new role with TODAY.
“She was very excited,” Laura said of her mom's reaction to the news. “I love that she’s been super encouraging about helping me take this plunge. I think because she pivoted a lot in her career and had her own sort of non-traditional path, she gets it and has been so supportive.”
