Ali Velshi

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Ali Velshi
Velshi & Ruhle
Title
  • Anchor
  • Chief Business Correspondent
RelativesMurad Velshi (father), Shaf Keshavjee, Mohamed Keshavjee
Websitealivelshi.com

Ali Velshi (born October 29, 1968, or 1969) is a Canadian television journalist, a senior economic and business correspondent for NBC News, and an anchor for MSNBC. He is also a substitute anchor for The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC on Friday night. Velshi is based in New York City. Known for his work on CNN, he was CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, anchor of CNN's Your Money and a co-host of CNN International's weekday business show World Business Today. In 2013, he joined Al Jazeera America, a channel that launched in August of that year.[1] He hosted Ali Velshi on Target until Al Jazeera America ceased operations on April 12, 2016. He has worked for MSNBC since October 2016.[2]

Personal life

Velshi's family comes from India, but in 1961 they moved to Kenya.[3] Velshi was born in

Ismaili Muslim of Gujarati Indian descent.[5][6] He is the son of Murad Velshi, the first Canadian of Indian origin elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and the son of Mila, also Indian, who grew up in South Africa. Velshi's parents operated a bakery in South Africa, but moved to Kenya in 1960, when Apartheid became oppressive. In Toronto, Velshi's parents operate a chain of travel agencies.[7]

Velshi attended Toronto's

Northern Secondary School, where he was elected school president. He then earned a degree in religious studies[8] from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1994.[9] During his time at Queen's he made news by organizing protests against Preston Manning and Canada's Reform Party. In 2010, he was awarded the Queen's University Alumni Achievement Award.[10] In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by his alma mater.[11]

Velshi was married briefly in his twenties. In 2009, he married his second wife, New York–born hedge fund manager Lori Wachs,[12] the president of Philadelphia-based Cross Ledge Investments, whom he met when she was a guest on his show. The couple have one child together, a daughter.[13] Velshi divides his time between an apartment in New York City and his home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.[14]

Career

In 1996, Velshi was awarded a

Democratic Representative from Indiana.[8]

Television

In Toronto, Velshi began his professional reporting career as a General Assignment reporter for

Business News Network) Canada's first all-business news specialty channel. Velshi hosted The Business News, Canada's first prime-time business news hour.[7]

CNN

Velshi moved to the U.S. in September 2001, joining business news channel

The Situation Room from 2005 to 2006. Velshi joined American Morning as business correspondent in late 2006 and then again as co-anchor in 2011. In 2008, Velshi undertook a cross-country road trip aboard the CNN Election Express, during which he travelled from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Los Angeles, California, stopping along the way to discuss money issues with Americans. Velshi also spent 10 days riding the CNN Election Express through rural Texas before that state's March 4, 2008, primaries.[citation needed
]

Velshi regularly was a substitute anchor for CNN/U.S. programs such as American Morning. On Saturday and Sunday he co-hosted a business program called Your Money. Velshi also hosted CNN's Energy Hunt, which took him to the

Oil Sands of Canada in 2008. Tragic events during 2008 brought Velshi more airtime, including reporting from the now-destroyed Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan,[16] after the killing of Benazir Bhutto.[17] During coverage of Hurricanes Gustav[18] and Ike, Velshi appeared on air, on location from hurricane-stricken areas, as the storms hit.[citation needed
]

During the 2008 financial crisis, Velshi again appeared on television frequently throughout the day on shows including American Morning and Anderson Cooper 360° and took viewers' live calls during special editions of Your Money and during his weekly call-in radio show. Until leaving CNN, Velshi co-hosted the market opening edition of World Business Today on CNN International.[19]

Being Muslim, Velshi regularly acknowledges his background and perspective when discussions involve Islam. Velshi has strongly defended the Muslim community's right to build a mosque and Islamic center (

Sharia law.[21][22]

Al Jazeera America

On April 4, 2013, it was announced that Velshi would be leaving CNN to join Al Jazeera America to host a weekly 30-minute magazine-style prime-time program called Real Money with Ali Velshi.[23] He was the first on-air personality to be hired for the new channel.[24] The channel stated that it hoped that Velshi's show would initially start off as a weekly show and become a daily show by the end of the year.[25] Real Money with Ali Velshi launched on August 20, 2013, as a daily weekday show. On May 12, 2015, the show relaunched as Ali Velshi on Target. This show ended in April 2016 when Al Jazeera America shut down.[citation needed]

MSNBC and NBC

Velshi joined MSNBC in October 2016,[26] with additional duties at MSNBC's parent news division, NBC News, for which he serves as Business Correspondent.

Velshi initially co-anchored the 1:00 pm ET MSNBC news program Velshi & Ruhle with Stephanie Ruhle, as well as having his own 3:00 PM ET news program MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi. Velshi was also appointed as the fill-in host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on Friday edition.[citation needed]

However, in December 2019, Velshi was moved to weekend mornings with his own show called Velshi, a 3-hour solo act. He continues to substitute for other hosts in the weekday evening lineups.[27]

Writings

Velshi is represented by the New York literary agency

John Wiley & Sons in November 2011.[citation needed
]

Awards and recognition

In 2010, Velshi was awarded the Queen's University Alumni Achievement Award; the highest award given to Queen's University alumni. Also in 2010, Velshi's in-depth reporting for CNN's "How the Wheels Came Off" about the near collapse of the U.S. Auto Industry was honoured with a National Headliner Award for Business & Consumer Reporting. Velshi anchored CNN's global breaking news coverage of an attempted terror attack on a Delta flight into Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, for which CNN was nominated for a 2010 Emmy award. Velshi was nominated for two additional News & Documentary Emmy awards in 2015 for his contributions at Al Jazeera, including coverage of low wages paid to disabled American workers and a scandal involving red-light cameras in Chicago.[citation needed]

Honours

Honorary degrees
Location Date School Degree Gave Commencement Address
 Ontario 7 June 2016 Queen's University
Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[28]
 Yes[29]

Referencing Velshi's signature bald pate, the comedian Jon Stewart has referred to Velshi as the "Hairless Prophet of Doom" on The Daily Show,[30]—the "H-POD" moniker is now frequently repeated by others.

Stephen Colbert referred to Velshi as "CNN's business reporter from our hairless, raceless future" on an episode of The Colbert Report wherein he discussed the 2008 financial crisis.

In addition to appearing on The Daily Show, Velshi appeared on

The View
on February 4, 2009, after the launch of his first book on the crisis.

Velshi played himself in the 2010 Oliver Stone film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

During the recurring intro segment of

The 11th Hour when Velshi was a guest host. His full transcript was: "A new Fox News poll gives us an even closer look at the mood of the country. It's not great."[32]

Memberships and non-profit work

Velshi is a member of the

X Prize Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ Weinger, M. (April 4, 2013). "Ali Velshi Joins Al Jazeera America". Politico. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  2. ^ Steinberg, Brian (October 18, 2016). "MSNBC Hires Ali Velshi". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  3. YouTube
  4. ISBN 9781499058741
    .
  5. ^ Leslie Scrivener (May 10, 2009). "From Toronto to CNN, he's all business". the star.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015. The Velshis belong to the Ismaili branch of Islam, led by the Aga Khan. Their forebears are from Gujarat state in India, though Murad and Mila, Ali's mother, grew up in South Africa. Ali's great-grandfather was a friend of Gandhi, who arrived in South Africa in 1893; his grandfather was a student in a Gandhi-organized school, and an uncle took part in passive-resistance anti-apartheid actions.
  6. ^ "American India Foundation expands reach". The Times of India. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015. In the keynote address Al Jazeera America host Ali Velshi, whose great-grandparents moved to Africa from Gujarat a century ago, recalled the struggles his forefathers had to endure in their adopted land.
  7. ^ a b Lueders, Bill (May 7, 2024). "Ali Velshi's Lucky Life". The Bulwark. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "CNN Programs - Anchors/Reporters - Ali Velshi". Cnn.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  9. ^ "Ali Velshi." Marquis Who's Who TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008 Retrieved 2008-11-23. Document Number: K2017691604.
  10. ^ "Alumni Association celebrates outstanding achievements | Queen's University News Centre". Queensu.ca. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Hip among alumni receiving honorary degrees". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Postmedia Network. March 23, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  12. ^ "Speakers - Wharton Graduate Retail Club". Wharton Graduate Retail Club. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  13. ^ Scrivener, Leslie (May 10, 2009). "From Toronto to CNN, he's all business". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  14. ^ Fiorillo, Victor (March 10, 2018). "One of Us: Ali Velshi, MSNBC Host". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  15. ^ "CNN/Money: The Turnaround". Money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  16. ^ "Deadly blast targets Marriott Hotel in Islamabad - CNN.com". CNN. September 21, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  17. ^ "New video appears to show Bhutto being shot". CNN.com. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  18. ^ "Video - Breaking News Videos from". CNN.com. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  19. ^ "Ali Velshi". MSNBC. June 14, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  20. ^ CNN - XYZ with Ali Velshi: "Religious Freedom A Right" August 10, 2010.
  21. ^ CNN Transcripts: "Many Muslims Object To House Hearing about Radicalization" March 11, 2011
  22. ^ CNN Transcripts: "Muslim Radicalization Hearing Ends" March 10, 2011
  23. ^ "Meet the Team - Senior Executive Producer for Business Programming John Meehan | al Jazeera America". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  24. ^ Hayden, E. (April 4, 2013). "Ali Velshi Joins Al Jazeera America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  25. ^ Patten, D. (April 4, 2013). "CNN's Ali Velshi Leaving For Al Jazeera America". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  26. ^ Sutton, Kelsey (October 18, 2016). "Ali Velshi joins MSNBC". Politico. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  27. ^ Steinberg, Brian (December 20, 2019). "MSNBC Moves Ali Velshi to Weekend Mornings in Schedule Shake-Up".
  28. ^ "2016 Honorary Degree Recipients | University Registrar". www.queensu.ca.
  29. ^ "An 'On Target' address". June 7, 2016.
  30. ^ "The Economy - Not Unbad? | The Daily Show | Comedy Central". The Daily Show. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  31. ^ "Homeland Season 7 Intro". YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  32. ^ "The 11th Hour With Brian Williams archive". archive.org. MSNBC. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  33. ^ "Economic Club of New York - Public Policy - Economics - Social Issues". Econclubny.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  34. ^ "Board of Trustees". XPRIZE. November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
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