Laura Jarrett began her stint as co-host of Saturday TODAY alongside Peter Alexander on 9th September 2023. She was previously a senior legal correspondent at NBC News. Laura quit her career as a lawyer after realizing that it wouldn’t bring her long-term happiness. After several unsuccessful attempts at landing a job in local media, she earned employment at CNN.
Laura Jarrett is of European, Native American, African American, and Jewish descent
Laura Jarrett was born on 29th October 1983, to Valerie and William Jarrett. She is of Jewish, African American, Native American, and European descent.
The TODAY host’s descendants fought against racial prejudice to become key historical figures. Laura’s great-great-grandfather, Robert Robinson Taylor, was the United States’ first accredited African-American architect.
Her maternal grandmother, Barbara Taylor Bowman, an early childhood education expert, has a Chicago street named in her honor. Laura’s grandfather, Dr. James Bowman, Jr., a pathologist and geneticist, defied a rule that prevented African-American people from accessing St. Luke’s Hospital via the front door.
“His attitude was, look, I’m going to be a physician here. I’m coming in the front door,” Valerie, Laura’s mother, said on 60 Minutes. “And so, the first day of work, he showed up and he walked in the front door. And everybody was aghast. And the next day, when he showed up for work, all of the black staff that worked in the hospital were waiting by the front door and they walked in with him.”
Laura’s paternal grandfather, Vernon Jarret, was an African-American journalist who provided commentary on politics, Black history, and race. Valerie, Laura’s mother, was considered the most influential presidential advisor of the Obama administration.