BUSY days are the new normal for the mom of two, who recently joined NBC’s Saturday Today as a co-anchor.

NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett hosted her first show on September 9 alongside journalist and TV presenter Peter Alexander.

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Laura Jarrett and her co-anchor, Peter Alexander, on Friday, September 8, 2023Credit: 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC.

Who is Laura Jarrett?

Laura Jarrett was born and raised in Chicago before attending Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Her mother is Valerie Jarrett, a former Chicago government official who became one of President Barack Obama’s longest-serving senior advisors.

Valerie has served as the CEO of the Obama Foundation since October 2021.

Jarrett then studied at Harvard Law School, where she met her husband, Tony Balkissoon.

After graduating from law school in 2010, Jarrett moved back to Chicago to clerk for two federal judges before starting a six-year gig as a law firm associate.

She then made the leap from law to media, becoming a reporter for CNN.

After six years at CNN, Jarrett began working at NBC in January 2023 as a senior legal correspondent, covering the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court.

A few months later, she was announced as the new co-anchor of Saturday Today, replacing longtime host Kristen Welker.

Welker went on to moderate NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday mornings.

Jarrett currently anchors the show with Emmy Award-winning journalist and chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander.

Her reporting appears across NBC and MSNBC platforms, including NBCNews.com, NBC News NOW, and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Who is Laura Jarrett’s husband, Tony Balkissoon?

Tony Balkissoon was born in Ontario, Canada.

His father, Bas Balkissoon, is a former politician and member of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly.

Bas was a Member of Provincial Parliament from 2005 until his resignation in 2016.

Balkissoon graduated with honors in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto before pursuing a law degree.

Balkissoon met his wife when the two were second-year law students at Harvard University in 2008.

They tied the knot two years after graduation, in 2012.

He initially worked as an associate at an international law firm, litigating intellectual property disputes.

Balkissoon then went on to litigate criminal justice and civil rights cases in federal trial and appellate courts across the country.

He is currently the Vice President and Executive Counsel at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Do they have any kids?

Laura Jarrett and Tony Balkissoon have two children together.

The couple share a 4-year-old son, James, and a 15-month-old daughter, June.

June Tahay is named after Laura’s mother, Valerie June, and Tony’s mother, Tahay.

In an interview with Today, Jarrett revealed that “Tony and I waited a while before we had children, which I think was super valuable because we just got to have fun.”

Laura Jarrett poses for a photo with her husband, Tony Balkissoon, and their two children, June and JamesCredit: Courtesy Laura Jarrett
She added, “We had a ball just the two of us for a long time and I think that really set us up for success.”

Nowadays, things are a bit different as a family of four.

Jarrett admits “The sleep is not happening in the house, but that is OK.”

She says she’s looking forward to sharing more of her family on the Today show.

Her co-anchor, Peter Alexander, is also a dad of daughters Ava, 10, and Emma, 8.

Jarrett says she’s excited about the prospect of her co-host offering advice and “tips for what’s coming down the pike!”