Ari Melber Biography
Ari Naftali Melber, an American lawyer and Emmy-winning journalist, was born on March 31, 1980. He currently serves as the chief legal correspondent for MSNBC and hosts the show The Beat with Ari Melber.
“The Beat” earned the greatest ratings of any MSNBC or CNN program in 2023, “outranking everything else on MSNBC — the first time in the network’s 27 years that a show outside the prime-time window took top honors,” according to the New York Times.
“The Beat’s” ratings among viewers under the age of 55 (“demo”) increased by 46% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
In terms of overall viewers, “The Beat” outperformed CNN and Fox News “better than any other show before it.”
In 2022, The Beat ranked second to Fox News on AdWeek’s ranking of the “most watched cable news” programs.
The Beat surpassed CNN and Fox News in ratings in January 2021 at 6pm, garnering 2.6 million viewers each night. The Beat more than doubled CNN’s ratings in 2022. The numbers for The Beat[8] are “MSNBC’s best rating ever for the time slot,” according to Forbes.
A 2020 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Live Interview went to The Beat.
Ari Melber Early life and education
The son of an Israeli immigrant, Melber is Jewish. His grandparents had survived the Holocaust.
Melber went to Seattle’s Garfield High School and the University of Michigan, where he earned an AB in political science. He relocated to Washington, D.C., after college and started working for Senator Maria Cantwell there. Later, he joined the presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry, serving as California’s deputy political director and working the Iowa caucuses. After Kerry was defeated, Melber went on to become an editor for the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and receive a J.D. from Cornell Law School. He worked as an intern at the public defender’s office, New York County Defender Services.
Melber worked at Cahill Gordon & Reindel for First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams. between 2009 and 2013. He also started contributing to news websites like Politico, Reuters, The Nation, and The Atlantic. After noticing him, MSNBC requested that he present a special episode. Melber was appointed as their chief legal correspondent in April 2015.
Ari Melber Media career
2013-2015
Alongside Touré, Steve Kornacki, Krystal Ball, S.E. Cupp, and S.E. Cupp, Melber was selected a co-host of “The Cycle” in April 2013. In spite of “The Cycle” being canceled in July 2015, Melber remained the network’s Chief Legal Correspondent. Melber served as a stand-in host for various shows, including The Rachel Maddow Show.
2015–2018
Melber is a legal commentator for NBC News and the lead legal correspondent for MSNBC, where she focuses on the Justice Department, FBI, and Supreme Court.
For his coverage of the Supreme Court, he received an Emmy. Melber served as the Sunday host of “The Point” on MSNBC in 2017.
The Beat had its debut on July 24, 2017, and in 2021 it became the “longest-running” program in MSNBC history at the 6 o’clock hour.
On May 9, 2017, the day James Comey was dismissed, Melber published a story speculating that the firing raised the possibility of a probe into possible obstruction of justice. He cited a former FBI official who informed him of this possibility. On May 18, 2017, a probe was made public, and it looked into obstruction.
In October, Melber wrote on a possible case for impeachment for “bribery” based on President Trump’s behavior toward Ukraine. Top Democrats started presenting the bribery case the following month, demonstrating that “Democrats agreed with the MSNBC host” (Mediaite, 24), while a Republican mentioned a bribery segment from The Beat at an impeachment hearing.
A state investigator was considering whether to charge possible defendants in the Mueller investigation with state offenses, meaning a conviction would not be eligible for a federal pardon, Melber said on August 29, 2017, a few months into the investigation. After Politico followed up on Melber’s scoop the following day, Paul Manafort was finally charged separately by New York State prosecutors in 2019.
2019
In February 2019, Corey Lewandowski, the former campaign manager for Donald Trump, was asked by Melber whether he would interfere with the Mueller investigation. Melber later revealed that Lewandowski’s response was untrue. Lewandowski was questioned on that incorrect response during a congressional hearing in 2019.
A Virginia man was repeatedly tased by police until he died while in their custody. Melber broke the story, which resulted in a report that prompted the FBI to look into the officers’ actions.
Melber broke the news on the eve of the 2018 midterm elections that Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee “intend to request President Trump’s tax returns.” Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the US House of Representatives Richard Neal implemented such strategy in April 2019.
The Beat with Ari Melber has featured newsworthy interviews, such as Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who talked to Melber after receiving the first pardon of Trump’s administration;[38] Eric Holder, Kamala Harris, Trump attorneys Jay Sekulow, Drew Findling and Joe Tacopina; Dave Chappelle, Robert DeNiro, Meek Mill, Erykah Badu, Ken Starr, and a range of witnesses in the Mueller probe, including Steve Bannon, whose Beat interview was his first ever appearance on MSNBC.
Melber has attracted notice for his interviewing abilities, nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Live Interview,” for simultaneously interrogating four crucial witnesses in the Mueller investigation. Melber is “a remarkably effective interviewer,” according to Columbia Journalism Review, who also noted that during difficult confrontations “his veins appear to contain ice water; he betrays no emotion at all.”
Melber is a superb interviewer, among the best on television, according to former Republican White House aide and New York Times columnist Peter Wehner.
In a 2019 interview with Melber, director Lee Daniels broke down in tears and declared it to be the only time he would ever “cry on television.”
2020
Conservative commentator Tiana Lowe wrote “Ari Melber on MSNBC” runs a “good straight news hour,” contrasting The Beat to other news shows, in June 2020. The Beat is described as a “thought-provoking” and “idiosyncratic show” by Mediaite that “avoids the singular focus on Trump’s misdeeds that consumes some other hosts”. Melber’s interviewing style uses “the facts of the story and logical reasoning [not] partisan cheap shots” for “fascinating” exchanges.
Ari Melber January 6 reporting
Peter Navarro, a former Trump assistant, was the subject of several notable interviews by Melber, one of which was used by Congress as justification for impeaching Navarro, which resulted in the DOJ indicting him.
The January 6 Report’s HarperCollins version, which shot to No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, has a foreword written by Melber.
“The Beat” Streaming
The Los Angeles Times wrote in a profile of Melber in 2023 that “Melber’s reach goes well beyond the dwindling number of people who watch cable television,” adding that The Beat “accumulated more than 1.27 billion total views on YouTube since it launched in 2017, more than any other personality’s at the network.”
One of the most watched shows online is Melber’s program (Daily Beast), and generating over a billion streams is “notable feat for a cable news program” (Reliable Sources).
The Beat is the “most streamed MSNBC show on YouTube” and has some of the most popular MSNBC parts online. In 2022, The Beat attracted 21 million monthly YouTube views.
Ari Melber Music and Culture
Melber frequently explains political or legal situations through hip-hop lyrics. He was referred to as the “secret fourth Beastie Boy” in a Vanity Fair article about MSNBC, which also stated that he is “shockingly smart and well read.”
In 2019, Melber began hosting a music program on Apple Music called Nevuary Radio.
Jay-Z and DJ Khaled’s song “God Did” was the subject of a special investigation by Melber in 2022, which included a “acutely detailed dissection” of his verse. Jay-Z later released the audio of Melber’s report as a new Jay-Z tune called “Hov Did” via streaming music services. Both Harlem artist Dave East and Meek Mill mention The Beat in their songs “Eyes Can See” and “Mandela Freestyle,” respectively.
Melber worked as a correspondent for The Nation; he has written for The Atlantic, Reuters, Politico, and several other publications in addition to several books. He also prepared a report on Organizing for America.
Ari Melber Personal life
Melber attended Seattle, Washington’s Garfield High School. Melber resides in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. Since 2017, he has been separated from Drew Grant, a pop culture correspondent for The New York Observer. He belongs to the New York Bar.
Ari Melber family
Ari Naftali is a Jew who was raised by Israeli immigrants. The Holocaust was also survived by his grandparents. He has no other family history information available. When it materializes, we’ll let you know.
Ari Melber Wife
2014 saw the marriage of Ari Melber and Drew Grant. Drew Grant presently serves as the Arts and Entertainment editor after serving as a staff writer in the past. They did, however, divorce in 2017.
Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn is where Ari also dwells. Alexandra Daddario, a Baywatch actress, is reported to be his girlfriend. Melber and Alexandra Daddario met through mutual friends.
In the popular Cuban restaurant Cafe Habana Malibu, they were first seen having lunch together in 2018. As they went away, the two kissed as well.
Ari Melber wedding
Like everyone else, he got married, but sadly, Drew Grant, now Ari Melber’s wife, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.
Drew Grant is still referred to be Ari Melber’s ex-wife even though she is no longer acknowledged as Ari Melber’s spouse.
Many well-known persons have struggled with the challenges of hastily getting married and subsequently divorcing their spouse.
You may go around and find some instances of famous people getting divorced; it has been a trend that has been prevalent among some of the most successful people there is.
She was connected with Ari Melber, therefore we can’t call her his wife; we have to call her his ex-wife.
Ari Melber net worth
Melber is thought to have a $4 million net worth. His success as a writer, attorney, and host is entirely attributable to these jobs.
It is estimated that he earns $64,000 a year.
Who is Ari Melbourne married to?
Melber resides in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. Since 2017, he has been separated from Drew Grant, a pop culture correspondent for The New York Observer. He belongs to the New York Bar.
How many sisters do Ari have?
Along with her siblings Kyle and Ashley, Ari was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.
What happened to Ari Melber’s marriage?
Ari Melber’s wife Drew Grant. They got divorced in 2017. Ari Melber serves as a legal expert for NBC News in addition to being a journalist and anchor for MSNBC.
How many kids does Ari Melber have?
His ex-wife is the pop culture correspondent for The New York Observer. He is admitted to the New York State Bar Association. As of the middle of 2022, Ari Melber is not married and has no children.