Ari Melber Biography
Ari Melber is an American attorney and Emmy-winning anchor working for MSNBC as a chief legal correspondent. He joined the MSNBC news team in April 2015, after previously working for NBC News.
Ari Melber Career
Melber joined S.E. Cupp, Krystal Ball, Touré, and Steve Kornacki as a co-host of “The Cycle” in April 2013. It was decided to end “The Cycle” in July 2015, and Melber kept working for the network as Chief Legal Correspondent. Melber filled in as a host for The Rachel Maddow Show and other shows. Melber works as a legal analyst for NBC News and as the top legal correspondent for MSNBC. He covers the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Supreme Court.
He got an Emmy for his work covering the Supreme Court. Melber was the host of “The Point” on MSNBC every Sunday in 2017. In 2021, “The Beat” became the “longest-running” show at “MSNBC’s 6 p.m. hour in network history.” Its first episode aired on July 24, 2017. Melber wrote that the firing of FBI Director James Comey could lead to a probe into obstruction of justice on May 9, 2017, the day Comey was fired. He got this information from a former FBI official who said the firing made obstruction more likely. On May 18, 2017, a probe was announced, which included a review into obstruction.
According to Melber, President Trump’s moves toward Ukraine could lead to his impeachment for “bribery” in October. Top Democrats made the bribery case for the first time the following month, showing that Democrats agreed with the MSNBC host. At an impeachment meeting, a Republican used a bribery segment from The Beat.
A few months into the Mueller investigation, on August 29, 2017, Melber broke the news that a state investigator was looking into whether they had the power to charge possible defendants in the Mueller investigation with state crimes. If they were found guilty, they would not be available for a federal pardon. Melber’s story was picked up by Politico the next day, and in 2019, New York State officials brought separate charges against Paul Manafort.
In February 2019, Melber asked Corey Lewandowski, who used to work for Trump as a campaign manager, if Trump asked him to get involved in the Mueller investigation. Lewandowski denied it, but Melber later claimed that Lewandowski’s answer was false. Lewandowski was asked about that false answer at a hearing in Congress in 2019. Melber broke the story that Virginia police repeatedly tasered a man until he died while in police custody. This led to an investigation that was looked into by the FBI.
Melber broke the news that Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee “plan to request President Trump’s tax returns” on the night of the 2018 midterm elections. In April 2019, Richard Neal, who is the chairman of the US House Committee on Ways and Means, used that plan. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who talked to Ari Melber after getting the first pardon under Trump’s administration, was one of the most interesting people he has interviewed. Others include Eric Holder, Kamala Harris, Trump lawyers Jay Sekulow, Drew Findling, and Joe Tacopina, Dave Chappelle, Robert DeNiro, Meek Mill, Erykah Badu, Ken Starr, and many witnesses in the Mueller investigation, including Steve Bannon, whose interview with Ari Melber was his first time on MSNBC.
For asking four important witnesses in the Mueller investigation at once, Melber got a nomination for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Live Interview,” which brought him a lot of attention. The Columbia Journalism Review said that Melber is “a remarkably effective interviewer” and that “his veins appear to contain ice water; he betrays no emotion at all” when they are talking about sensitive topics. The A.P. says “Melber is respected enough as a lawyer that some figures in Trump world, like Peter Navarro and lawyer Joe Tacopina, have appeared on “The Beat” to tell their stories.”
A former Republican official in the White House who now writes for The New York Times, Peter Wehner, said, “Melber is an outstanding interviewer, among the best on television.” In a 2019 talk with Melber about his life and work, director Lee Daniels got emotional. Moreover, he said it was the only time he would ever cry on television. Thought leader on the right Tiana Lowe wrote in June 2020 that Ari Melber on MSNBC hosts a “good straight news hour.” In addition, Journalism website Mediaite said that The Beat is an interesting and “thought-provoking” show that “doesn’t just focus on Trump’s wrongdoings like some other hosts do.” They also said that Melber’s interview style uses “the facts of the story and logical reasoning, partisan cheap shots” to make “fascinating” exchanges.
Melber did several interviews with former Trump staffer Peter Navarro that made the news. One of the interviews was used as proof by Congress to hold Navarro in contempt, which led to his DOJ indictment and later conviction. Moreover, there was a HarperCollins version of the January 6 Report with a foreword by Melber. It was a number 1 New York Times bestseller.
In a 2023 profile, the Los Angeles Times said, “Melber’s reach goes well beyond the dwindling number of people who watch cable television.” They said that The Beat had “accumulated more than 1.27 billion total views on YouTube since it launched in 2017, more than any other personality on the network.” “Notable feat for a cable news program” that Melber’s show has over a billion streams makes it one of the most watched shows online (Daily Beast). Additionally, in 2022, 21 million people watched The Beat every month on YouTube. Moreover, it is the “most streamed MSNBC show on YouTube” and has some of the most watched MSNBC parts online.
Ari Melber Music Career
Melber often uses songs from hip-hop to explain political or legal situations. People who work for MSNBC called him the “secret fourth Beastie Boy” and said he was “shockingly smart and well-read.” Melber hosts a music show on Apple Music called Nevuary Radio, which came out in 2019. Moreover, Melber wrote a special report in 2022 about Jay-Z and DJ Khaled’s song “God Did,”. This included an “acutely detailed dissection” of Khaled’s verse.
Jay-Z then put the audio of Melber’s report out as a new Jay-Z track called “Hov Did” on streaming music services. The Beat is talked about in Meek Mill’s music video “Mandela Freestyle,” and Harlem rapper Dave East talks about it in the chorus of his song “Eyes Can See.” The Nation hired Melber as a correspondent, and his work has been in The Atlantic, Reuters, Politico, and several books. He also wrote a story about Organizing for America.
Ari Melber The Beat
“The Beat” is often the most-watched show on MSNBC, according to The A.P. in 2023. This is because the Emmy-winning NBC News legal analyst brings a methodical, follow-fact style to the issues he addresses. It was 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, the New York Times reported in 2023.
“The Beat” had the best ratings of any show on MSNBC or CNN. As of November 2023, AdWeek said that The Beat was the highest-rated non-Fox News show in the demo on cable news. Forbes said that in January 2024, The Beat was the most popular show on both MSNBC and CNN. Also, Forbes said that the show has “MSNBC’s best rating ever for the time slot.”
Vogue magazine said in 2023 that “The Five” on Fox and “The Beat” are two of “the most-watched news programs on cable.” AdWeek said that in 2022, The Beat was one of the most-watched cable news shows. Rates for “The Beat” went up 46% in 2021, and it did better than “any other show before it. There were 2.6 million watchers of The Beat every night at 6 p.m. in January 2021. This was more than twice as many as watched CNN. Moreover, the Beat was up for an Outstanding Live Interview Emmy Award in 2020. On MSNBC, she works alongside Alex Witt, Jen Psaki, Katie Phang, Ali Velshi, Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Joe Scarborough.
Ari Melber Salary
Melber earns a salary of about $57,000-$150,000.
Ari Melber Net Worth
Melber has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which he has earned through his career as a news anchor and reporter.
Ari Melber Age
Melber was born on March 31, 1980, in Seattle, Washington, United States. He is 43 years old as of 2023, and he celebrates his birthday on the 31st of March every year.
Ari Melber Height and Weight
Melber stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches tall (1.80m) and weighs 72kgs (158 lbs)
Ari Melber Family
Ari was born in Seattle, Washington, United States to Daniel M. Melber (father), a neurologist, and Barbara D. Melber (mother), a sociologist. Moreover, Ari has a brother named Jonathan Melber whom they share a great bond. In addition, his father came to America from Israel and his grandparents lived through the Holocaust.
Ari Melber Wife and Children
Melber was married to Drew Grant, a Managing Editor of Passionfruit since 2017. The two tied the knot in 2013 and after three years of marriage, they divorced in 2017. The reason for their divorce is not known yet. However, there have been rumors that Melber is already dating someone else. Moreover, Melber and Drew did not have any children together.
Ari Melber Wedding
Melber and Drew Grant had an intimate wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family in 2013. Melber and Drew exchanged vows in front of a beautiful tropical paradise. Moreover, the couple made sure that their special day included things from both of their different backgrounds. This made the party both unique and open to everyone. Because both Drew and Ari are well-known in the media, their wedding guest list was full of A-list celebrities. Journalists, celebrities, and other important people came to see this power couple get married. Moreover, Drew and Ari both have a deep respect for the arts. Because of that, at their wedding, famous musicians played live, making the atmosphere magical for their guests.
Ari Melber Social Media Platforms
Melber is very active on his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages. He has 956.8k followers on Twitter 404.8k followers on Instagram, and 136.3k followers on Facebook.