Ali Velshi is a Canadian television journalist who has worked for NBC News as a senior economic and business correspondent since October 2016. He was also a weeknight substitute anchor for Top Story with Tom Llamas on NBC News Now and a Friday night substitute anchor for The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC. Velshi lives in New York City.
Age of Ali Velshi
Ali Velshi was born in Nairobi, Kenya on October 29, 1969. He was raised in Toronto, Ontario, however, after moving there in 1971. His sign is Scorpio. He is an Ismaili Muslim descended from Gujarati Indians. He is currently 52 years old.
He was born to Murad Velshi, the first Indian-origin Canadian elected to Ontario’s Legislative Assembly, and his South African-born wife, Mila. His parents owned and operated a bakery in South Africa before relocating to Kenya when Apartheid became oppressive.
Velshi’s parents currently own a travel agency chain in Toronto. Velshi has a sister, Ishrath Velshi, who ran for Ward 26 Council in 2014.
Education
Velshi attended Toronto’s Northern Secondary School, where he was elected school president. He earned a degree in religious studies from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1994.
Professional Career
Velshi began his professional career in Toronto as a General Assignment reporter for CFTO. He later worked as a business reporter and anchor for Cable Pulse 24.
He began working for Report on Business Television, Canada’s first all-business news specialty channel, in 1999. (now BNN Bloomberg – Business News Network). Velshi later hosted The Business News, Canada’s first prime-time business news hour.
Velshi relocated to the United States in September 2001 and began working for the business news channel CNN in New York City. He has hosted a number of shows, including Insights, Business Unusual, Street Sweep, and Your Money.
Furthermore, before the network’s closure in December 2004, Ali co-hosted The Money Gang with Pat Kiernan. Similarly, in 2005, Velshi hosted 13 hour-long episodes of The Turnaround, a reality television show, in which he traveled across America introducing small business owners who were facing difficulties.
Velshi was assigned to the newly launched The Situation Room from 2005 to 2006 after The Turnaround, and then joined American Morning as a business correspondent in late 2006, and then as co-anchor in 2011.
During the 2007-2008 financial crisis, Velshi appeared frequently on television throughout the day on shows such as American Morning and Anderson Cooper 360°, as well as taking live calls from viewers on special editions of Your Money and his weekly call-in radio show.
Velshi, as a Muslim, frequently acknowledges his background and point of view when discussing Islam. Velshi has fought vehemently for the Muslim community’s right to construct a mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York City.
Velshi announced his departure from CNN on April 4, 2013, to join Al Jazeera America to host Real Money with Ali Velshi, a weekly 30-minute magazine-style prime-time program. He was the first on-air personality hired for the new channel, which was shut down in April 2016 when Al Jazeera America was closed down.
Velshi joined MSNBC in October 2016, with additional responsibilities at MSNBC’s parent news division, NBC News, where he serves as Business Correspondent. However, Velshi moved his show, simply Velshi, a 2-hour solo act, to weekend mornings in December 2019. On weekday evenings, he continues to fill in for other hosts.
Not only that, but Velshi is a writer. Velshi is represented in New York by the literary agency N.S. Bienstock and the speaking agency Greater Talent Network. His first book, Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Surviving the Financial Crisis, was published on January 2, 2009.
How to Speak Money: The Language & Knowledge You Need Now, co-authored with longtime friend and co-anchor Christine Romans, was published by John Wiley & Sons in November 2011. Velshi has written monthly columns for Money and Delta Sky.
Married Life of Ali Velshi
Velshi briefly married in his twenties, but the marriage ended in divorce. Her name has yet to be revealed. However, in 2009, he married his second wife, Lori Wachs, the president of Cross Ledge Investments in Philadelphia.
They are said to have met while she was a guest on his show. Despite having different professions, Velshi in journalism and Lori in business, both have a fascination with the powerful world of finance.
The couple has a daughter, the name of whom has not yet been revealed. Lori also has two children from her previous marriage, Erica Wachs and Eli Wachs.
Net Worth of Ali Velshi
Velshi is an anchor for MSNBC and hosts his own show on the network. His net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million. His primary source of income is earned as a broadcast journalist.
His starting salary, however, is unknown. He was even given the Queen’s University Alumni Achievement Award, the university’s highest honor. He also owns a home in Bryn Mawr.
Height of Ali Velshi
When it comes to body measurements, Ali Velshi is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75m) tall. He is bald, and his eyes are black. However, there is no information available about his body weight or hair color.
Social Media
Velshi is an avid social media user. He has a sizable fan base on Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook, he has over 134k followers. Furthermore, his Twitter account has over 688.7k followers, and his Instagram account has around 25.9k followers.