Alicia Menendez, an American journalist, news anchor, and author, was born on July 2, 1983, in Union City, New Jersey. She is 43 years old and the daughter of former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. Her mother, Jane Jacobsen, is a teacher of German, Norwegian, and Irish heritage. Menendez attended Harvard College, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts. She delivered the undergraduate commencement address and was named one of the 15 most interesting members of the Class of 2005 by The Harvard Crimson.
Menendez began her media career in political communication, working with Rock the Vote and Democracia USA. She later contributed to NBCLatino.com and co-hosted programming on Sirius XM's Cristina Radio. In 2011, she co-founded Dailygrito.com, a Latino-focused digital outlet, which was acquired by Politic365.com in 2012. Menendez also co-founded Define American, an immigration advocacy organization, and hosted shows at HuffPost Live and Fusion.
Alicia Menendez is married to Carlos Prío Odio, a political strategist and researcher based in the United States. He is the co-founder and former head of EquisLabs, a research organization focused on Latino voters. The couple married on February 15, 2015, in Coral Gables, Florida, and have two daughters: Evangelina, born on December 15, 2016, and Ofelia, born on August 20, 2019.
Menendez's father, Bob Menendez, served as a United States Senator for New Jersey. He was convicted in July 2024 on 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January 2025. Alicia recused herself from reporting on her father's federal corruption indictment in September 2023.
Alicia Menendez joined MSNBC in October 2019 and hosted American Voices with Alicia Menendez from 2020 to 2024. She then presented The Weekend from January 2024 and co-hosted a weekday 7 p.m. ET newscast in February 2025. When MSNBC rebranded as MS NOW in 2026, Menendez moved to a new daytime program, On the Line with Alicia Menendez, which debuted on June 15, 2026.
Menendez is also the author of The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are, published by HarperCollins in 2019. Her net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million, although no verified figure exists. Menendez's salary at MS NOW has not been disclosed publicly.
Menendez's show, On the Line with Alicia Menendez, focuses on in-depth conversations with newsmakers, particularly those underrepresented in mainstream political coverage. The show airs weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. ET on MS NOW. Menendez identifies as Latina and has been involved in various initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in media.
Key points
- Alicia Menendez is the host of On the Line with Alicia Menendez on MS NOW.
- Menendez's father, Bob Menendez, was convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
- Menendez's net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million.
