Biography of Meredith Vieira

 Meredith Vieira joined NBC to co-host the "Today" show alongside Matt Lauer in September 2006. Prior to her current position, she was a moderator on The View, which has earned Emmy nominations each year for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show, and for Vieira and her co-hosts as Outstanding Talk Show Host.

Vieira joined ABC News in October 1993 as chief correspondent for ABC News' Turning Point, which premiered in March 1994. In 1995, she garnered her sixth Emmy Award for her report, "Inside the Hate Conspiracy: America's Terrorists," an in-depth look at a white supremacists' group who became the most wanted criminals in America. Vieira has reported the story of an adoption scam in Oklahoma, which promised hope for childless couples but delivered heartbreak; the heroic story of children successfully battling leukemia; a cautionary tale for the '90s about the rise of heroin use among young people and the middle class; and a feature on the city of Baltimore's first year of mainstreaming disabled students in public schools, which won a 1995 Robert F. Kennedy journalism award. In addition, Vieira interviewed the "Framingham Eight" -- eight women fighting for a second chance after killing partners they say abused them -- which won an award from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television.

Previously, she had spent more than a decade at CBS News, where she garnered five Emmy Awards for her work as a correspondent on the top-ranking news magazines, 60 Minutes and West 57th. From 1989 to 1991, Vieira was a co-editor of the CBS News magazine, 60 Minutes, reporting such stories as the award-winning "Ward 5A," which focused on the first AIDS ward in San Francisco. In addition, she won an Emmy for the 60 Minutes report, "Thy Brother's Keeper," a story on Christians who saved Jews during the Holocaust. After two successful seasons, and pregnant with her second child, Vieira left 60 Minutes.

Vieira also contributed by frequently anchoring the CBS Morning News. In addition to her morning assignment, Vieira contributed as a national correspondent on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. In June 1991, she was a contributing correspondent for the CBS News primetime series, Verdict, a broadcast reporting on actual courtroom trials. Prior to joining 60 Minutes, Vieira had been a principal correspondent for CBS News' West 57th since its premiere in August 1985. In 1989, she received four Emmy Awards for stories she reported on West 57th during its 1987-88 season. Vieira joined CBS News as a reporter in its Chicago bureau in January 1982. She was named a correspondent in 1984 and covered Senator Alan Cranston's presidential bid, the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco and, as a correspondent, election night, 1984.

Prior to joining CBS News, she was a reporter for WCBS-TV, the CBS owned television station in New York City, for three years. Her assignments included the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, the trial of Jean Harris in 1981, and a series on child molestation that earned her a Front Page Award from the Newswoman's Club of New York. She also served as a substitute anchor on the station's news broadcasts. Previously, she was a reporter and anchor at WJAR-TV in Providence, Rhode Island. She began her career as a news announcer for WORC-Radio in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1975.

Vieira is heavily involved with numerous philanthropic organizations and is a frequent contributor to several charitable foundations. She is also part of Club Mom's Senior Advisory Board, as well as one of the seven co-founders. Vieira and her fellow co-hosts were awarded the Safe Horizon Champion Award (2001) for their continued efforts to raise awareness of issues of importance to girls and women and for serving as confident, compassionate role models dedicated to excellence in the battle against violence and victimization. Vieira is also the recipient of the 2001 "Woman of the Year" award presented by City of Hope. Vieira has also been honored by the Anti-Defamation League.

A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Meredith currently lives outside of New York City, where she commutes (very early every morning) for her work on "Today." She's married to television producer and writer Richard Cohen, and they have three teenage kids, Ben, Gabe, and Lily.