American University alum Ayman Mohyeldin, B.A. ‘00 and M.A. ‘01, will be co-hosting MSNBC’s “The Weekend: Primetime,” which is set to debut on May 3 at 6 p.m., according to an announcement on April 23.
Mohyeldin, who majored in international studies while at AU, will co-host the new show alongside current MSNBC Correspondent Antonia Hylton, syndicated Opinion Columnist for The Washington Post Catherine Rampell and NBC Political Analyst and MSNBC Contributor Elise Jordan.
The show will provide space to have an “important conversation about what is taking place in this country and around the world,” from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday evenings, according to Mohyeldin in an interview with The Eagle.
“I think, honestly, it’s more about having timely, relevant, important discussions and conversations with as many people as possible who bring different voices, different backgrounds into the mix, and drawing upon all of our wealth of experiences in so many different areas and arenas and try to make it as fun as engaging as possible,” Mohyeldin said.
The MSNBC anchor has had an extensive career in journalism, ranging from CNN to Al Jazeera, and has been recognized for his work by outlets like GQ and Esquire, the latter of which named him “Journalist of the Year” in 2014.
He noted that the professors at the University and their extensive firsthand experience prepared him to become a successful journalist.
“When I look back at my time at American University, I have nothing but fond memories, and I couldn’t recommend it enough as a University and as a place and as a laboratory to study, live and learn,” Mohyeldin said.
He recommended that aspiring journalists recognize the responsibility and the importance of holding those in power accountable for their actions.
“My advice to anyone out there who’s considering pursuing a path in journalism… it’s extremely important. It’s extremely rewarding,” Mohyeldin said. “And I think ultimately it is a very important responsibility for a functioning and healthy democracy and society that we have good, independent journalists from all walks of life.”
Mohyeldin graduated AU in 2001 with a joint bachelors and masters degree from the School of International Service, where he studied international law and international organizations. Although he originally intended to pursue a career in international studies, he found his calling in journalism after getting a job as a news desk assistant at NBC News.
The anchor was drawn to the field of international relations based on his own experiences living in both the Middle East and the United States.
“My parents immigrated to the U.S., and so I grew up between the United States and the Middle East,” Mohyeldin said. “I always felt this kind of cross-cultural sense of responsibility, of being able to communicate to different parts of the world based on my experience.”
Mohyeldin received the news desk assistant job after meeting a producer at a barbecue that his college roommate invited him to. His roommate ended up encouraging him to apply for the job — his first of many in journalism.
“I met this producer, coincidentally, and [he] and I started talking, and I told him about my background. I told him how much I kind of enjoyed covering, or at least, following international news,” Mohyeldin said. “So he’s the one that said to me, you know, we have this amazing program called the desk assistant program. You should consider applying for it.”
On his first day at the desk, he was assigned to cover protests in response to President George H.W. Bush’s inauguration.
“What I was given back then was basically, kind of like a walkie talkie, or like a really clunky cell phone, and told to cover protests,” Mohyeldin said. “So they just kind of sent me out where they were getting reports of protesters, and they would just tell me to call back into the newsroom every hour or so.”
Mohyeldin was offered a position with CNN in early 2003 when they were “beefing up their presence” in the Middle East, according to Mohyeldin. He became their Baghdad producer from 2003 to 2006, covering many things including the Iraq war and working with journalists like Christiane Amanpour and Ben Wedeman.
“I was a very young producer and still learning a lot that I learned from some of the best foreign correspondents,” Mohyeldin said. “So for me, it was kind of a full circle moment, being back in Iraq for the second Gulf war, having watched the first Gulf War on CNN in Jordan. Now here I was working for CNN, covering the second Gulf war in Iraq.”
In 2006, Mohyeldin left CNN and became a correspondent for Al Jazeera, which was looking for correspondents for their newly started English-language channel. Mohyeldin covered both the 2008 Israel-Hamas war and the Arab Spring from 2010 to 2011 for Al Jazeera. Mohyeldin said covering the Arab Spring was personal.
“I have family in Egypt, so going back to Egypt and reconnecting with your family roots and kind of hearing the stories of my dad and getting to know my extended family was so beautiful,” Mohyeldin said. “I think it kind of helped me shape my worldview and reminded me of how important it is to never lose sight and never forget where you came from — never forget your roots, because I think it informs your reporting and certainly informs your experience in your worldview.”
In 2011, Mohyeldin was named on the Time 100 list for his reporting in Egypt.
“Anytime you get recognized in journalism it’s always a humbling experience, and it’s always a reminder not to lose sight of what is important, which is that people watch and notice your work,” Mohyeldin said.
Later that year, Mohyeldin returned to MSNBC, where he originally worked as a correspondent, to host and co-host shows for the network, including “Morning Joe” and “Ayman Mohyeldin Reports.” For the past three years, Mohyeldin hosted the ‘Ayman’ show, which aired at 7 p.m. on weekends. Mohyeldin regularly filled in as a guest host on many other MSNBC shows as well.
“I would have never imagined that my career would have played out the way that it has,” Mohyeldin said. “I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to be a reporter, but I never thought that I would one day have this tremendous responsibility and be able to share the set with as many incredible people as I have throughout my career.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Ayman Mohyeldin as an NBC Anchor. It has been updated to more accurately refer to him as an MSNBC anchor.
This article was edited by Cara Halford, Tyler Davis and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Hannah Langenfeld and Ella Rousseau.
