| Mo Rocca | |
|---|---|
 Rocca in 2002 | |
| Birth name | Maurice Alberto Rocca |
| Born | (1969-01-28)January 28, 1969 (age 56) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Medium |
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Genres | Humor, News |
| Notable works and roles | The Daily Show The Tonight Show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! CBS Sunday Morning The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation |
Maurice Alberto "Mo" Rocca (born January 28, 1969) is an American humorist, journalist, and actor. He is a correspondent forCBS Sunday Morning, the host and creator ofMy Grandmother's Ravioli on theCooking Channel, and also the host ofThe Henry Ford's Innovation Nation onCBS. He was the moderator of theNational Geographic Society'sNational Geographic Bee from2016 until its final competition in2019, as the 2020 and 2021 competitions were cancelled and the competition was ended in 2021. He is also the host of the podcastMobituaries with Mo Rocca from CBS News. He is a regular panelist on the radio quiz showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Mo Rocca got his start in television behind the scenes, writing and producing several children's TV shows. His first work in front of the camera came as a correspondent for news satire showThe Daily Show from 1998 to 2003. He played a similar role as a satirical correspondent forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 2004 to 2008, and later moved on to more serious (but still light-hearted) roles withCBS News for which he continues to work. He has also acted in theater, film, and on television in small roles from time to time, and has written two books.
Rocca was born in Washington, D.C. His mother immigrated there fromBogotá, Colombia, in 1956 at age 28, and his father was a third generation Italian-American fromLeominster, Massachusetts.[1] He attendedGeorgetown Preparatory School, aJesuit boys' school inNorth Bethesda, Maryland, graduating with the Class of 1987. He graduated fromHarvard University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature.[2] He served as president of Harvard'sHasty Pudding Theatricals, performing in four of the company's notorious burlesques and co-authoring one (Suede Expectations).[3] While at Harvard, he also played Seymour in a production ofLittle Shop of Horrors which co-starred futureSupreme Court JusticeKetanji Brown Jackson.[4]
Rocca appeared in the 2005 filmBewitched and, in 2007, in the independent science-fiction family comedyI'll Believe You with fellowDaily Show alumnusEd Helms. In 2012, Rocca was the narrator of the documentaryElectoral Dysfunction, a movie which satirically analyzes the American voting system and which aired on PBS in 2012 and 2016.
In 2004, he served as a convention-floor correspondent forLarry King Live at the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
Rocca is a regular correspondent forCBS Sunday Morning withJane Pauley. His work includes cover stories, features, and profiles (such as ofChris Rock andAmy Schumer) with an emphasis on presidential history.
In 2012, Rocca became a regular contributor toCBS This Morning.
He is a regular panelist on thequiz showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on theNPR radio network.
Rocca turned his fascination with obituaries into a podcast calledMobituaries, currently on Season 4.[5]
From 1998 to 2003, Rocca was a regular correspondent forThe Daily Show, which gave him his start in television.[6] His work included campaign coverage forIndecision 2000 and a regular feature called "That's Quite Interesting".[7]
He was a regular correspondent forThe Tonight Show on the NBC TV network from 2004 to 2008, and covered the2008 election for NBC.
Rocca created and hosted the programMy Grandmother's Ravioli withCBS Eye Productions on theCooking Channel from 2012 to 2015,[8] for which he traveled across the United States, learning to cook from grandmothers and grandfathers in their kitchens.[6]
He previously hostedFood(ography) on the Cooking Channel and was a regular judge onIron Chef America on theFood Network.
Rocca was a commentator onVH1'sI Love the '70s andI Love the '80s. He was the host ofBravo'sThings I Hate About You channel andWhoa! Sunday, which premiered in 2005 on theAnimal Planet TV channel. He also made guest appearances for theLaw & Order television franchise in the episodes"Authority" (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and"Contract" (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), both in 2008.
In 2014, Rocca appeared onThe Young and the Restless as Milton, the accountant. He reprised the role for the 50th anniversary of the show in 2023.
He is also the host of the weeklyThe Henry Ford's Innovation Nation program, which has aired as part of theCBS Dream Team on Saturdays since 2014.[9]
On May 13, 2015, Rocca appeared on a celebrity episode ofJeopardy! and came in second to CNN correspondentJohn Berman, amassing a total of $41,600. He returned on December 6, 2023, amassing $25,200 during his quarterfinal match.[10] He would eventually make it to the finals, once again coming in second to actressLisa Ann Walter and winning $250,000.[11] During both times on the show, he played in support of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, a New York-based charity that helps low-income families enroll their children inCatholic Schools through financial aid.
Rocca moderated the finals of theNational Geographic Bee from 2016 until its final competition in2019.
Rocca played a conservative morning TV show host in the second season ofThe Good Fight in 2018.
Rocca began his career acting on stage in the Southeast Asia tour of the musicalGrease (1993) andPaper Mill Playhouse'sSouth Pacific (1994).
OnBroadway, Rocca played the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch inThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
His first television work was as a writer and producer for theEmmy andPeabody Award-winning children's television seriesWishbone. He also wrote forThe Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss on theNickelodeon TV channel andPepper Ann on theABC TV network.
Rocca's satirical book,All the Presidents' Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over, deals with American presidents, their pets, and reporters and was published by Crown Books in 2004.[12]
His contribution to AOL Newsbloggers was titledMo Rocca 180°: Only Half as Tedious as the Regular News.[13]
In 2011, he won anEmmy as a writer for the 64th AnnualTony Awards.[14]
Rocca authoredMobituaries in 2019, a book about underappreciated people in history such asElizabeth Jennings Graham.[15][16] In February 2024, he announced thatRoctogenarians, aMobituaries-style book focusing on people who achieved success late in their lives, would be released in June.[17][non-primary source needed][18]
In July 2011, Rocca revealed onThe Six Pack podcast (episode 73) that he is gay.[19]
On September 25, 2015, Rocca served as Lector during the Mass celebrated byPope Francis at New York City'sMadison Square Garden, giving a reading in Spanish.[20] His participation was hailed by gay rights advocates.[21]
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