María Celeste Arrarás

María Celeste Arrarás (born 27 September 1960 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico), better known as María Celeste, is a Puerto Rican broadcast journalist, best-selling author, and television personality. She is best known for being a force within the Spanish language television, with over 30 years of experience. Considered a trailblazer for Hispanic women in television, Arrarás was selected for the cover of "Newsweek" magazine, who named her as one of the “20 Most Powerful Women” of the next generation of leaders, with several other news sources echoing such praise. Her renowned professionalism and experience has not only made Arrarás a household name, but also gained her the reputation of being one of the most trusted journalists in the field. Throughout her remarkable career, Arrarás has won several accolades and awards, including an Emmy Award in recognition for her extraordinary career as a journalist. Currently, Arrarás serves as the host and managing editor of Al Rojo Vivo (Telemundo) the most talked about newsmagazine in Hispanic television, which airs nationwide in the U.S. and in 15 Latin American countries, and has a daily audience of 35 million viewers. Arrarás is also the co-anchor of Telemundo’s internationally acclaimed newscast, Noticiero Telemundo. Her far-reaching popularity has made Arrarás a social media dynamo, with millions of followers across the world.

Early Life and Education

María Celeste Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, the firstborn child of José Enrique Arrarás, a respected politician, lawyer, and educator, and Astrid Mangual, a homemaker and chemist. The family later grew, with Arrarás being joined by eight other siblings, Astrid, José Enrique, Jr., Patricia, Gabriel Enrique, Enrique Antonio and Isabel Celeste Arrarás. After her mother’s remarriage, Arrarás was joined by two more siblings, Percy and Francisco Naranjo.

During her formative years, sports played a fundamental role in shaping the discipline and drive that has made Arrarás so successful today. It was through sports, that Arrarás became determined to be the best at anything she set her mind to. She particularly excelled at swimming, and with the support of her father and coaches, Arrarás became a champion swimmer, earning her the nickname "María the Meteorite” due to her quick-speed in races.

In 1971, she won three medals (one gold, one silver, and one bronze) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships. She qualified to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, but had to give up on that goal two weeks before the competition after she contracted infectious mononucleosis ("kissing disease") after having shared a glass of water with someone.

In 1978, Arrarás left her native Puerto Rico to attend Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in Communications, and four years later graduated with honors. In 2016, Arrarás returned to her alma mater where she was inducted into the School of Mass Communication's Den of Distinction and was honored by the university for her outstanding career in television.

Television career

Early career

Shortly after being hired by Univision, the network promoted Arrarás to the position of Los Angeles Bureau Chief. In January 1990, when the network moved to Miami, she was officially named the national news anchor for Noticiero Univision weekend edition.

In 1992, Arrarás was named co-anchor of another television news program, Primer Impacto alongside Myrka Dellanos. The show became an instant success and registered record ratings over the years. The show's popularity resulted in a large franchise for Univision including "Primer Impacto Extra", "Primer Impacto Edicion Nocturna", and the weekly show "Ver Para Creer" all of which were hosted by Arrarás and Dellanos. Arrarás would continue to hold her positions until 2002, when she left the show and joined their rival network Telemundo.

Telemundo (2002-Present)

The defection of María Celeste Arrarás from Univision, North America's largest Spanish-language network, to the rival Telemundo broadcasting group in 2002 sent shockwaves in the industry and was heralded as the start of a new era for Hispanic media. Arrarás was given a plum spot at Telemundo, and her arrival coincided with news that the National Broadcasting Company (NBC)'s $2.7 billion acquisition of the Spanish-language news and entertainment provider had just won U.S. government approval. Arrarás, an attractive and admired media celebrity in the Latino world, was to host her own Telemundo show, but would also file English-language reports for Dateline, NBC's top-rated prime-time newsmagazine and work as a guest co-host in NBC's Today show. Arrarás's hire—and the Telemundo/NBC venture—was seen as a sign of an increased Hispanic presence in mainstream media news organizations, and New York Times journalist Mirta Ojito called the new, lucrative contract for this popular journalist "NBC's first coup in the Latino media." In 2002, the same day that NBC Universal acquired Telemundo as part of their larger network, Arrarás took her current position at Telemundo, becoming the host and Managing Editor of the new show Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste, which in English translates to "Red Hot Live with María Celeste". The show is a news and entertainment magazine that takes you around the world in an hour. Its unique format has been described as “paella style” because it combines live interviews with news of the day, special investigations, celebrity news, amazing videos, health, consumer issues and the latest in technology. Today the show is immensely popular, drawing about 35 millions of viewers across the world.

Over the years Arrarás has been praised for her wit, straight forwardness and amazing interviewing skills. She is considered a fair, yet incisive journalist who has landed exclusive after exclusive, including interviews with Yolanda Saldívar (the woman convicted of murdering Tejano music singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez), as well as countless celebrities, politicians, and news makers.

In 2004, Arrarás co-hosted the Brown-Black Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa for MSNBC, a program that was number one in the cable ratings universe when it aired live.

Throughout her career Arrarás has also managed to successfully cross-over to the English market. Since 2002 Arrarás has been invited as a guest co-host of NBC’s Today show, and according to The New York Times, “Ms. Arrarás’s high-profile sally into national network television, in the spot previously occupied by Ms. Couric no less, was groundbreaking for a Spanish-accented broadcaster.” She has also contributed to different NBC programs including Dateline and Nightly News.

On the night of María Celeste’s debut as a contributor for Dateline NBC, the show experienced a dramatic audience increase in both Hispanic an Anglo demographics. NBC president Andrew Lack told the Los Angeles Times, “[María Celeste] was one of the highest segments at ‘Dateline’ that quarter.” He then described her as “a serious, smart journalist.”

Personal life and Activism

Arrarás currently lives in Miami with her three children, Julian Enrique (born in November 1997), Lara Giuliana (born in July 2001), and Adrian Vadim (born in July 1999).

She is a vocal environmental and animal rights activist. She has been noted for speaking out against the exploitation of animals, especially in spectacles such as rodeos, aquariums, cock-fights, and circuses. In December 2001, she even went in front of the Puerto Rican Congress to advocate for a ban in the Island on circuses that forced wild animals to perform as part of their shows. Currently Arrarás is working with The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International on a campaign to dramatically improve the welfare of the more than 300,000 stray dogs and one million stray cats in the island.

She is also an advent supporter and advocate of other organizations including, Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization in the United States that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public.