Ricardo León Sánchez de Reinaldo (born July 3, 1958) is a Cuban-American journalist, radio host, and author. After working as the lead local anchor on Miami's WSVN, Sánchez moved to cable news, first as a daytime anchor at MSNBC, later at CNN, where he began as a correspondent and ultimately rose to become an anchor. On CNN, he hosted a show Rick's List and served as a contributor to Anderson Cooper 360° and CNN International, where he frequently reported and translated between English and Spanish. Sánchez was fired from CNN on October 1, 2010, following controversial remarks he made on a radio program. In July 2011, Sánchez was hired by Florida International University, to serve as a color commentator for radio broadcasts of the school's football team. He worked as a columnist for Fox News and Fox News Latino, and a former correspondent for Spanish language network Mundo Fox. He began working for RT in 2019, where he has hosted several shows, and moved to Moscow in 2025.
Contents
Early life
Sánchez was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba, a township of Havana, and emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of two. He grew up in Hialeah, Florida, a suburb of Miami, and attended Mae M. Walters Elementary School, Henry H. Filer Middle School, and Hialeah High School, graduating in 1977. Sánchez accepted a football scholarship to Minnesota State University Moorhead and transferred to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on a CBS/WCCO Journalism Scholarship in 1979.
Of his childhood, Sánchez has said: "I grew up not speaking English, dealing with real prejudice every day as a kid; watching my dad work in a factory, wash dishes, drive a truck, get spit on. I've been told that I can't do certain things in life simply because I was a Hispanic." He prefers to be called Rick Sánchez rather than use his birth name. In a newscast in 2009, he said: "I want to be respectful of this wonderful country that allowed us as Hispanics to come here, and I think it's easier if someone's able to understand me by Anglicizing my name."
Career
First years
Sánchez began his broadcasting career at WCCO's satellite sister station KCMT (now KCCO-TV) in Alexandria, Minnesota, while still in college. He was hired at then-NBC affiliate WSVN (formerly WCKT) in Miami in 1982 and became a weekend anchor shortly thereafter. He won an Emmy Award in 1983 for his series When I Left Cuba. In 1986, Sánchez left WSVN for CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston, then two years later, he returned to WSVN and began an afternoon anchor position with the station, which would switch its affiliation to Fox the following year. Sánchez was hired at MSNBC in 2001. In 2003, Sánchez left MSNBC to return to the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale TV market, where he hosted a local talk show on WTVJ. He later anchored on then-WB affiliated WBZL (now WSFL) until he joined CNN.
CNN anchor
Sánchez joined CNN in 2004, filing domestic and international reports. On January 18, 2010, he began hosting Rick's List, a two-hour show in the afternoons where he invited viewers to share their opinions and questions via social media. His use of social networking tools to create a citizen-driven news program was recognized by the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
On September 30, 2010, Sánchez was interviewed on Sirius XM's radio show Stand Up With Pete Dominick. Sánchez's interview occurred on the final day of his show in the 8 p.m. time slot, and he was reported to be angry about being replaced by CNN's new Parker Spitzer talk show as well as occasional The Daily Show jokes made at his expense:
It's not just the Right that does this. 'Cause I've known a lot of, you know, elite Northeast establishment liberals that may not use this as a business model, but deep down when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier and not the top tier. ... I had a guy who works here at CNN who's a top brass come to me one day and say,... 'You know what, I don't want you anchoring anymore. I really don't see you as an anchor. I see you more as a reporter. I see you more as a John Quiñones....' Did he not realize that he was telling me, 'When I see you, I think of Hispanic reporters'? 'Cause in his mind, I can't be an anchor. An anchor's what you give the high-profile White guys, you know? So he knocks me down to that and compares me to that, and it happens all the time. I think to a certain extent Jon Stewart and Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart's a bigot.
After Dominick questioned him, Sánchez retracted the term bigot and referred to Stewart as "prejudicial" and "uninformed," but he defended feeling discriminated, saying, "He's upset that someone of my ilk is almost at his level" and that Stewart is "not just a comedian. He can make and break careers." When queried on the issue of whether Stewart likewise belonged to a minority group on account of Stewart's Jewish faith, Sánchez responded:
Yeah, very powerless people. [laughs] He's such a minority. I mean, you know, please. What—are you kidding? I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart. And to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority?
Radio football announcer
On July 27, 2011, The Washington Post reported that Sánchez had started a job as a radio announcer for Florida International University. Beginning in September 2011, Sánchez provided analysis of the FIU football team.
Fox News and radio engagements
Rick Sánchez returned to cable news as a columnist on Fox News Latino in September 2012. Sánchez was offered short-term employment with the website. Since joining Fox News Latino, he has appeared on the Fox News Channel as a contributor. He also started as a news contributor for MundoFox at the end of 2012. In 2013, Sánchez returned to South Florida with a weekday show on Clear Channel-owned Newsradio 610 WIOD. Replacing Todd Schnitt in afternoon drive time, Sánchez did a stint on a morning show that led into The Rush Limbaugh Show. Due to low ratings, the show was eventually canceled.
RT and move to Russia
He began working for RT America in 2019, anchoring "The News with Rick Sanchez". After moving to Moscow in 2025, he became host of "Sanchez Effect", RT International's "flagship show". The program's first episode featured an interview with top Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky. Sanchez's work on RT is broadcast internationally in English and Spanish.
Family life
Sánchez and his wife, Suzanne, have three sons and one daughter.
DUI incident
On December 10, 1990, Sánchez, driving home, struck a man who ran into the path of Sánchez's car. The man became paralyzed after being hit.
Sánchez was not charged with causing the accident; however, he was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and pleaded no contest.