Margaret Brennan’s husband is Ali Iyad “Yado” Yakub, a lawyer and U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate. IMDb lists the marriage as beginning April 11, 2015. The couple has two sons.
Brennan moderates CBS News’ Face the Nation. Wikipedia lists her as the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent. Her husband keeps a much lower profile, which is why so many people search for his name, background, religion and nationality.
This guide covers who Yado Yakub is, how the couple met, their wedding, and their children. It also answers the common questions about his religion, age and net worth. Where public evidence is thin or conflicting, the article says so instead of guessing.
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Quick Facts: Margaret Brennan’s Husband
| Detail | Information |
| Husband’s Full Name | Ali Iyad Yakub |
| Known As | Yado Yakub |
| Spouse | Margaret Brennan (CBS News) |
| Marriage Date | April 11, 2015 |
| Wedding Venue | Decatur House, Washington, D.C. |
| Profession | Attorney; U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate; founder of Y2 Global Advisory |
| Military Rank (reported) | Major in 2018; Lieutenant Colonel by December 2022 |
| Education | University of Virginia (B.A.); University of Miami School of Law (J.D.) |
| Nationality | American |
| Heritage | Syrian-American |
| Children | Two sons |
| Religion | Not confirmed by a reliable primary source |
| Current Residence (reported) | Washington, D.C. |
Who Is Margaret Brennan’s Husband?
Margaret Brennan is married to Yado Yakub. Yakub is formally known as Maj. Ali Iyad Yakub and goes by the nickname Yado. Most coverage uses the shorter name.
He is best known for his legal and military career, not for public appearances. He rarely gives interviews, and his most detailed public comments came in a 2015 Washington Post feature about the couple.
Who Is Margaret Brennan?
Margaret Brennan is an American journalist. She was born March 26, 1980, in Stamford, Connecticut, and studied at the University of Virginia. That makes her 46 as of September 2026.
She has moderated Face the Nation since 2018 and has been a CBS News correspondent since 2012. She succeeded John Dickerson in the moderator role.
Yado Yakub Biography
Yakub is an attorney and Marine Corps officer with a background in law, government and international advisory work. His career moves between military service, private practice and strategic consulting.
| Detail | Information | Status |
| Birth Name | Ali Iyad Yakub | Reported |
| Date of Birth | July 23, 1978 | Reported (secondary sites only) |
| Parents | Dr. Nabil Yakub and Rolana Yakub | Reported (secondary sites only) |
| Sibling | Sister, Samia Yakub | Confirmed by People/AOL |
| Undergraduate Degree | University of Virginia | Confirmed |
| Law Degree | University of Miami (J.D., 2004) | Reported by The List |
| Languages (reported) | Arabic, English, French, Spanish | Reported |
He worked as a legislative correspondent for then-Senator Joe Biden in his first year of law study, according to The List, citing his LinkedIn page. Other secondary sites place that work at 2000 to 2001, so the exact dates are not firmly established.
How Old Is Margaret Brennan’s Husband?
Yakub is reported to be 48 years old. Several secondary biography sites give his birthday as July 23, 1978. No official record or major-outlet profile confirms that date.
| Detail | Information |
| Reported Date of Birth | July 23, 1978 |
| Calculated Age (Sept. 29, 2026) | 48 |
| Evidence Status | Reported, not confirmed |
That would make him about two years older than Brennan. It also fits with his being a senior when she was a freshman, though that alone proves nothing.
Margaret Brennan Husband Nationality and Ethnicity
Yakub is an American. Legit.ng describes him as Syrian-American and says he was born in the United States. His exact birthplace has not been publicly documented.
People described the wedding as a blend of Brennan’s Irish-American and Yakub’s Syrian-American cultures. Some low-quality sites say Yakub himself has “Irish and Syrian” roots. That looks like a mix-up with Brennan’s Irish heritage, so this article does not repeat it as fact.
Is Margaret Brennan’s Husband Muslim? Religion Explained
No reliable primary source confirms Yado Yakub’s religion. Some secondary biography sites say he is Muslim, but they do not cite an interview, official statement or public record. Those claims cannot responsibly be treated as confirmed.
Neither Brennan nor Yakub appears to have publicly discussed his faith. Syrian-American heritage also does not point to any single religion, since Syrian Americans include Christians and Muslims. This article therefore lists his religion as not publicly confirmed.
How Margaret Brennan and Yado Yakub Met
They first crossed paths at the University of Virginia. Brennan was a freshman and Yakub a senior in 1998, and she knew him as the guy in T-shirts and flip-flops. They did not date then.
Yakub said in the Washington Post that he thought she was too preppy and “too New England.” Brennan later said they would never have dated in college. She called it a matter of timing.
The connection ran through his family. Brennan studied abroad at Yarmouk University in Jordan, where Yakub’s sister Samia was her roommate.
Reconnecting in Washington
They reconnected years later in Washington, D.C. Reports say Brennan ran into Yakub in February 2013 while walking her dog, and that they became a couple by July 2013.
Sources disagree on the details. The List gives 2012 for the reunion, and Legit.ng mentions a bus stop. The People-based account (dog walk, February 2013) is the most detailed and is the version used here.
Margaret Brennan and Yado Yakub Wedding
Yakub proposed on March 14, 2014, during a day trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they attended college. They married a little over a year later.
The Washington Post reported that they married April 11 at the historic Decatur House in downtown Washington. Brennan walked down the aisle to Irish bagpipes, and a Middle Eastern quartet performed during cocktail hour.
| Wedding Detail | Information |
| Proposal | March 14, 2014, Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Wedding Date | April 11, 2015 |
| Venue | Decatur House, Washington, D.C. |
| Cultural Touches | Irish bagpipes and a Middle Eastern quartet |
| Bridal Gown (reported) | Monique Lhuillier, from Carine’s Bridal in Georgetown |
Margaret Brennan Husband and Children
The couple has two sons. The first, Eamon, was born in September 2018, and the second, Malek, in April 2021.
Brennan announced her first pregnancy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in April 2018. She and her husband keep their sons’ lives private, so this article gives no details beyond what the family has shared publicly.
Margaret Brennan Husband Relationship Timeline
| Date | Event | Evidence |
| 1998 | Meet at the University of Virginia | Washington Post / People |
| Summer before senior year | Brennan’s roommate in Jordan is Yakub’s sister | People / AOL |
| February 2013 | Reunite in Washington, D.C. | People-based reports |
| July 2013 | Become a couple | People-based reports |
| March 14, 2014 | Engagement in Charlottesville | People / AOL |
| April 11, 2015 | Wedding at Decatur House | Washington Post |
| April 2018 | Brennan announces pregnancy on Colbert | CBS News |
| September 2018 | First son born | People / AOL |
| April 2021 | Second son born | People / AOL |
What Does Margaret Brennan’s Husband Do?
Yakub works in law, military service and consulting. Reports say he joined the Marine Corps in 2007, moved into global intelligence work in 2016, and returned to the Marines in 2019. Dates vary somewhat across secondary sources.
He founded Y2 Global Advisory in 2022 and also works as a senior strategic advisor at SAS. His advisory work reportedly covers security, data and artificial intelligence for government and international clients.
Career highlights:
- Legislative correspondent for Senator Joe Biden (reported, early 2000s)
- Associate attorney at a Miami law firm after earning his law degree in 2004
- Marine Corps judge advocate (reported service from 2007)
- Founder and principal of Y2 Global Advisory (2022)
- Senior strategic advisor at SAS (reported)
Is Margaret Brennan’s Husband in the Military?
Yes. He is a U.S. Marine Corps officer and judge advocate. CBS News called him Maj. Yado Yakub in 2018. By December 2022, People’s photo caption gave his rank as Lt. Col.
One People subheading says he “served in the army,” but the rest of the reporting and CBS’s own description point to the Marine Corps. This article treats the Marine Corps as correct.
Margaret Brennan Husband Net Worth
No reliable net worth figure exists for Yado Yakub. One secondary site puts it above $2 million, without giving a source.
| Financial Detail | Information |
| Estimated Net Worth | About $2 million (unverified) |
| Main Income Sources | Military service, legal work, advisory roles |
| Status | Estimate only |
Nothing here is official, and the figure should not be treated as fact. Brennan’s own salary has not been publicly confirmed either. No reliable public salary figure has been confirmed for her.
Picture of Margaret Brennan’s Husband
Photos of the couple come mostly from public events. Getty Images has pictures of them at the 2018 and 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinners. Photos also exist from the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors artist dinner.
Brennan sometimes posts family photos on her official Instagram. Readers looking for images should use those official accounts or licensed news photo archives, not random fan pages.
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Evidence Check: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
Confirmed: Margaret Brennan is married to Yado Yakub.
Source: The Washington Post (April 2015), CBS News (2018), People/AOL.
What It Shows: Multiple reliable outlets agree on the marriage, the wedding date and the venue.
What Remains Unclear: His exact birthplace, his religion and his net worth.
Key points:
- Reported only: his birth date of July 23, 1978
- Unconfirmed: any claim about his religion
- Conflicting: how they reunited (dog walk versus bus stop) and whether he served in the Army or Marines
- Not found: any credible report of a divorce, separation or scandal
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Margaret Brennan’s husband?
Her husband is Ali Iyad “Yado” Yakub, a lawyer and U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate. They married April 11, 2015.
What is Margaret Brennan’s husband’s name?
His full name is reported as Ali Iyad Yakub. He goes by Yado Yakub.
What nationality is Margaret Brennan’s husband?
He is American. He is described as Syrian-American, though his exact birthplace has not been publicly documented.
Is Margaret Brennan’s husband Muslim?
His religion has not been publicly confirmed by a reliable source. Some secondary websites claim it, but none cites evidence.
How old is Margaret Brennan’s husband?
He is reported to be 48, based on a July 23, 1978 birth date. That date comes from secondary sites and is not officially confirmed.
Do Margaret Brennan and her husband have children?
Yes. They have two sons, born in September 2018 and April 2021.
Is Margaret Brennan’s husband in the military?
Yes. He is a U.S. Marine Corps officer and judge advocate, listed as a major in 2018 and a lieutenant colonel by late 2022.
What country is Margaret Brennan’s husband from?
He is from the United States. His family has Syrian roots.
Was Margaret Brennan married before?
No earlier marriage was found in the reliable sources reviewed. Yakub appears to be her only reported husband.
Conclusion
Margaret Brennan’s husband is Yado Yakub, an American attorney and Marine Corps officer of Syrian heritage. The two met at the University of Virginia in 1998, reconnected in 2013 and married in 2015. They now raise two sons.
Most of what is solid about him comes from a few reliable sources. His birth date, religion and net worth rest on thin or unsourced claims and should be read with caution. No newer verified development about the marriage was found in the reliable sources reviewed.
