Margaret Brennan’s husband is Ali Iyad “Yado” Yakub, a lawyer and U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate. The two married on April 11, 2015, and have two sons. Brennan moderates CBS News’ Face the Nation and is the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent. Yakub keeps a much lower profile, which is why so many people search for his background, nationality and religion.
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Yado Yakub Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Ali Iyad Yakub (known as Yado) |
| Spouse | Margaret Brennan |
| Married | April 11, 2015, Decatur House, Washington, D.C. |
| Profession | Attorney; Marine Corps judge advocate; founder of Y2 Global Advisory |
| Rank (reported) | Major in 2018; Lieutenant Colonel by December 2022 |
| Education | University of Virginia (B.A.); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., 2004) |
| Nationality | American, of Syrian heritage |
| Children | Two sons |
| Religion | Not publicly confirmed |
Who Is Yado Yakub?
Yakub is best known for his legal and military career, not for public appearances. He rarely gives interviews, and his most detailed public comments appeared in a 2015 Washington Post feature about the couple. His career has moved between military service, private practice and strategic consulting. He reportedly speaks Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
According to The List, which cites his LinkedIn page, he worked as a legislative correspondent for then-Senator Joe Biden during his first year of law school. Secondary sources give slightly different dates, so the timing isn’t firmly established.
Yado Yakub Nationality and Ethnicity
Yakub is American. Legit.ng describes him as Syrian-American, though his exact birthplace hasn’t 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 claim Yakub himself has Irish roots, which looks like a mix-up with Brennan’s heritage.
Is He Muslim?
No reliable source confirms Yakub’s religion. A few secondary sites say he is Muslim but cite no interview, statement or record. Neither he nor Brennan appears to have discussed his faith publicly, and Syrian-American heritage doesn’t point to any single religion, since Syrian Americans include both Christians and Muslims.
Yado Yakub How They Met
They first crossed paths at the University of Virginia in 1998, when Brennan was a freshman and Yakub a senior. They didn’t date. He told the Washington Post he thought she was “too New England,” and she has said the timing wasn’t right.
The connection ran through his family. Brennan studied abroad at Yarmouk University in Jordan, where Yakub’s sister Samia was her roommate.
They reconnected in Washington, D.C. According to People-based reports, Brennan ran into him in February 2013 while walking her dog, and they were a couple by July 2013. Other outlets give different accounts of the reunion, so this is the most detailed version rather than a settled one.
Yado Yakub Proposal and Wedding
Yakub proposed on March 14, 2014, during a day trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they attended college. They married at the historic Decatur House in downtown Washington on April 11, 2015. Brennan walked down the aisle to Irish bagpipes, and a Middle Eastern quartet played during cocktail hour. She wore a Monique Lhuillier gown from Carine’s Bridal in Georgetown.
Yado Yakub Children
The couple has two sons: Eamon, born in September 2018, and Malek, born in April 2021. Brennan announced her first pregnancy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in April 2018. The family keeps the boys’ lives private.
Yado Yakub Career and Military Service
Yakub is a U.S. Marine Corps officer and judge advocate. CBS News called him Maj. Yado Yakub in 2018, and People’s December 2022 photo caption listed him as a lieutenant colonel. One People subheading says he “served in the army,” but the rest of the reporting points to the Marine Corps.
Reported career highlights:
- Legislative correspondent for Senator Joe Biden (early 2000s)
- Associate attorney at a Miami law firm after earning his J.D. in 2004
- Marine Corps judge advocate (reported from 2007)
- Founder of Y2 Global Advisory (2022)
- Senior strategic advisor at SAS (reported)
Dates vary across secondary sources.
Yado Yakub Net Worth
No reliable figure exists. One secondary site estimates about $2 million without citing a source, so treat it as unverified.
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Yado Yakub Relationship Timeline
| Date | Event |
| 1998 | Meet at the University of Virginia |
| February 2013 | Reunite in Washington, D.C. |
| July 2013 | Become a couple |
| March 14, 2014 | Engagement in Charlottesville |
| April 11, 2015 | Wedding at Decatur House |
| April 2018 | Brennan announces pregnancy on Colbert |
| September 2018 | First son born |
| April 2021 | Second son born |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Margaret Brennan’s husband?
Ali Iyad “Yado” Yakub, a lawyer and Marine Corps judge advocate.
Do they have children?
Yes, two sons, born in 2018 and 2021.
Is he in the military?
Yes, as a Marine Corps officer, reported as a lieutenant colonel by late 2022.
What is his nationality?
American, of Syrian heritage.
Is he Muslim?
His religion hasn’t been publicly confirmed by a reliable source.
Was Brennan married before?
No earlier marriage appears in the reliable sources reviewed.
Conclusion
Yado Yakub is an American attorney and Marine Corps officer of Syrian heritage. He and Brennan met at the University of Virginia in 1998, reconnected in 2013 and married in 2015. They are raising two sons. Most solid details come from a few reliable sources, including the Washington Post, CBS News and People, while claims about his religion and net worth rest on thin or unsourced reporting.