Inside NBC News' Laura Jarrett's Marriage: The Key Behind Her Lasting Love Story

Laura Jarrett has been with Tony Balkissoon since they met as law students at Harvard University in 2008. In the many years they have been together, the "Today" cast member has gone through challenging times alongside her husband, while remaining each other's rocks. They attribute the strength of their relationship to never rushing into anything. They dated for four years before tying the knot in June 2012 and then waited even longer to start their family. They believe that was key to their lasting love story.

Jarrett and Balkissoon welcomed their first child, a son named James, in July 2019, seven years after their wedding. They welcomed their daughter, June, in July 2022, a decade into their marriage and just a year shy of Jarrett joining the list of celebrities who had kids in their 40s. "Tony and I waited a while before we had children, which I think was super valuable because we just got to have fun. Kids are wonderful, but they can be extremely taxing on marriages," she told Today in 2024.

By the time they jumped into the busy years with littles, Jarrett and Balkissoon had a strong foundation to stand on. "We had a ball just the two of us for a long time and I think that really set us up for success," she added. Jarrett has paid homage to her and Balkissoon's child-free days, highlighting the simplicity of that time. "Ah 2016. A time with no children and there was nothing a chunky necklace from JCrew couldn't solve," she captioned a January 2026 Instagram post featuring fun times with friends and family. But none of this means she doesn't enjoy motherhood. 

Laura Jarrett loves motherhood, but she doesn't pretend she hasn't struggled with balancing family life and career. "My position is there is no balance," she told People in 2023. "Instead, you do the best you can every single day, and make sure you hug your kids and they know that you love them dearly." It isn't always easy. After all, the successful "Today" co-anchor's motherhood journey coincided with a major career boost, having welcomed June just months before she left CNN to become a senior legal correspondent at NBC News in January 2023.

But through it all, Jarrett is glad to have such a supportive partner in Tony Balkissoon. He always has her back, even when her decisions shake up their daily lives. When she decided to leave her secure career as a lawyer to become a news legal analyst with no TV experience, her husband was all for it — even when her new career had her working crazy hours. "Tony would say, 'You're so happy. You're so excited about your work — and it makes you a better partner,'" she recalled in the Today interview.

Jarrett is still just as busy — if not more. But even if Balkissoon remains nothing but supportive, she sometimes struggles — especially when it interferes with her ability to focus on her children. "When my phone is buzzing or someone just got indicted, or some big breaking legal news is happening, and I'm trying to play Jenga with them, I feel sometimes distracted, and that's the hardest part right now," she admitted to The Local Moms Network.