Symone Sanders Townsend is an American political strategist, author, and television host best known as a co-host of The Weeknight on MS NOW. She first gained national attention at age 25 as national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. She later served as senior advisor and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris. She lives in Washington, D.C., and co-hosts The Weeknight weeknights at 7 p.m. ET with Michael Steele and Luke Russert.
Symone Sanders’s bio at a glance
| Fact | Details |
| Full Name | Symone Danielle Sanders-Townsend |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of Birth | December 10, 1989 |
| Age | 36 (as of November 2026) |
| Place of Birth | Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| Hometown | North Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| Current Residence | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Religion | Not publicly available |
| Sexual Orientation | Not publicly available |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) (estimated) |
| Weight | Not publicly available |
| Hair Colour | Black (visual estimate) |
| Eye Colour | Brown (visual estimate) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse / Partner | Shawn Townsend |
| Children | None |
| High School | Mercy High School |
| Alma Mater | Creighton University |
| Degree | Bachelor of Business Administration (2013) |
| Profession | Political strategist, author, television host |
| Employer | MS NOW |
| Net Worth | $1 million to $5 million (estimated) |
| Social Media | Instagram: @symonedsanders | X: @SymoneDSanders |
Who is Symone Sanders?
Symone Sanders Townsend is an American political strategist, author, and television host. She co-hosts The Weeknight on MS NOW, a weeknight political news and roundtable show that airs at 7 p.m. ET from Washington, D.C.
Her recent work centers on The Weeknight and on Clock It, a podcast she co-hosts with Eugene Daniels. In 2026, she also gave the commencement address at Spelman College and announced a new book for fall 2027.
Readers who follow MS NOW may also like our profile of Maya Eaglin, an on-air correspondent for the network.
How old is Symone Sanders? Age and Birthday
Symone Sanders is 36 years old as of November 2026. She was born on December 10, 1989, in Omaha, Nebraska, and she turns 37 on December 10, 2026.
How tall is Symone Sanders? Height, weight and appearance
Symone Sanders stands 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) tall, based on published estimates. Her height figure is listed as an estimate in the profile table above.
Her weight is not publicly available. She has black hair and brown eyes, and on camera she favors a direct, plain-spoken delivery with sharp, short answers in panel debate.
Symone Sanders’s career
Early career in Omaha and Virginia
Sanders Townsend attended Sacred Heart Catholic School in Omaha and graduated from Mercy High School in 2008. She then attended Creighton University in Omaha, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2013.
During college, she interned at a law firm and decided that law was not the path she wanted. Her first job after school was at Time Out Foods, a Black-owned restaurant in Omaha, before she moved into political communications.
She worked in the communications office of former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle. In 2014, she served as deputy communications director for Chuck Hassebrook’s campaign for governor of Nebraska.
After that campaign, she moved to Virginia, where she directed communications for Delegate Michael Futrell.
Bernie Sanders campaign and CNN
Sanders Townsend joined Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign in August 2015 as national press secretary. She was 25 at the time, and she was reported as the youngest presidential press secretary on record.
The campaign gave her a national profile, and Rolling Stone named her one of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election. She left the campaign in June 2016, after the nomination contests ended.
In October 2016, she joined CNN as a political commentator. She spent the next years on cable panels.
Biden campaign and the White House
In April 2019, Sanders Townsend joined Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign as a senior advisor. She worked on communications and outreach through the campaign, and she published her first book in 2020.
Her book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America, came out in 2020. It mixed memoir with advice for young people who wanted a voice in politics.
After Biden won the election, she was named chief spokesperson and senior advisor to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on November 29, 2020. She also served as Deputy Assistant to President Biden, and she was the first Black woman to hold the vice presidential spokesperson role.
She announced her departure from the White House on December 1, 2021. The move cleared the way for her return to television, where she had started to build a second career.
MSNBC and MS NOW
Sanders Townsend joined MSNBC in January 2022. Her own show, SYMONE, premiered on May 7, 2022, with First Lady Jill Biden as its first guest, and it ran until January 7, 2024.
On January 7, 2024, she moved to The Weekend, a weekend morning panel show she co-hosted with Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele. The trio then took over the weekday 7 p.m. ET slot on February 24, 2025, after that slot opened up.
The Weeknight premiered on May 5, 2025, as the new name for the 7 p.m. weekday show, with Sanders Townsend, Menendez, and Steele as co-hosts. The channel rebranded from MSNBC to MS NOW on November 15, 2025, and the show kept its 7 p.m. ET slot.
In June 2026, Luke Russert joined Sanders Townsend and Steele on The Weeknight, and Menendez moved to a new daytime show. Sanders Townsend still co-hosts The Weeknight weeknights at 7 p.m. ET as of November 2026.
Awards and recognition
Sanders Townsend has held resident fellowships at Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School, and the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future.
She has received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from Spelman College and American University. She also served as national chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee, where she worked on juvenile justice reform.
Career timeline
- 2013: Earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Creighton University in Omaha.
- August 2015: Joined Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign as national press secretary.
- October 2016: Joined CNN as a political commentator.
- April 2019: Joined Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign as a senior advisor.
- November 29, 2020: Named chief spokesperson and senior advisor to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
- May 7, 2022: SYMONE premiered on MSNBC, with First Lady Jill Biden as first guest.
- July 14, 2026: Announced a new book, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You, for fall 2027.
Why did Symone Sanders become an Independent?
On March 15, 2025, Sanders Townsend announced on air, during The Weekend, that she was leaving the Democratic Party to register as an Independent. She tied the decision to the party’s response to a Republican government funding bill.
She said she was angered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s support for the bill. The announcement drew wide coverage, and it marked a public break from the party she had served in campaigns and in the White House.
What is Symone Sanders’s net worth and salary?
As of 2026, Symone Sanders’s net worth is estimated at $1 million to $5 million.
Net worth
As of 2026, Symone Sanders’s net worth is estimated at $1 million to $5 million. The range reflects published estimates for a cable news host with book income, speaking work, and a consulting past.
Salary
Her MS NOW salary is not publicly available. Cable news networks do not publish host pay, and no contract figure for her current role has been confirmed in public records.
Income sources
Sanders Townsend earns from her MS NOW hosting work, which is her main income source as of November 2026. She also earns from book royalties, speaking engagements, and her podcast work.
Her earlier income came from campaign work, consulting through her own firm, and television commentary at CNN.
Is Symone Sanders married?
Yes, Symone Sanders is married to Shawn Townsend.
Sanders Townsend married Shawn Townsend on July 15, 2022, in a surprise ceremony at the Larz Anderson House in Washington, D.C. Guests had been invited to a party billed as a toast to the couple, and they learned on arrival that it was a wedding.
Townsend served as director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture in Washington, D.C., a role often called the city’s night mayor. He later worked as a principal at the Dewey Square Group, and he has also served as president and chief executive of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
The couple met through an introduction by Bakari Sellers in April 2019. Townsend proposed on Easter Sunday in 2021, on a hotel rooftop in Washington, D.C., and the couple married about 15 months later.
Children
Sanders Townsend and Townsend have no children. Their public life centers on their work in Washington, D.C., and on the shows and events they attend together.
Family
Sanders Townsend’s father is Daniel Sanders, who retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her mother is Terri Sanders, a former publisher of the Omaha Star and a former executive director of the Great Plains Black History Museum.
What is Symone Sanders doing in 2026?
In 2026, Sanders Townsend co-hosts The Weeknight on MS NOW and co-hosts the Clock It podcast with Eugene Daniels. Clock It launched on February 12, 2026, with new episodes on Thursdays, and it mixes politics with pop culture.
On May 17, 2026, she gave the keynote address at Spelman College’s 139th commencement in Atlanta, Georgia, and she received an honorary doctorate at the same ceremony.
On June 15, 2026, MS NOW debuted a new weekday lineup, and Luke Russert joined Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele on The Weeknight. The change kept her in the 7 p.m. ET slot while it reshaped the rest of the channel’s day.
On July 14, 2026, she announced a new book, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You, for fall 2027. The announcement marked her second book, after her 2020 memoir, and it gave her a project beyond her nightly show.
Symone Sanders’s social media presence
As of November 2026, Symone Sanders has 357,902 followers on Instagram and uses the platform for show clips, podcast news, and personal posts.
Her bio lists her as co-host of The Weeknight and Clock It, and her July 2026 posts marked her wedding anniversary and her new book.
On X, she has 379,500 followers under @SymoneDSanders, where she posts show clips and political commentary.
Quick facts about Symone Sanders
- Imaginary TV host Donna Burns: as a child, she walked around her house playing an imaginary television host named Donna Burns.
- Introduced Bill Clinton at 16: in 2006, she introduced former President Bill Clinton at an event in Omaha when she was 16 years old.
- Girls Inc. national intern: while at Creighton, she served as a national intern for Girls Inc. in Washington, D.C.
- Empowerment Network Omaha roles: after college, she held communications and outreach roles at the Empowerment Network in Omaha.
- TED Talk Stop Asking Permission: she has given a TED Talk titled Stop Asking Permission.
- Links Cherry Blossom member: she is a member of the Cherry Blossom (DC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
- Black Enterprise Luminary Award: she has received Black Enterprise’s Luminary Award.
- NMAC gala host October 2026: in October 2026, she hosted NMAC HIV’s Champions of Legacy Gala.
Read more: Erin Perrine Age, height, husband, net worth, career
FAQs
How old is Symone Sanders?
36. Her next birthday falls on December 10, 2026, when she turns 37.
Is Symone Sanders married?
Yes. She married Shawn Townsend on July 15, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Who is Symone Sanders’s husband?
Shawn Townsend. He once ran Washington, D.C.’s nightlife office as its night mayor.
What is Symone Sanders’s net worth?
$1 million to $5 million is the estimated range as of 2026.
What does Symone Sanders do now?
The Weeknight. She co-hosts the MS NOW show weeknights at 7 p.m. ET.
Final word on Symone Sanders
Symone Sanders Townsend built a career that runs from Omaha politics to national campaigns, the White House, and prime-time television. Her 2026 work shows that arc in full, with a Spelman commencement address, a reshaped Weeknight lineup, and a second book on the way. She still co-hosts The Weeknight on MS NOW and co-hosts Clock It with Eugene Daniels.
References
- Symone Sanders Townsend. Bio.
- Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service. Symone Sanders Townsend.
- Spelman College. Commencement Speaker.
- Versant MS NOW Press Room. MS NOW to Debut Its New Weekday Lineup.
- USA Today. Symone Sanders and Eugene Daniels launch Clock It podcast.
- Washingtonian. Symone Sanders and Shawn Townsend married in a surprise wedding in DC.
- MadameNoire. Symone D. Sanders wedding.
- Hindustan Times. MSNBC host announces she is quitting the Democratic Party live on air.
- Creightonian. Alumna joins Sanders campaign.
- Instagram. Symone D. Sanders Townsend.
- X. Symone D. Sanders Townsend.
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