Mo Rocca
Biography
Humorist, journalist, and actor Mo Rocca is best known for his off-beat news reports and satirical commentary. Currently a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, Rocca is also the host of the CBS series The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation. The show pays tribute to some of the world’s greatest inventions—past and present— educating and inspiring audiences with stories of creativity, hard work, and passion.
In June 2024, Rocca will debut his latest book Roctogenarians, an inspiring collection of stories that celebrates the triumphs of people who made their biggest marks late in life. Along with co-author Jonathan Greenberg, Rocca recounts the stories of yesterday’s and today’s strongest finishers with passion and wonder, reminding us that it's never too late to pursue one's dreams, make a difference, and leave a lasting legacy.
Mo also created and hosted the Cooking Channel’s My Grandmother’s Ravioli, in which he learned to cook from grandparents across America. He is also a frequent panelist on NPR’s hit weekly quiz show Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!
In January of 2019, Rocca’s podcast Mobituaries debuted at #1 on iTunes. Rocca’s long love of obituaries led him to launch the project, an irreverent but deeply researched appreciation of the people (and things) of the past who have long intrigued him—from an unsung Founding Father to the first Chinese-American superstar, from Neanderthals to the station wagon.
The Mobituaries book was published in November 2019 and became a New York Times best-seller. The podcast’s fourth season launched in the fall of 2023.
For four seasons Mo was a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, followed by four seasons as a correspondent on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On Broadway, he played Vice Principal Panch in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other stage credits include Doody in the Southeast Asian Tour of Grease.
Mo is the author of “All the Presidents’ Pets,” a historical novel about White House pets and their role in presidential decision- making.
Beginning his career in TV as a writer and producer for the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning PBS children’s series Wishbone, Mo went on to write and produce for other kids’ series, including ABC’s Pepper Ann and Nickelodeon’s The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss—a pre-school series combining the whimsy of Seuss characters with the magic of Jim Henson puppetry.