Before marrying in 2015, Margaret Brennan had a long history with her husband that spanned 15 years. The journey began when they both attended the University of Virginia in 1998, where Brennan first met Maj. Ali Iyad Yakub, affectionately known as Yado. It was not until a reconnection in 2013 that they started dating, culminating in their marriage two years later.
“Timing was everything for us,” Brennan remarked in an interview with the Washington Post following their wedding in April 2015. “We both agree we wouldn’t have dated back in college.”
Margaret Brennan Reflects on Perfect Timing in Love with Yado Yakub
Their family grew when they welcomed their first son, Eamon, in September 2018, followed by the birth of their second son, Malek, in April 2021. So who exactly is Margaret Brennan’s husband? Here’s a comprehensive look at Yado Yakub and his relationship with the CBS News anchor.
His professional background includes military service and law. Yakub completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia before earning his law degree from the University of Miami. He initially worked as an attorney and legal associate for several years before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 2007, according to his LinkedIn profile.
After serving in the Marines until 2016, Yakub transitioned to a career in global intelligence. He rejoined the Marines in 2019 and currently works as a legal advisor, in addition to his role as a global advisor for Y2 Global Advisory.
The couple first crossed paths while attending college, with Brennan as a freshman and Yakub as a senior. In 1998, at the University of Virginia, the two were students but didn’t interact much, and their initial impressions of each other were not very favorable.
“I found her to be too conservative, too preppy, and too ‘New England’ for my taste,” Yakub shared with the Washington Post. “Meanwhile, she thought I was a bit wild and partied too hard.” Years later, their paths would cross repeatedly after their college days.
While studying abroad at Yarmouk University in Jordan during the summer between her junior and senior years, Brennan became close friends with Yakub’s sister, Samia. They traveled together and even visited Yakub’s grandmother in Damascus, Syria, as Brennan recalled in an interview with the Washington Post.
However, Yakub didn’t come to mind as often as one might expect. “The program was very rigorous, leaving little room for distractions,” Brennan explained to The New York Times in April 2015. “Yado’s name would pop up occasionally, but he wasn’t on my radar in any special way at that time.”
Their connection resurfaced three years later when Yakub was contacted by a mutual friend while Brennan was visiting Miami, where he was in law school. However, Brennan noted that “it was a real casual thing,” as she told The New York Times.
Nearly a decade later, while living in Washington, D.C., Brennan reconnected with Yakub. Brennan recalled, “Yado’s name came up once again. I was amused to learn that he had become a military officer and a lawyer, especially since I remembered him wearing T-shirts and flip-flops back at Virginia.”
Their romantic relationship began after they ran into each other in 2013. During a dinner with Samia, Brennan discovered that Yakub had moved to D.C. as well. Their paths crossed serendipitously in February 2013 while she was walking her dog; Yakub was waiting for a bus and invited her to a party. A month later, their conversations deepened, and they began dating.
They exchanged emails, and by July 2013, they were officially a couple. “It’s a pretty crazy series of events that brought us together,” Yakub stated in an interview with The New York Times. “I always perceived her as too uptight, but I hadn’t taken the time to truly get to know her. Once we started talking, I discovered she was warm and very down-to-earth.”
The couple tied the knot two years after they began dating. Following a five-month relationship, they took a memorable trip to Thailand. Upon returning home, Yakub felt ready to propose. On March 14, 2014, he popped the question during a visit to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they had attended college, and they married a year later on April 11, 2015.
Their wedding, held at the Decatur House in Washington, D.C., beautifully blended both Brennan’s Irish-American and Yakub’s Syrian-American cultures. Brennan made her entrance to the sound of Irish bagpipes, and guests enjoyed a performance by a Middle Eastern quartet during the cocktail hour.
“I envision our wedding as a fantastic fusion of our two worlds,” Yakub told the Washington Post ahead of the event. “I intend to soak it all in, appreciate the faces in the crowd, and savor every moment.”
Together, Brennan and Yakub are proud parents of two children. Their family first expanded with the arrival of their son, Eamon Brennan Yakub, on September 11, 2018, in Washington, D.C., a milestone they confirmed to PEOPLE.
“Yado and I are overjoyed and completely smitten with our little man Eamon,” Brennan shared. The name Eamon honors both their heritages, as “Eamon (pronounced Ay-mon) means ‘guardian’ in Irish and has a similar meaning of ‘righteous’ in Arabic.”
Their family welcomed another member with the birth of their second son, Malek Murphy Yakub, on April 28, 2021, at the same hospital where Eamon was born.
Similar to his brother, Malek’s name reflects a blend of their cultural backgrounds, with “Malek” meaning “king” in Arabic, and Murphy being a family name on Brennan’s side.
“Yado, Eamon, and I are thrilled to introduce Malek to the world as we emerge from the pandemic and look forward to reconnecting with friends and family,” Brennan expressed.
