Miami's Jorge Bernal, entertainment anchor, reporter and radio host, was recently announced as the new co-host of La Voz Kids, or the Spanish version of NBC’s "The Voice," with contestants ages 7 to 14.
The show is being taped in Miami and debuts May 5 on Telemundo. It will be co-hosted by model Daisy Fuentes and will feature music coaches Paulina Rubio, Prince Royce and Roberto Tapia.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world because of what the show means for my career, but also because of the kids participating in the show,” Bernal said. “They have a musical talent and amazing back stories.”
Bernal, an only child, was born in Cuba, but came to the United States at the age of 4 during the Mariel boatlift.
“All I remember was being in one of those boats and throwing up,” Bernal said. “But I do remember my first dinner here: it was a whopper from Burger King.”
Every year, he gets together with his mom and eats a whopper to remeber the day he arrived from Cuba.
He graduated from Coral Gables High School and later enrolled into Miami-Dade College to pursue a career in broadcasting.
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He was working as a bank teller and going to school, when his mother won a prize from a local TV show. When they went to claim the prize, he spoke to producers of the show and they allowed him to be their intern.
He got hands-on experience and worked in various positions before getting the opportunity to have his own segment.
“The talent that did a man on the street segment on the show didn’t show up to work, so my boss told me to do it- but I wasn’t allowed to come out on camera,” Bernal said.
His boss later asked him to do it on-camera, and the man on the street segment became Bernal’s first on camera opportunity.
The show was bought by Telemundo network, but was cancelled a couple of months later. Bernal stuck around and later hosted a weekend musical variety show.
But it was about 10 years ago, when Bernal received a call from María Celeste Arrarás asking him to be part of her news magazine show, Al Rojo Vivo.
“I was incredibly excited, I was freaking out,” Bernal said. “I don’t know what happened, it’s like a blur. I accepted the job and said yes to everything.”
He has since grown to be the entertainment anchor of the show and said his time there has blown by. He is known for interviewing hundreds of artist and focusing on technology news.
He is also hosting "Tu Mañana LIVE!” a bilingual radio show that airs on SiriusXM and was recently syndicated.
Although Bernal feels accomplished in his career, there is one more thing he wishes to fulfill:
“About five years ago Pitbull told me that I would be the Ryan Seacrest Latino,” Bernal said. “I’m lacking the millions but that’s the direction I want to go.”
