![40 Nigerians Under 40: Lola Ogunnaike [39]](https://businesscabal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/uche-nnaji.jpg "40 Nigerians Under 40: Lola Ogunnaike [39] 1")
She is the entertainment correspondent for CNN’s flagship morning news program, American Morning. Based in New York, Ogunnaike joined CNN in May 2007 and reports on pop culture and entertainment news as part of American Morning’s daily news coverage.
Ogunnaike has been covering entertainment news since 1999. Prior to joining CNN, Ogunnaike was the top culture reporter for the New York Times and spearheaded its entertainment coverage, writing profiles of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Sting for the paper’s “Arts and Leisure” section.
Before that, she was a features reporter at The New York Daily News, where she covered breaking news on celebrities and entertainment for “NOW,” the paper’s entertainment section, and for the Rush and Molloy column. Previously, Ogunnaike was a contributing writer for Vibe Magazine, where she was responsible for monthly music features and cover stories. She has also had her work published in Rolling Stone, New York, Glamour, Details, Nylon, The New York Observer and V Magazine.
On air, Ogunnaike has also made regular guest appearances on NBC’s Today Show, MTV and VH1. In May 2007, she was named one of Ebony magazine’s “150 Most Influential Blacks in America”.
Ogunnaike received her master’s in fine arts degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in English literature form the University of Virginia. Lola is now married to Dean Solebo.
