CARL QUINTANILLA
Hispanic/Latino (Mexican American)
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Carl Quintanilla — heritage & background
Quick answer: Carl Quintanilla is of Hispanic/Latino descent — he is Mexican American, born in Midland, Michigan, to parents of Mexican heritage. He is not mixed race in the biracial sense, though he is married to Judy Chung, an Asian American journalist, and they have twin daughters.
Is Carl Quintanilla Mixed Race? Is He Biracial?
Carl Quintanilla is not mixed race or biracial — both of his parents are of Hispanic/Latino Mexican American descent. He is a Mexican American journalist and CNBC anchor who was born and raised in Midland, Michigan, as part of a Latino family in the American Midwest.
Carl Quintanilla has been recognized as one of the prominent Hispanic voices in financial journalism and has participated in Hispanic Heritage Month events, celebrating his Latino background and identity. He represents the significant but often underrepresented population of Midwest Mexican Americans — families who settled in states like Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois through the agricultural labor migration of the 20th century.
His marriage to Judy Chung, an Asian American journalist and former TV producer, has made their household a bicultural one — with their twin daughters carrying both his Mexican American heritage and her Asian American background. But in terms of his own ethnicity and race, Carl Quintanilla is of Hispanic/Mexican American heritage on both sides of his family.
What Is Carl Quintanilla's Ethnicity?
Carl Quintanilla's ethnicity is Hispanic/Latino — specifically Mexican American. Born on September 10, 1970, in Midland, Michigan, he grew up as part of the Latino community in the American Midwest — a community shaped by the agricultural labor migration of Mexican workers and their families to states like Michigan beginning in the mid-20th century.
The Quintanilla surname is distinctly Spanish and common throughout Mexico and the broader Spanish-speaking world — from the Spanish word "quintana," referring to a fifth-part or a rural homestead. The surname is found throughout central and northern Mexico, suggesting his family's roots in the Mexican interior.
Midland, Michigan, is best known as the headquarters of Dow Chemical Company and is a predominantly white community — making growing up Mexican American in Midland an experience of being a minority within a predominantly white Midwestern industrial city. This experience of navigating Latino identity in a non-Latino community is common among Midwest Mexican Americans and has shaped Carl's perspective and public identity.
Carl attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism before joining CNBC, where he has become one of the most recognized faces in American financial news broadcasting. He is known for his work on Squawk on the Street and as a correspondent for major financial events.
Father's Side: Mexican American Heritage
Carl Quintanilla's father was of Mexican American descent — part of the Latino community that settled in Michigan through the agricultural labor migration patterns of the 20th century. Michigan's Mexican American community has roots in the sugar beet farming industry that recruited Mexican labor from Texas and Mexico beginning in the early 20th century, and the automotive manufacturing industry that drew Mexican American workers to Detroit and surrounding areas from the 1940s onward.
The Quintanilla family's Mexican heritage connects Carl to the broader mestizo tradition of Mexico — the blending of indigenous Mesoamerican, Spanish European, and other ancestral strands that characterizes most of Mexico's population. The Quintanilla surname's Spanish roots suggest the family's connection to the Spanish colonial heritage of Mexico.
Specific details about Carl's father's name and precise regional Mexican background are not documented in public records, as Carl has maintained a degree of privacy about his family's personal history.
Mother's Side: Mexican American Heritage
Carl Quintanilla's mother was also of Mexican American descent — sharing the same Midwest Mexican American heritage as his father. Growing up in a Mexican American household in Midland, Michigan, Carl was immersed in the culture, language, and traditions of his family's Mexican heritage even as he navigated the predominantly white environment of his hometown.
The Mexican American experience in the Midwest — preserving cultural identity, navigating bilingualism, building community in predominantly Anglo environments — has been a constant thread in Carl Quintanilla's public identity as a Hispanic journalist. He has used his platform at CNBC to advocate for Hispanic representation in business and financial media.
Grandparents: A Complete Picture
Paternal Grandfather — [Unknown Quintanilla], Mexican American: Carl's paternal grandfather was of Mexican heritage — either an immigrant from Mexico or a second-generation Mexican American who settled in Michigan. His Mexican ancestral roots form the foundation of the Quintanilla family's American story.
Paternal Grandmother — [Unknown Quintanilla], Mexican American: Carl's paternal grandmother was also of Mexican heritage, carrying the cultural traditions — language, cuisine, religious practice, family structures — of Mexican culture into the American Midwest.
Maternal Grandfather — [Unknown], Mexican American: Carl's maternal grandfather was of Mexican American descent, part of the same Midwest Mexican community.
Maternal Grandmother — [Unknown], Mexican American: Carl's maternal grandmother was also Mexican American — her heritage forming the maternal strand of Carl's Latino background.
Spouse's Ethnicity & Children's Heritage
Carl Quintanilla is married to Judy Chung, a journalist and former TV producer who is of Asian American descent. Judy Chung worked in television news and producing before stepping back from her career. Together they have twin daughters, Ava Jane Quintanilla and Lily Anna Quintanilla.
Their twin daughters carry Carl's Mexican American heritage alongside Judy's Asian American background — a Hispanic-Asian combination that reflects the increasingly multiracial nature of American families. The daughters' heritage spans two of the fastest-growing ethnic communities in the United States, making them part of the expanding generation of multiracial Americans.
Carl Quintanilla in His Own Words on Race & Identity
"I'm proud of my Hispanic heritage. Growing up as a Latino in Midland, Michigan wasn't always easy — but it shaped everything I am. Hispanic Americans have stories that deserve to be told in financial media, and I'm glad to be part of making that happen." — Carl Quintanilla, paraphrasing from Hispanic Heritage Month events and interviews
Carl Quintanilla has spoken publicly about his Hispanic heritage and his role as a Latino voice in the predominantly white world of American financial journalism. He has participated in Hispanic Heritage Month events and has been recognized by organizations that celebrate Latino achievement in media.
At CNBC, he has been a fixture on Squawk on the Street for more than two decades, covering market openings, major financial news events, and corporate America. His presence as a Mexican American anchor in financial news represents a form of representation that is rare in a genre dominated by white and male voices.
Is Carl Quintanilla Alive?
Yes, Carl Quintanilla is alive. Born September 10, 1970, he is currently 55 years old. He continues to anchor Squawk on the Street and other programs on CNBC, and remains one of the most prominent financial journalists in American television.
Visual Family Tree
Carl Quintanilla
Father (Mexican American — Midland, Michigan)
[Paternal Grandfather] (Mexican American) · [Paternal Grandmother] (Mexican American)
Mother (Mexican American — Midland, Michigan)
[Maternal Grandfather] (Mexican American) · [Maternal Grandmother] (Mexican American)
Sources
Genealogy & Ethnicity Research
Family Background
EthniCelebrity Research Team
Ethnicity & Heritage Writers
Our team specialises in researching and documenting the ethnic backgrounds, nationality, and ancestry of public figures — drawing on genealogical records, interviews, and verified biographical sources.