After some years as the lead local anchor on Miami's WSVN, Sanchez moved to cable news, first as a daytime anchor at MSNBC, later at CNN, where he began as a correspondent and ultimately rose to become an anchor. On CNN, he hosted his own show "Rick's List" and served as a contributor to "Anderson Cooper 360°" and CNN International, where he frequently reported and translated between English and Spanish. Sanchez was fired from CNN on October 1, 2010, following controversial remarks he made on a radio program. In July 2011, Sanchez was hired by Florida International University, to serve as a color commentator for radio broadcasts of the school's football team. Since October 2018, he has hosted "News with Rick Sanchez" on RT America.