Al Franken facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Al Franken
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Official portrait, 2015
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| United States Senator from Minnesota |
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| In office July 7, 2009 – January 2, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Norm Coleman |
| Succeeded by | Tina Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alan Stuart Franken
May 21, 1951 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
| Spouse |
Franni Bryson
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor. He is best known for serving as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. Before entering politics, he was a famous entertainer on television and in movies.
Franken first became well-known as a writer and performer on the comedy show Saturday Night Live. After his entertainment career, he became a political activist. He hosted a radio show and wrote books about politics.
In 2008, Franken was elected to the U.S. Senate. He defeated the sitting senator, Norm Coleman, by only 312 votes. It was one of the closest elections in Senate history. He was reelected in 2014. Franken resigned from the Senate in January 2018 after he was accused of inappropriate behavior. He has since said he regrets resigning.
In September 2019, Franken started hosting The Al Franken Show on SiriusXM radio. The show talks about world events, politics, and entertainment.
Contents
Early Life and School
Al Franken was born in New York City. His father, Joseph, was a printing salesman, and his mother, Phoebe, was a real estate agent. He has an older brother named Owen, who is a photojournalist.
When Al was four, his family moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota. Later, they moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Franken went to The Blake School, where he was on the wrestling team. He graduated in 1969.
He then went to Harvard College and studied political science. He graduated in 1973. While in college, Franken loved writing comedy. He and his friend Tom Davis started performing comedy together in high school. They performed at a theater in Minneapolis that was known for its political humor.
Career on Saturday Night Live
Franken and his friend Tom Davis were two of the first writers for the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL). They worked there from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1985 to 1995. On the show, Franken created famous characters like the self-help expert Stuart Smalley. He won five Emmy awards for his work on television.
Franken and Davis also wrote the 1986 movie One More Saturday Night. They even acted in it as rock singers. They also had small parts in other movies like Trading Places.
Franken left SNL in 1980 but returned in 1985. He left the show for good in 1995 because he was unhappy about not being chosen to host the Weekend Update segment.
Life After SNL
In 1995, Franken wrote and starred in the movie Stuart Saves His Family, based on his SNL character. The movie was not a success, which made Franken feel depressed.
He also wrote four best-selling books. His 1996 book, Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat ... and Other Observations, was very popular. Another book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, also became a bestseller. The book's title used the Fox News slogan "Fair and Balanced." Fox News sued him, but a judge dismissed the case. The lawsuit brought a lot of attention to his book and helped it sell more copies.
From 2004 to 2007, Franken hosted a radio talk show on Air America Radio. The show was first called The O'Franken Factor and later renamed The Al Franken Show. He used the show to share his political views. He left the show in 2007 to run for the U.S. Senate.
Franken also traveled to Iraq many times with the United Service Organizations (USO) to entertain American soldiers.
Becoming a Politician
Franken had been interested in politics for a long time. He was a big supporter of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. After Wellstone died in a plane crash in 2002, Franken was inspired to follow in his footsteps.
In 2005, Franken moved back to Minnesota and started a political action committee to raise money. By 2007, his committee had raised over $1 million. He was also the subject of a 2006 documentary film called Al Franken: God Spoke.
Franken supported the Iraq War at first but later changed his mind. He believed the government had misled the public about the reasons for the war. He also supported ideas like universal health care for all children and cutting government help for big oil companies.
United States Senate Career
The 2008 Election
On February 14, 2007, Franken announced he was running for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. He won the support of his party, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
The election on November 4, 2008, was extremely close. At first, it looked like his opponent, Norm Coleman, had won by a few hundred votes. But because the race was so close, an automatic recount was required by law.
After the recount, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board announced that Franken was ahead by 225 votes. Coleman challenged the result in court. The case went all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court. On June 30, 2009, the court ruled that Franken was the winner. Coleman then conceded the election.
The 2014 Election
Franken ran for a second term in 2014. He won the election easily, getting over 53% of the vote against his Republican opponent, Mike McFadden.
Time in the Senate
Franken was sworn into the Senate on July 7, 2009. He used the Bible of his hero, Senator Paul Wellstone, for the ceremony.
One of his first successful laws was the Service Dogs for Veterans Act. This law created a program to pair disabled military veterans with service dogs.
Franken was a strong supporter of health care reform. He added a rule to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often called Obamacare). This rule required insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money they collect on actual health care for people.
He also worked on financial reform. He proposed an amendment to change how companies that rate financial products are chosen. This was meant to prevent conflicts of interest.
Unlike his time as a comedian, Franken was known in the Senate for being serious and focused on his work. He did not seek much media attention and preferred to work hard for the people of Minnesota.
Resignation from the Senate
In November 2017, several women accused Franken of inappropriate behavior. Radio broadcaster Leeann Tweeden said that Franken had behaved improperly with her during a 2006 USO tour. Other women also came forward with similar stories about his behavior at public events.
Franken apologized for his actions. He said that he was a "warm person" who hugged people, but he understood that he had "crossed a line for some women."
The Senate Ethics Committee began an investigation. Many of his fellow Democratic senators called for him to resign. On December 7, 2017, Franken announced on the Senate floor that he would resign. He officially left the Senate on January 2, 2018.
Years later, some of the senators who had asked him to resign said they regretted their decision. They felt he should have had a chance to be heard by the ethics committee. Franken himself has said he regrets resigning and might run for office again someday.
Life After the Senate
After leaving the Senate, Franken started a podcast in 2019 called The Al Franken Podcast. He also began touring with a solo show called The Only Former US Senator Currently on Tour Tour.
In March 2023, he was a guest host for The Daily Show. He also has an acting role in a 2025 Netflix comedy series called The Residence, where he plays a U.S. senator.
Personal Life
Franken met his wife, Franni Bryson, at Harvard. They married in 1975 and have a daughter, Thomasin, and a son, Joseph. They also have four grandchildren.
In 2021, Franken moved back to New York City.
Images for kids
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Franken playing a character while entertaining service members in Iraq (2005)
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Franken at an election rally with Hillary Clinton in October 2008
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Franken during the 111th Congress
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Franken in 2017
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Franken in July 2017 (second from the left)
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See also
In Spanish: Al Franken para niños
- Saturday Night Live cast members
- List of Harvard University politicians
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
