Cenk Uygur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cenk Uygur
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Uygur speaking at AmericaFest 2024
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Cenk Kadir Uygur
March 21, 1970 Istanbul, Turkey
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| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS) Columbia University (JD) |
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| Political party | Democratic (since 2007) |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Lang |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Hasan Piker (nephew) |
Cenk Kadir Uygur (born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-American political commentator, media host, and lawyer. He is best known as the co-creator of The Young Turks (TYT). This show is a news and commentary program with a progressive and left-wing populist viewpoint.
In 1996, Uygur worked briefly as a lawyer. He started The Young Turks in 2002. He also worked for MSNBC as a political commentator in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he appeared on a show on Current TV. In 2017, Uygur helped start Justice Democrats, a group that supports progressive politicians.
In 2020, Uygur ran for Congress in California. His campaign faced some controversy because of past comments he made. He lost both elections he ran in that year. In October 2023, Uygur announced he would run for president in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He suspended his campaign on March 6, 2024.
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Early Life and Education
Cenk Uygur was born in Istanbul, Turkey, into a wealthy family. His family moved to the United States when he was eight years old. He grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and graduated from East Brunswick High School. Uygur was raised in a non-religious Muslim home. He later became an agnostic and now identifies as an atheist, though he still connects with his cultural Muslim background.
Uygur attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1992. While there, he wrote articles for the school paper. He later received a law degree from Columbia Law School.
Career Highlights
Starting in Media
Uygur worked as a lawyer for a short time in 1996. He then became a radio talk show host in Boston and Washington, D.C. He bought time on a local TV channel in Washington, D.C., to host his own political commentary show called The Young Turk.
In 1999, he worked on a news show in Miami, Florida. He then launched The Young Turks (TYT) on Sirius Satellite Radio. Uygur also wrote for The Huffington Post, where he criticized the 2003 Iraq war.
The Young Turks Show
Uygur created The Young Turks as a left-leaning, progressive talk show. It began on Sirius Satellite Radio in February 2002. It was also on the Air America radio network from 2006 to 2008. Uygur and his co-host Ana Kasparian made TYT a large online organization.
The show's name, The Young Turks, has been criticized by Armenian-Americans. This is because the original Young Turks political group in the Ottoman Empire was responsible for the Armenian genocide. Uygur has since said he no longer denies the Armenian genocide.
The Young Turks started a daily news video show on YouTube in 2005. Uygur often says it is the largest online news show in the world. The show has received billions of views on YouTube and has millions of subscribers. Uygur expanded TYT into a network of channels and shows. The show is streamed daily on its website, YouTube, and other platforms.
In September 2011, a TV version of The Young Turks started on Current TV. This show ran until August 2013. In May 2018, The Young Turks launched its own 24-hour channel on YouTube TV. Uygur also hired his nephew, Hasan Piker, to work for the show.
Time at MSNBC
MSNBC hired Uygur as a contributor in October 2010. In January 2011, he became the host of a new prime time show on MSNBC. He hosted this show for six months.
Uygur and MSNBC management had different ideas about his hosting style. Uygur said MSNBC wanted him to be less "aggressive." He left MSNBC and focused on The Young Turks.
Wolf-PAC and Justice Democrats
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Uygur supports removing corporate money from politics. He believes that changing how campaigns are funded is very important. In October 2011, he started a group called Wolf-PAC. This group aims to change the United States Constitution to end corporate personhood and have public funding for all elections.
On January 23, 2017, Uygur co-founded Justice Democrats. This group works to move the Democratic Party towards more social democratic or democratic socialist ideas, similar to Senator Bernie Sanders. The group supports progressive candidates in elections.
Uygur left Justice Democrats in December 2017. This happened after some old blog posts he wrote were found. These posts contained comments that were described as offensive. Uygur apologized for these past statements. He said he wrote them when he was younger and had different views.
Rebellion PAC
In 2020, Uygur also co-founded Rebellion PAC. This group focuses on running advertisements to support progressive candidates in elections.
Political Campaigns
2020 Congressional Campaign
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In late 2019, Uygur decided to run for Congress in California. He ran in two primary elections in March 2020. Uygur quickly raised a lot of money for his campaign from small donations.
Uygur ran as a left-wing candidate. He supported ideas like universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage, and stricter gun control. He also wanted to get money out of politics.
Initially, Senator Bernie Sanders supported Uygur's campaign. However, Sanders withdrew his support after past controversial comments by Uygur were highlighted. Other politicians also withdrew their support. Many groups criticized Uygur's past comments. Uygur said that media and political groups were unfairly targeting him.
Uygur lost both elections in 2020. He received 6% and 7% of the votes.
2024 Presidential Campaign
Uygur announced his presidential campaign in October 2023. He aimed to challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Uygur believed Biden was too old to win the election.
However, Uygur faced a major challenge: he is not a "natural-born U.S. citizen." The U.S. Constitution requires the president to be born a U.S. citizen. Uygur was born in Turkey and became a citizen later. He argued that courts could change this rule, but his attempts to get on state ballots were denied.
Uygur's campaign raised over $250,000. He was listed on primary ballots in a few states, including Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, and Connecticut. On March 6, 2024, Uygur ended his presidential campaign.
Political Views
Uygur was once a Republican but now strongly dislikes the Republican Party. He is also critical of the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party. He believes the Democratic Party needs to become more focused on the needs of everyday people.
Uygur's political views changed over time. He has said that the decision to invade Iraq was a key moment in his shift away from conservative politics. As a progressive, Uygur often criticizes both Democratic and Republican politicians. He believes many politicians are too influenced by wealthy donors.
Uygur supported Bernie Sanders in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
Uygur is also very critical of Israel. He has spoken out against the high number of civilian deaths in the Israel Hamas war. He has accused Israel of committing a genocide against the Palestinians. He has also condemned Hamas and the October 7 attacks. Uygur supports a Two-state solution for peace in the region.
Awards
In 2010, Cenk Uygur received the "Emperor Has No Clothes Award" from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. He also received the Humanist Media Award from the American Humanist Association.
Personal Life
Uygur is Turkish-American and speaks both Turkish and English. He is married to Wendy Lang, who is a marriage and family therapist. They have two children together.
