Michael Wolff (journalist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Wolff
Wolff in 2024
Born	1953 (age 71–72) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Vassar College Columbia University (BA)
Notable works	Burn Rate Fire and Fury
Notable awards	National Magazine Award Mirror Award

Michael Wolff (born in 1953) is an American journalist and writer. He has written for many well-known publications like USA Today and Vanity Fair. He has won two National Magazine Awards and a Mirror Award for his writing.

Wolff has written seven books. Two of his most famous books are Burn Rate (1998), which is about his own internet company, and Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (2018). Fire and Fury became a huge bestseller. He also helped start a news website called Newser.

Early life and education

Michael Wolff was born in 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey. His father, Lewis Allen Wolff, worked in advertising. His mother, Marguerite Wolff, was a reporter for a local newspaper.

He went to Montclair Academy and later graduated from Columbia University in 1975. While he was a student at Columbia, he worked for The New York Times newspaper.

Career highlights

Starting out in the 1970s

Wolff published his very first magazine article in New York Times Magazine in 1974. It was about a neighbor of his family. Soon after, he became a writer for New Times, a news magazine published every two weeks. His first book, White Kids, was a collection of essays and came out in 1979.

Working in the 1990s

In 1991, Michael Wolff started his own company. It focused on creating books, like guides. One of their first big projects was making an early guide to the internet called Net Guide.

In 1998, Wolff released his book Burn Rate. This book shared the story of his own internet company, Wolff New Media. It talked about how the company was funded and how it eventually faced problems. The book became very popular.

In August 1998, Wolff started writing a weekly column for New York magazine. He wrote over 300 columns for them in six years.

Achievements in the 2000s

Wolff at the 2008 Monaco Media Forum

Wolff was nominated for the National Magazine Award three times and won it twice. One of his awards was for columns he wrote during the start of the Iraq War in 2003.

His book, Autumn of the Moguls (2004), was based on many of his columns. It talked about changes happening in the world of mainstream media.

In 2005, Wolff became a media columnist for Vanity Fair magazine. In 2007, he helped launch Newser, a website that collects news from different sources.

That same year, he wrote a book about Rupert Murdoch called The Man Who Owns the News. He spent over 50 hours talking with Murdoch and had access to his business partners and family for the book. It was published in 2008.

Career in the 2010s

In 2010, Wolff won a Mirror Award for his writing in Vanity Fair.

Also in 2010, Wolff became the editor of Adweek, a magazine about advertising. He left the role about a year later.

Books about Donald Trump

Fire and Fury (2018)

In early 2018, Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House was published. Before the book officially came out, parts of it were shared. These parts described U.S. President Donald Trump in ways that some people found unflattering. The book also talked about the White House staff and comments made by former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.

News about the book caused a lot of excitement. President Trump and his lawyer sent a letter to Wolff and his publisher, saying the book had false statements. They threatened to sue. However, this action actually made even more people want to buy the book! The publisher stood by the book, saying that people have the right to speak freely under the U.S. First Amendment.

Before it was even released, Fire and Fury became the number one book on Amazon.com. Within a few days, over one million copies were sold or ordered.

Siege: Trump under Fire (2019)

Wolff's next book about Trump, called Siege: Trump Under Fire, came out in June 2019. This book continued to explore events during Trump's time as president.

Landslide (2021)

His third book about Trump, titled Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, was published in 2021.

Personal life

Michael Wolff has three children with his former wife, Alison Anthoine. He is now married to Victoria Floethe, and they have two children together. His daughter, Susanna Wolff, used to be the editor-in-chief of CollegeHumor, a popular comedy website.

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