Rachel Maddow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Maddow
Maddow in 2018
Born	Rachel Anne Maddow (1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 52) Castro Valley, California, U.S.
Education	Stanford University (BA) Lincoln College, Oxford (DPhil)
Occupation	Television host political commentator author
Years active	1999–present
Employer	Air America Radio (2004–2010) MSNBC (2008–present)
Television	The Rachel Maddow Show
Partner(s)	Susan Mikula (1999–present)

Rachel Anne Maddow (ⁱ/ˈmædoʊ/, MAD-oh; born April 1, 1973) is an American television host and political commentator. She hosts The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC every week. She also helps anchor special events for the network. Before TV, she had a radio show called The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010.

Rachel Maddow has won many awards for her work in broadcasting. She has received several Emmy Awards. In 2021, she also won a Grammy Award. This was for the audiobook version of her book Blowout, which came out in 2019.

Maddow studied at Stanford University, where she earned a bachelor's degree. She also has a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford. She was the first openly gay or lesbian anchor to host a major prime-time news program in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Rachel Maddow was born in Castro Valley, California. Her father, Robert B. Maddow, used to be a captain in the United States Air Force. He later worked as a lawyer. Her mother, Elaine, was a school program administrator. Rachel has an older brother named David. Her family is "very, very Catholic", and she grew up in a conservative area.

Maddow was a good athlete in high school. She played volleyball, basketball, and was on the swimming team. She graduated from Castro Valley High School. She then went to Stanford University. During her first year, a college newspaper article shared that she was a lesbian before she had told her parents.

She earned her degree in public policy from Stanford in 1994. She received the John Gardner Fellowship when she graduated. In 1995, she received a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed her to study at Lincoln College, Oxford in England. She was the first openly lesbian person to win the Rhodes Scholarship. In 2001, she earned her Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in politics from Oxford. Her main research was about HIV/AIDS and health care in prisons.

Radio Career

Maddow started her radio career in 1999 at WRNX in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She won a contest to become a co-host for "The Dave in the Morning Show." After that, she hosted Big Breakfast on WRSI for two years.

In 2004, she joined the new Air America radio network. There, she hosted Unfiltered with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead. This show ended in March 2005. Two weeks later, in April 2005, her own show, The Rachel Maddow Show, began. It aired for two hours on weekdays. By March 2008, it became a three-hour show.

In 2008, her radio show went back to two hours. This happened when she started her nightly TV show on MSNBC. In 2009, her radio show moved to a one-hour slot early in the morning. This was because doing two daily shows was too much work. Her radio show ended on January 21, 2010, when Air America closed down.

Television Career

In June 2005, Rachel Maddow became a regular guest on the MSNBC show Tucker. She also appeared on CNN's Paula Zahn Now. She was a correspondent for The Advocate Newsmagazine, which focused on LGBT news.

In January 2008, Maddow became a political analyst for MSNBC. She was a regular guest on shows like Race for the White House. She also often appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

In 2008, Maddow filled in as a host for Countdown with Keith Olbermann. This was her first time hosting a show on MSNBC. She said she felt "nervous" on air. Keith Olbermann praised her work, and she was asked to host again. The show she hosted had very high ratings for its time slot. Olbermann even ranked her among the "World's Best Persons." Maddow also filled in for David Gregory on Race for the White House.

Maddow making cocktails during a Diggnation podcast recording at the msnbc.com digital café in Rockefeller Center.

Keith Olbermann strongly supported Maddow getting her own show at MSNBC. He eventually convinced Phil Griffin to give her a prime-time slot.

The Rachel Maddow Show on TV

In August 2008, MSNBC announced that The Rachel Maddow Show would take over the 9:00 p.m. time slot. This happened the next month. After it started, her show often had higher ratings than Countdown. After just over a month, Maddow's program doubled the number of viewers for that hour. This made Maddow the first openly gay or lesbian person to host a prime-time news show in the U.S.

The show received good reviews at first. Journalists said Maddow found "the right formula" and became a "star of America's cable news." Some described her show and Keith Olbermann's as a "liberal two-hour block."

Maddow once said she got technical advice from Roger Ailes of Fox News about camera angles. She didn't want to talk about it much because it helped her gain an advantage.

In May 2017, The Rachel Maddow Show became the number one non-sports program on cable TV. This happened during many news stories about the Trump administration. Rolling Stone magazine called her "America's wonkiest anchor." They said she helped people understand the Trump administration's actions. Maddow believes these issues were very serious for any president.

Maddow has said her show's goal is to "increase the amount of useful information in the world." She has a rule for covering the Trump administration: "Don't pay attention to what they say, focus on what they do." She believes this helps cover fast-moving stories without getting distracted by denials.

Maddow often starts her show with a long story, sometimes over 20 minutes. She calls this the "A-block." She often uses old film clips or media to connect past events to current news. She wants to share new information with her viewers every night.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddow strongly supported vaccination. She encouraged people to get vaccinated for their own health and for others.

Maddow took a break from her show from February to April 2022. This was to work on a movie based on her podcast Bag Man. Since May 2022, her show airs once a week on Mondays.

Legal Case: Herring Networks, Inc. v. Rachel Maddow

On September 10, 2019, One America News Network (OAN) sued Rachel Maddow for $10 million. This was after Maddow said on her show that OAN was "paid Russian propaganda." Maddow had repeated a story from Daily Beast. This story said an OAN employee also worked for Sputnik News. Sputnik News is owned by the Russian government and has been accused of spreading false information. The lawsuit also named Comcast, MSNBC, and NBCUniversal Media.

On May 22, 2020, the judge dismissed the case. The judge said that Maddow's statement was an opinion and could not be the basis for a defamation lawsuit. OAN's parent company said they would appeal the decision.

In August 2021, a higher court confirmed the decision in Maddow's favor. The court also ruled that OAN had to pay Maddow's legal fees.

Writing Books

Rachel Maddow has written several books. Her first book, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, was published in 2012. It discusses the military's role in American politics after World War II. When it came out, Drift became a number one best-seller on The New York Times list for non-fiction books.

In December 2013, The Washington Post announced that Maddow would write a monthly opinion column for their newspaper.

On March 2, 2018, The New York Times published Maddow's first crossword puzzle. She created it with Joe DiPietro. She was very excited about it.

Her second book, Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth, came out in October 2019. In March 2021, the audiobook version of Blowout won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Her third book, Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House, was published in December 2020. She wrote it with Michael Yarvitz.

Maddow's fourth book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, was released on October 17, 2023. This book is based on her podcast called Ultra.

Podcasting Work

In October 2018, Maddow started a podcast called Bag Man. It was produced with MSNBC. The podcast focused on a political scandal from 1973 involving Vice President Spiro Agnew. In 2022, it was announced that a movie based on the podcast was being made. Ben Stiller is set to direct, and Lorne Michaels will produce it. Maddow will be an executive producer.

In October 2022, Maddow and MSNBC launched another podcast called Ultra. This series tells the story of right-wing extremism in the U.S. during the 1940s and World War II. It includes details about the 1944 sedition trial. A few months later, in December, filmmaker Steven Spielberg's company bought the rights to make a film series from Ultra.

Political Views

Maddow in 2012

When asked about her political views in 2010, Rachel Maddow said she is "undoubtedly a liberal." She explained that this means she mostly agrees with the Eisenhower-era Republican Party's ideas.

Maddow did not support the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In February 2013, she said that the Iraq War was a "strategic disaster" and a "moral disaster."

During the 2008 presidential election, Maddow did not officially support any candidate. She said she did not see herself as a supporter of Barack Obama's campaign.

In 2010, Republican Senator Scott Brown thought Maddow might run against him in the 2012 Senate election. His campaign even used this idea to raise money. However, Maddow repeatedly said she was not running. Brown kept making these claims, so Maddow put a full-page ad in The Boston Globe to confirm she was not running. She also asked for an apology from Brown. She noted that he had refused to appear on her TV show many times. In the end, Elizabeth Warren ran in 2012 and defeated Brown.

Maddow has suggested that the alleged Trump-Russia collusion continued after the 2016 presidential election. In March 2017, she blamed Russia for the WikiLeaks' Vault 7 release of the CIA's hacking tools. She said this could be a big blow to the CIA's abilities. Maddow stated that if the Trump presidency was knowingly part of a foreign intelligence operation, it would be a national crisis. Regarding "alternative facts" and fake news, Maddow said that a president criticizing the press is important because it shows an "increasingly authoritarian-style leader."

After the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, Maddow raised concerns about Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia.

In December 2018, Maddow criticized President Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria.

In July 2020, Maddow predicted that unemployment numbers for the previous month would be "absolutely terrible." However, the numbers later showed the largest growth in jobs in U.S. history for a single month. Politico named Maddow's prediction as one of the "most audacious, confident and spectacularly incorrect" forecasts of the year.

Personal Life

Rachel Maddow divides her time between Manhattan in New York City and West Cummington, Massachusetts. She lives with her partner, artist Susan Mikula. They first met in 1999 when Maddow was working on her doctoral studies.

Maddow has experienced cyclical depression since she was a teenager. In a 2012 interview, she said it does not stop her joy or work. However, she explained that coping with depression is part of her daily life. She decided to talk about it publicly because learning about others who lived well with depression had helped her. She felt it was her responsibility to share her experience.

Maddow has shared three things she does to stay healthy: she exercises, she sleeps well, and she fishes. She is also a practicing Catholic.

In 2021, Maddow had surgery to remove a cancerous skin growth from her neck.

Awards and Recognition

• 2023 Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism for her podcast, Ultra. This award honors journalists who do investigative reporting and deep storytelling for the common good.
• 2020 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for her podcast, Bagman. This award recognizes excellence in broadcast and digital journalism that serves the public.
• 2018 Peabody Award nomination for her podcast, Bagman. This was for its in-depth look at the resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.
• 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Interview for her show's segment "One-on-One with Kellyanne Conway".
• 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis for her show's story "An American Disaster: The Crisis in Flint".
• 2011 Emmy Award for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis for her show's segments "Good Morning Landlocked Central Asia!".
• Maddow was included in Out magazine's "Out 100" list in 2008, which recognizes influential gay men and women.
• She was voted "Lesbian/Bi Woman of the Year (American)" in AfterEllen's 2008 Visibility Awards.
• Maddow won a Gracie Award in 2009 from the Alliance for Women in Media.
• In 2009, she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for a segment on her MSNBC show.
• On March 28, 2009, the California State Senate honored her with a Proclamation of Honor.
• In April 2009, she was listed at No. 4 in Out magazine's Annual Power 50 List.
• Maddow was included in The Advocate's "Forty under 40" list of openly gay media professionals in June/July 2009.
• In 1994, she received an Honorable Mention in the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Prize in Ethics.
• In June 2009, her MSNBC show was the only cable news show nominated for a Television Critics Association award in its category.
• In March 2010, Maddow won a GLAAD Media Award for her segment "Uganda Be Kidding Me."
• In May 2010, Maddow was the commencement speaker at Smith College and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
• In August 2010, Maddow won the Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award.
• In February 2012, she received the John Steinbeck Award from San Jose State University.
• Maddow was named Outstanding Host at the 2012 Gracie Allen Awards.
• In December 2017, The Advocate named her a finalist for its "Person of the Year."
• In 2021, Fast Company included her on their Queer 50 list.

Grammy Awards

Scholastic Achievements

Honorary Degrees

Honorary degrees

Other Awards

See also

In Spanish: Rachel Maddow para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• New Yorkers in journalism
• United States cable news
• Women's liberation movement