Ron Reagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Reagan
|
|
|---|---|
Reagan in 2008
|
|
| Born |
Ronald Prescott Reagan
May 20, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Education | Yale University (1 semester) |
| Occupation |
|
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Parent(s) | |
| Relatives |
|
Ronald Prescott Reagan, born on May 20, 1958, is an American writer and broadcaster. He has worked as a radio host and a political expert on TV. He also hosted his own radio show for a time.
Ron Reagan is known for his liberal political views. These views are quite different from those of his father, Ronald Reagan, who was a conservative U.S. President. Ron has often spoken out against the modern Republican Party. He has even said his father would be "ashamed" of how much Donald Trump has influenced the party.
Contents
Ron Reagan's Early Life and Education
Ron Reagan was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the only son of Ronald Reagan and his second wife, Nancy Davis Reagan. His family lived in Sacramento when his father was the governor from 1967 to 1975.
Ron has an older sister, Patti Davis. She is about five and a half years older than him. He also has an older adoptive brother, Michael Reagan. Michael was adopted by Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman. Ron also had two half-sisters from his father's first marriage. One was Maureen Reagan (1941–2001). The other, Christine, was born early in 1947 and died the same day.
Ron Reagan started thinking differently from his father at a young age. When he was 12, he told his parents he was an atheist. This meant he did not believe in God or go to church.
School Days and Ballet Dreams
Ron attended The Webb School of California but was expelled. He later said the school thought he was a "bad influence." He explained that the final reason was going to a dance at a nearby girls' school in a friend's car.
In 1976, Ron left Yale University after just one semester. He wanted to become a ballet dancer. He joined the Joffrey Ballet and danced with the Joffrey II Dancers. This was a group for new dancers.
For a while, his parents did not see him perform. However, in May 1981, his parents went to watch him dance. His father, Ronald Reagan, wrote in his diary that Ron's performance was "darn good." He even said it reminded him of Fred Astaire.
Ron Reagan was 22 and married when his father became president. He never lived in the White House. He also stopped having Secret Service protection about a year and a half into his father's presidency.
Ron Reagan's Career in Media
In February 1986, Ron Reagan hosted an episode of the TV show Saturday Night Live.
After his father left the White House in 1989, Ron became more involved in politics. His views were very liberal, which was different from his father's. In a 2009 interview, Ron said he did not speak out politically during his father's time as president. He felt the media only cared about his opinions because of his father. He did not want to make it seem like he and his father were fighting over politics.
In 1991, Ron hosted The Ron Reagan Show. This was a late-night talk show about political topics. However, it was canceled quickly because it could not get as many viewers as other popular shows.
Journalism and TV Appearances
In recent years, Ron Reagan has worked as a journalist for magazines. He has also hosted talk shows on cable TV, including the Animal Planet network. In the UK, he was known for co-hosting Record Breakers. This show was based on The Guinness Book of Records. Ron would present a report from the United States each week.
He also served on the board of the Creative Coalition. This group was started by entertainers and artists. They work to support First Amendment rights, arts, and public education. From 2005, Ron co-hosted a talk show called Connected: Coast to Coast with Monica Crowley on MSNBC.
From 2008 until 2010, Ron Reagan hosted The Ron Reagan Show on Air America Media.
In 2011, he wrote a book called My Father at 100: A Memoir. In interviews about the book, Ron mentioned that his father had some memory problems. Looking back, Ron wondered if his father might have been in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease while still president. His brother, Michael Reagan, and others disagreed with this idea. Ron later clarified that he did not think these memory issues were signs of "dementia."
Ron Reagan's Political Views and Activities
Ron Reagan is not a member of a political party. However, he usually votes for the Democratic Party. In July 2004, he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. He talked about supporting research using embryonic stem cells. He hoped this research could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, which his father had recently died from.
Ron Reagan said that some people were against this research for political reasons. He believed they should be "ashamed." He stated, "We can choose between the future and the past, between reason and ignorance." His mother, Nancy Reagan, also supported this research.
In September 2004, he told a newspaper that the George W. Bush Administration had "cheated to get into the White House." He said he feared Bush was "hijacking" his father's good name.
Reagan later wrote an essay called "The Case Against George W. Bush by Ron Reagan." He voted for John Kerry, the Democratic candidate, in the 2004 presidential election. He also supported Barack Obama for president in the 2008 election. In 2015, he supported Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2016 primaries.
In early 2020, Ron Reagan said his father would have been against Donald Trump. He stated that the Republican Party had become "illegitimate" because of Trump. He believed his father would have been "ashamed" of the party and embarrassed by Trump's actions as president.
Ron Reagan's Personal Life
Ron Reagan lives in Seattle. He married Doria Palmieri, a clinical psychologist, in 1980. She passed away in 2014 from a neuromuscular disease. They did not have any children. Ron married Federica Basagni in July 2018.
In a 2004 interview, Ron Reagan said he did not follow any specific religion. However, he felt a connection to Buddhism, and his first wife was a Buddhist. In a 2004 interview on CNN's Larry King Live, he explained why he would not run for political office. He said, "I'm an atheist [...] I can't be elected to anything because polls all say that people won't elect an atheist."
In 2010, he joined the Honorary Board of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. This group supports the separation of church and state. In May 2014, Ron Reagan appeared in an advertisement for this foundation. In the ad, he openly stated he was "an unabashed atheist" and was "not afraid of burning in Hell." This ad gained more attention when it aired on CNN during political debates in 2019 and 2020.
See also
- Freedom From Religion Foundation
- List of atheist activists and educators
