Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow

Rachel Anne Maddow (born April 1, 1973) is an American radio personality, television host, and liberal political commentator. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, airs on Air America Radio. Maddow also hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC; she was formerly a guest host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and other MSNBC shows.

A graduate of Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, Maddow earned a degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1994. At graduation she was awarded the John Gardner Fellowship. She was also the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship and began her postgraduate study in 1995 at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2001, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree (styled a DPhil) in political science from the University of Oxford. Her doctoral thesis is titled HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons. She was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes scholarship.

Maddow's first radio hosting job was at WRNX (100.9 FM, Holyoke, Massachusetts). The station held a contest for a new on-air personality and Maddow won the contest. She was hired to co-host WRNX's then premier morning show, The Dave in the Morning Show. She later went on to host Big Breakfast on WRSI, in Northampton, Massachusetts, for two years. She left the show to join the newly-created Air America in March 2004. There she hosted Unfiltered along with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead until its cancellation on March 31, 2005. Two weeks later, on April 14, her own two-hour-long program, The Rachel Maddow Show, began airing; it was expanded to three hours on March 10, 2008. It was broadcast live from New York from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on weekdays, with David Bender filling in the third hour for the call-in section when Maddow was on TV assignment. On September 8, 2008, The Rachel Maddow Show returned to a two-hour format as Maddow began her nightly MSNBC television program. On February 2, 2009, after renewing her contract with Air America, Maddow returned to a one hour, 5 a.m. morning slot.

In June 2005 Maddow became a regular panelist on MSNBC's Tucker. During and after the November 2006 election, she was a frequent guest on CNN's Paula Zahn Now. In January 2008, Maddow was given the position of MSNBC political analyst and was a regular panelist on MSNBC's Race for the White House with David Gregory and MSNBC's election coverage, as well as a frequent contributor on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

On April 4, 2008, Maddow was the substitute host for Countdown with Keith Olbermann, her first time hosting a program on MSNBC. Maddow described herself on air as "nervous." Keith Olbermann complimented her work and she was brought back to host "Countdown" on May 16, 2008. That day, Countdown was the highest rated news program in the key 25–54 year old demographic. For her success, Olbermann awarded Maddow the 3rd ranking in his regular segment, "World's Best Persons" on the following Monday, calling her "World's Best Pinch-Hitter." Maddow filled in again on Countdown for eight-and-a-half broadcasts while Olbermann was on vacation in July 2008 (including the latter half of the July 21 show). Maddow has also filled in for David Gregory as host of Race for the White House.

MSNBC announced on August 19, 2008, that The Rachel Maddow Show would replace Verdict with Dan Abrams in the channel's 9PM ET time slot beginning September 8, 2008. Since its debut, the show has topped Countdown as the highest rated show on MSNBC on several occasions. After being on air for a little over a month, Maddow's program doubled the audience for MSNBC's 9PM hour.

Maddow was named in Out magazine's "Out 100" list of the "gay men and women who moved culture" in 2008.

Maddow was voted "Lesbian/Bi Woman of the Year (American)" in AfterEllen's 2008 Visibility Awards.

Maddow won a Gracie Award in 2009, presented by the American Women in Radio and Television.

Also in 2009, Maddow was nominated for GLAAD's 20th Annual Media Awards for a segment of her MSNBC show, "Rick Warren, Change To Believe In?", in the Outstanding TV Journalism Segment category.

On March 28, 2009, Maddow received a Proclamation of Honor from the California State Senate, presented in San Francisco by California State Senator Mark Leno.

An editorial in The Nation describes Maddow as "a liberal in the purest, almost mineral sense of the word." Associated Press columnist David Bauder calls her " Olbermann's political soul mate" and refers to the Olbermann/Maddow shows as a "liberal two-hour block". However, Maddow describes herself as more nuanced, saying in one interview that she is a "national security liberal" and in another that she is "not a partisan" and objects to being typecast. The New York Times describes another facet of her politics, calling her a "defense policy wonk" who is currently writing a book on the role of the military in postwar American politics.

Maddow was born in Castro Valley, California to Bob Maddow, a former Air Force captain and an attorney for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Elaine Maddow, a school program administrator from Newfoundland, Canada. She has one brother, David. Maddow lives in Manhattan and rural Western Massachusetts, with her partner, artist Susan Mikula. The couple met in 1999, when Mikula hired Maddow, who was then working on her doctoral dissertation, to do yard work at her home. She does not own a television set, but reportedly is committed to getting one so that Mikula can watch her show. On the March 24, 2009, episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, she said that she obtained a TV set for her Manhattan apartment, but has not yet turned it on.

To the top

The Rachel Maddow Show (radio)

The Rachel Maddow Show is a weekday radio show on the Air America Radio network hosted by Rachel Maddow. The show features news items read by Maddow and her commentary on each of them as well as interview segments with politicians, newsmakers and pundits. Guests have included presidential candidate John Edwards, author Eric Alterman, reporters from The Nation magazine and commentators from The Center for American Progress. Beginning September 8, 2008, she also debuted a TV version of the show on MSNBC of the same name with different content. Early in 2009 the show was moved to the 5am timeslot and consists almost entirely of the audio from the previous nights MSNBC broadcast of Maddow's television show.

The show began on April 14, 2005 and moved to 7AM–9AM EST on January 2, 2006. It now airs weekdays from 6PM–8PM EST on some Air America affiliates. Unlike most Air America programs, listener calls are not usually taken, in keeping with the show's more hard-news orientation and its format. The only exception to the rule is when either a guest or an issue's stance is important enough to warrant the calls (e.g., Maddow took calls from caucus voters in Iowa and primary voters in New Hampshire prior to those states' presidential nominating contests in early January 2008).

Until December 14, 2007, humorist Kent Jones served as The Rachel Maddow Show's co-host, contributing odd news stories as well as having his own segment, Kent Jones Now!, which aired at the end of each hour and focused on another odd news story. Jones also read the previous night's sports news during the second hour, substituting odd phrases for the word "beat" or "defeated" in the result depending on the city of the team that won — e.g. "the San Francisco Giants Violent Femmes'd the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-2." Jones typically ended his segments by saying "Vigilance!" forcefully, although sometimes he'd say "Sacajawea" in the same tone. He announced his departure at the end of the Tuesday, December 11 show, saying it was a "business decision" at the network. Jones has since joined Maddow on the television version of The Rachel Maddow Show.

From March 10, 2008, until the debut of her television show, Maddow was a panelist on Race for the White House on MSNBC, simulcast as the first hour of the radio show, which expanded to three hours. Bender came on as co-host of the third hour and solo host for that hour when Maddow's television obligations on MSNBC conflicted with her ability to host the show.

With the debut of Maddow's nightly MSNBC program on September 8, 2008, the radio show returned to a two-hour format. The second hour is usually a rebroadcast of the previous night's television episode.

Early in 2009 The Rachel Maddow Show was moved a one-hour timeslot at 5AM Eastern Time. It now begins with a short introduction from Rachel followed by the audio from the previous night's MSNBC broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show. Little explanation or warning was given for this shift except for Maddow's comments that doing two shows was far too taxing.

To the top

The Rachel Maddow Show

The Rachel Maddow Show is a weekday radio show on the Air America Radio network hosted by Rachel Maddow. The show features news items read by Maddow and her commentary on each of them as well as interview segments with politicians, newsmakers and pundits. Guests have included presidential candidate John Edwards, author Eric Alterman, reporters from The Nation magazine and commentators from The Center for American Progress. Beginning September 8, 2008, she also debuted a TV version of the show on MSNBC of the same name with different content. Early in 2009 the show was moved to the 5am timeslot and consists almost entirely of the audio from the previous nights MSNBC broadcast of Maddow's television show.

The show began on April 14, 2005 and moved to 7AM–9AM EST on January 2, 2006. It now airs weekdays from 6PM–8PM EST on some Air America affiliates. Unlike most Air America programs, listener calls are not usually taken, in keeping with the show's more hard-news orientation and its format. The only exception to the rule is when either a guest or an issue's stance is important enough to warrant the calls (e.g., Maddow took calls from caucus voters in Iowa and primary voters in New Hampshire prior to those states' presidential nominating contests in early January 2008).

Until December 14, 2007, humorist Kent Jones served as The Rachel Maddow Show's co-host, contributing odd news stories as well as having his own segment, Kent Jones Now!, which aired at the end of each hour and focused on another odd news story. Jones also read the previous night's sports news during the second hour, substituting odd phrases for the word "beat" or "defeated" in the result depending on the city of the team that won — e.g. "the San Francisco Giants Violent Femmes'd the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-2." Jones typically ended his segments by saying "Vigilance!" forcefully, although sometimes he'd say "Sacajawea" in the same tone. He announced his departure at the end of the Tuesday, December 11 show, saying it was a "business decision" at the network. Jones has since joined Maddow on the television version of The Rachel Maddow Show.

From March 10, 2008, until the debut of her television show, Maddow was a panelist on Race for the White House on MSNBC, simulcast as the first hour of the radio show, which expanded to three hours. Bender came on as co-host of the third hour and solo host for that hour when Maddow's television obligations on MSNBC conflicted with her ability to host the show.

With the debut of Maddow's nightly MSNBC program on September 8, 2008, the radio show returned to a two-hour format. The second hour is usually a rebroadcast of the previous night's television episode.

Early in 2009 The Rachel Maddow Show was moved a one-hour timeslot at 5AM Eastern Time. It now begins with a short introduction from Rachel followed by the audio from the previous night's MSNBC broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show. Little explanation or warning was given for this shift except for Maddow's comments that doing two shows was far too taxing.

To the top

The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)

The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. She also hosts a radio show of the same name. The show debuted on September 8, 2008.

Keith Olbermann, the host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Maddow's first guest on her first show, has taken credit for pushing for Maddow to get her own show. He first announced the news of Maddow getting her own show in a blog entry on Daily Kos. Prior to getting her own show, Maddow had served as regular guest host for Countdown when Olbermann was absent. The Rachel Maddow Show replaced Verdict with Dan Abrams.

The Rachel Maddow Show debuted on September 8, 2008, with 1,543,000 viewers (483,000 of whom were in the 25-54 demographic).

To the top