Rachel Maddow

April 1, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Rachel Maddow, born on April 1, 1973, is a multiple Emmy award-winning T.V. host and political commentator, best known as the host of MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” and the Air America Radio show by the same name. Boasting a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University, alongside a doctorate in philosophy in politics from Oxford University, Maddow has publicly stated that her views are liberal. She is also the United States’ first openly lesbian host of a major prime-time news program and is in a committed relationship with artist and photographer Susan Mikula.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Rachel Anne Maddow

Birth date:

April 1, 1973

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Aries

Height:

5' 11"

Relationship Status:

In a relationship

Net Worth:

$25 million

Background

Born in Castro Valley, California, on April 1, 1973, Maddow grew up in a conservative Catholic family and community. After graduating from Castro Valley High School, she achieved her bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University. She was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and went to the University of Oxford, where she earned her doctorate in philosophy in politics.

In 1999, Maddow accepted a job as a radio host at WRNX in Massachusetts before joining WRSI as the host of “Big Breakfast.” After two years, she left WRSI in 2004, joining the brand-new Air America Radio to host “Unfiltered” alongside hip hop legend Chuck D and “The Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead.

In January 2008, she joined MSNBC as a political analyst. Later she hosted “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the first openly lesbian prime-time news host in the United States. The show became the highest-rated show on the network. In 2012, Maddow published her first book “Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power,” which hit number one on The New York Times Best Seller List for hardcover nonfiction. September 2019 saw Maddow fall into a spot of controversy after she described the One American News Network (OAN) as “paid Russian propaganda.”

OAN decided to sue Maddow for $10 million, but the case was dismissed in 2020 as opinion rather than defamation. Her second book, published in October 2019, was titled “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth;” the self-narrated audiobook version won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. In December 2020, Maddow’s third book was published: “Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook,” which she co-wrote with Michael Yarvitz and which is due to be adapted into a movie directed by Ben Stiller.

Career timeline

1994

Maddow Earns a Degree and Scholarship

Maddow graduates with a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University, earning herself the Rhodes Scholarship.

1999

Maddow’s Radio Debut

She hosts her first radio show with WRNX in what would be the first of many roles hosting radio and T.V. shows.

2008

A Highly Successful T.V. Debut

Filling in for Keith Olbermann, Maddow guest hosts “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” earning significant attention and kicking off a career on T.V.

2008

“The Rachel Maddow Show” is Born

The show is extremely well received, and she is still hosting it today on MSNBC.

2012

Her First Book is Published

Maddow’s “Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power” hits the shelves and reaches #1 on ‘The New York Times Best Seller’ list for hardcover nonfiction.

2021

Her Work Inspires a Major Motion Picture

Based on her 2018 podcast “Bag Man” and her third book “Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook,” a movie directed by Ben Stiller is slated to start production in 2022.

Why We Love Rachel Maddow

She is a prominent lesbian icon
Along with being the first openly lesbian to host a prime-time news show, she has appeared in various queer publications. Her success is an inspiration to many.
She is never afraid to speak her mind
Maddow is passionate about what she perceives as the truth. She never shies away from vocalizing her well-informed opinions.
Parodies slide off her like water off a duck’s back
As a notable public figure, Maddow has been parodied on “Saturday Night Live.” However, she has never voiced any irritation about how she is portrayed.

5 Surprising Facts

Maddow describes herself as antisocial
Despite her overwhelming success as a T.V., radio, and podcast host, she describes herself as a cross between a jock and an antisocial girl.
A college newspaper outed her
An interview was published in which she was described as a lesbian, and she hadn’t come out to her parents yet.
She was raised in a conservative community
Her parents were devout Catholics, and she has described the community she was raised in as “very, very conservative.”
Her partner is a photographer
Her partner, Susan Mikula, uses antiquated photography methods such as pinhole and Polaroid cameras to explore the movement of light in her artworks.
She appeared in “The Simpsons”
In November of 2013, she played a cartoon version of herself.