Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow is a prominent American television host, political commentator, and author, known for her influential work in media and journalism. Raised in Castro Valley, California, she graduated from Stanford University and earned a Rhodes Scholarship before completing her PhD in political science at Oxford University. Maddow began her media career in radio, eventually joining the liberal talk radio network Air America in 2004. She gained national prominence in 2008 when her show, *The Rachel Maddow Show*, premiered on MSNBC, quickly becoming a leading figure in cable news and outpacing competitors in viewership.
Maddow's analytical approach and in-depth coverage have earned her recognition for breaking significant national stories, including the Flint water crisis. As the first openly gay anchor to host a prime-time news program, she has also played a notable role in moderating political debates and providing critical commentary on various issues. In addition to her television work, she has authored several best-selling books and engaged in other media projects, including podcasts and voice acting. Maddow's influence in the media landscape is characterized by her commitment to rigorous journalism and her ability to connect with audiences on complex political topics.
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Rachel Maddow
- Born: April 1, 1973
- Place of Birth: Castro Valley, California
Rachel Anne Maddow was raised in Castro Valley, California. Her mother was a school administrator, her father an attorney. Maddow graduated from Stanford University in 1994 and won a Rhodes Scholarship. In 1999, while writing her doctoral dissertation in western Massachusetts, Maddow responded to an open audition at the local radio station, WRNX in Holyoke. She was so successful at the audition that the station manager offered her a job during the commercial break. Maddow went on to cohost the Dave in the Morning Show for a year before she returned to Oxford University to finish her degree in political science. Upon completion of her PhD in 2001, Maddow returned to Northampton, Massachusetts, and the Big Breakfast show on WRSI.
When liberal radio station Air America began broadcasting in 2004, Maddow was asked to join talk show hosts Chuck D and Lizz Winstead on Unfiltered. When that show was canceled in 2005, Maddow began hosting her own two-hour radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show. (Air America ceased operations in 2010.) In the same year, Maddow was asked to counter more conservative viewpoints and commentary on MSNBC’s Tucker and CNN’s Paula Zahn Now. In 2008, MSNBC hired Maddow as a regular contributor, where she first appeared as a panelist for David Gregory’s Race to the White House and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. She eventually stepped in as substitute host for both programs.
In August 2008, Maddow was offered her own show with MSNBC. The Rachel Maddow Show premiered on September 8, 2008. Within weeks, she doubled the ratings for the cable network for that hour, beating her 9:00 p.m. rivals at Fox News and CNN. While Maddow’s ratings leveled out, she still led CNN for that time slot. Her reviews noted her firm grasp of policy and her polite but relentless style in examining those who appear on her show. Characterized as “postpartisan,” Maddow was also credited with applying equal pressure to those who share her political ideals as well as those who hold different views. Drawing on such skills, the longtime commentator moderated Democratic presidential debates both in 2016 and 2019.
Maddow has earned recognition for uncovering stories of national importance before others do, such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Her trademark lead-in monologue, during which she slowly builds a narrative to engage audiences and make a point, has also at times drawn criticism, as when Donald Trump's administration preempted her disclosure of his 2005 tax returns. Maddow was criticized as well for her relentless coverage of the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016. She again made waves in 2019 when she charged that NBCUniversal itself, MSNBC's parent company, had mishandled coverage of the Harvey Weinstein rape allegations and investigation into similar charges against former NBC anchor Matt Lauer. Nonetheless, Maddow's ratings remained high, reaching the top spot in cable news for a full quarter in late 2017 and an average viewership of 3.1 million by March 2018.
Maddow has branched into other media as well. She has published several books of national security and political history, including the New York Times Best Seller Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power (2012); Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth (2019); and Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House (2020), derived from a 2018 podcast of the same name that she cohosted with Michael Yarvitz. She published Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism in 2023.
Additionally, Maddow took a voice acting role in the Batman animated television series (2019–), and a 2021 contract renewal provided her the opportunity to venture into film, audio, and other television projects for NBCUniversal.
In August 2021, it was announced that Maddow's nightly show would became a weekly program in 2022, and the popular host would make guest appearances on MSNBC thereafter. As of 2024, her show aired on Monday nights and she also served as the network's special event co-anchor. In 2022, she launched Ultra, a pocast series about right-wing extremism in the United States during the 1940s.
Impact
As an anchor, Maddow has been recognized for her detailed knowledge of public policy and her fearlessness in questioning guests (often politicians) on their past statements and voting history. Maddow became the first openly gay anchor to be hired to host a prime-time news program in the US and has been considered the ideological foil to cable news anchors like Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck.
Maddow's show won the 2010 GLAAD Media Award for outstanding TV journalism–newsmagazine and, in 2017, two News and Documentary Emmy Awards, for outstanding news discussion and analysis and for outstanding live interview. Maddow herself has received a Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award, two Gracie Allen Awards, and the John Steinbeck Award from the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, San José State University. In 2021, Maddow won a Grammy Award for Best Audiobook, Narration & Storytelling for Blowout.
Bibliography
Joyella, Mark. "Rachel Maddow Leads MSNBC To Record Ratings." Forbes, 26 Sept. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2017/09/26/rachel-maddow-leads-msnbc-to-record-ratings/#2f75d66f13f9. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Kurtz, Howard. “You Were Expecting Olbermann?” Newsweek, vol. 157, no. 10, 2011, pp. 34–37.
Malcolm, Janet. "Rachel Maddow: Trump's TV Nemesis." The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/09/rachel-maddow-trumps-tv-nemesis. Accessed 23 May 2024.
"Rachel Maddow: Host, 'The Rachel Maddow Show.'" NBC News.com, 2013, www.nbcnews.com/id/26318771/ns/msnbc‗tv-rachel‗maddow‗show/#.USYy1ldi0k4. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Steel, Emily. “Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s Top Host, Extends Her Contract.” The New York Times, 22 Aug. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/08/22/business/media/rachel-maddow-msnbc.html. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Traister, Rebecca. “Mad for Rachel Maddow.” The Nation, vol. 287, no. 5, 2008, pp. 22–24.
Wallace-Wells, Ben. “Rachel Maddow’s Quiet War (Cover Story).” Rolling Stone, vols. 1160–61, 2012, pp. 62–116.