Rachel Maddow Biography

Fast Facts

• Was awarded the Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award by The Interfaith Alliance in 2010
• The Rachel Maddow Show had the most successful launch in MSNBC history when it debuted in September 2008
• The Rachel Maddow Show was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information and received a GLAAD award in 2010
• She is the first openly gay person to host a primetime network news show
• Attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and received a doctorate in Political Science
• Graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor's degree in Public Policy
• Got her start in radio, including WRNX in Holyoke, Massachusetts and WRSI in Northampton, Massachusetts
• Quote: "I'm the unlikely cable news host․ But before that I was the unlikely Rhodes scholar․․․who got into Stanford․․․You can always cast yourself as unlikely when you're fundamentally alienated in your worldview․ It's a healthy approach for a commentator․"
• Best known as the host of "The Rachel Maddow Show" on both TV and radio
• Keith Olbermann was a huge proponent of her getting her own news show after she hosted his "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" with great success while he was on vacation