Rachel Anne Maddow (/ˈmædoʊ/ ( listen), MAD-oh; born April 1, 1973) is an American television host and political commentator. A liberal, Maddow hosts The Rachel Maddow Show, a nightly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network\'s special event co-anchor alongside Brian Williams. Her syndicated talk radio program of the same name aired on Air America Radio.\n', '

Maddow holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford, and is the first openly lesbian anchor to host a major prime-time news program in the United States. Asked about her political views by the Valley Advocate, Maddow replied, "I\'m undoubtedly a liberal, which means that I\'m in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower-era Republican party platform."\n', '

Rachel Anne Maddow was born in Castro Valley, California. Her father, Robert B. Maddow, is a former United States Air Force captain who resigned his commission the year before her birth and then worked as a lawyer for the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Her mother, Elaine (née Gosse), was a school program administrator. She has one older brother, David. Her paternal grandfather was from a family of Eastern European Jews (the original family surname being "Medwedof") who self-identified as Polish and Russian at the time of their arrival in the United States. Her paternal grandmother was of Dutch (Protestant) descent. Her Canadian mother, originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, has English and Irish ancestry.\n', '

Return to Rachel Maddow Autograph Profile