Is MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Married?

These days, news anchors can be just as famous as actors and musicians. Journalists like Katie Couric and Meredith Viera have earned the status of exalted celebrity. Rachel Maddow is one such personality, a liberal political commentator who has earned legions of fans due to her nightly television program, The Rachel Maddow Show.

Maddow has also received acclaim for her dedication to charitable causes and made headlines for her openness regarding her personal life. 

When was Rachel Maddow born?

Rachel Maddow was born in California in 1973. Raised in a conservative Catholic family, Maddow excelled in sports in high school and was active in volleyball as well as competitive swimming. Maddow was also a brilliant student and went on to attend Stanford in the early ’90s, where she earned a Rhodes Scholarship. In 2001, Maddow earned a Doctor of Philosophy in politics at the University of Oxford.

With all of her qualifications, Maddow could have gone on to do anything she wanted. She found herself drawn to journalism and began working as a radio host. By 2005, Maddow had transitioned to television, working as a panelist for Tucker Carlson. She also appeared on other politically-bent television programs, including Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Paula Zahn Now, and Race for the White House. It was Maddow’s work with Olbermann that led her to land her own show, and ultimately, achieve television stardom. 

What is Rachel Maddow best known for?

In 2008, The Rachel Maddow Show debuted on MSNBC. Her very first guest was Keith Olbermann, the man who had supported her crusade to get her own television show. On her show, which is still in syndication today, Maddow discusses current political issues, offering up her own take on hot topics of the day. She also welcomes many other guest contributors. Over the years, Maddow’s show has featured political pundits as well as guests hosts like Ali Velshi, Steve Kornacki, and Ari Melber.

In addition to Maddow’s work as a television host, Maddow has continued to appear on other programs. She is also a bestselling writer, and has written several books, including Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power and Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth. 

With all of her success, it seems unlikely that Maddow ever experienced any real struggles in her life. However, Maddow’s early life was full of challenges, and she went through some serious heartbreak before she was able to really discover happiness in her personal life. 

Is Rachel Maddow married?

Rachel Maddow knew she was a lesbian when she was very young — but due to her conservative upbringing, she didn’t come out until much later. Maddow later revealed her parents didn’t find out that she was gay until she decided to post a coming out letter in every bathroom in her college dorm at Stanford. Maddow detailed that her parents were “humiliated” by the news and were terrified their daughter would have a hard life. “They were in tears…and worried that I was going to go to hell.”

Still, in 1999, Rachel Maddow met the woman that would change her life. She met artist Susan Mikula that year, when she was working on her dissertation. The two quickly became inseparable. Mikula has supported Maddow through thick and thin, and although they are very much in love, Maddow has stated the two don’t feel any “urgency” to get married.

These days, Maddow has achieved balance in her life, both personally and professionally — and continues to speak her truth on television, week after week.