History of Lawrence O'Donnell in Timeline
Lawrence O'Donnell is an American television anchor, author, screenwriter, and political commentator known for hosting 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' on MSNBC. He is identified as a liberal political commentator and is also involved in acting and screenwriting. O'Donnell's work primarily focuses on news and opinion, making him a prominent figure in political commentary and media.
November 7, 1951: Lawrence O'Donnell Born
On November 7, 1951, Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr. was born. He is known as an American television anchor, actor, author, screenwriter, liberal political commentator, and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC.
1970: Graduates from St. Sebastian's School
In 1970, Lawrence O'Donnell graduated from St. Sebastian's School where he was captain of the baseball team and a wide receiver on the football team.
1976: Graduates from Harvard College
In 1976, Lawrence O'Donnell graduated from Harvard College with a degree in economics, having written for the Harvard Lampoon while attending the college.
1977: Begins career as a writer
In 1977, Lawrence O'Donnell started his career as a writer.
1983: Publishes "Deadly Force"
In 1983, Lawrence O'Donnell published his book, "Deadly Force", which centers around a wrongful death and police brutality case where his father served as the plaintiff's lawyer.
1986: "A Case of Deadly Force" film adaptation
In 1986, Lawrence O'Donnell's book "Deadly Force" was adapted into the film "A Case of Deadly Force", with him serving as associate producer.
1988: End of writing career
In 1988, Lawrence O'Donnell's writing career came to an end.
1989: Begins Political Career
In 1989, Lawrence O'Donnell began his political career as an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He later became staff director for the Senate Finance Committee.
1989: Becomes Senior Adviser to Senator Moynihan
In 1989, Lawrence O'Donnell started serving as the senior adviser to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
1991: Continues as Senior Adviser to Moynihan
In 1991, Lawrence O'Donnell continued in his role as senior adviser to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
1992: Staff director for Environment and Public Works
In 1992, Lawrence O'Donnell became the staff director for the Environment and Public Works committee, which was chaired by Senator Moynihan.
1993: Staff director for Finance Committee
In 1993, Lawrence O'Donnell became the staff director for the Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
February 14, 1994: Marriage to Kathryn Harrold
On February 14, 1994, Lawrence O'Donnell married Kathryn Harrold.
1995: End of service as legislative aide
In 1995, Lawrence O'Donnell concluded his service as a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
1999: Joins The West Wing
In 1999, Lawrence O'Donnell joined the television drama "The West Wing" as a writer and executive story editor.
2000: Serves as Co-Producer and Producer for The West Wing
In 2000, Lawrence O'Donnell served as a co-producer for five episodes and as a producer for 17 episodes of the television drama "The West Wing".
2001: Awarded Honorary Degree
In 2001, Lawrence O'Donnell was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) by Suffolk University.
2001: Wins Primetime Emmy Award for The West Wing
In 2001, Lawrence O'Donnell won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for his work on "The West Wing".
2002: Supervising Producer for First Monday
In 2002, Lawrence O'Donnell was a supervising producer and writer for the television drama First Monday.
2003: Creator of Mister Sterling
In 2003, Lawrence O'Donnell created, executive produced, and wrote the television drama Mister Sterling.
2003: Serves as Consulting Producer for The West Wing
In 2003, Lawrence O'Donnell served as a consulting producer for 44 episodes of the television drama "The West Wing".
2005: O'Donnell calls himself a practical socialist
In 2005, Lawrence O'Donnell described himself as a 'practical European socialist'.
2005: Serves as Executive Producer for The West Wing
In 2005, Lawrence O'Donnell served as an executive producer for 22 episodes of the television drama "The West Wing".
2006: Leaves The West Wing
In 2006, Lawrence O'Donnell concluded his association with the television drama "The West Wing" after writing 16 episodes and serving in various production roles.
2007: Criticizes Mitt Romney's speech
In 2007, Lawrence O'Donnell criticized Mitt Romney's speech on religion, making controversial statements about the origins of Romney's religion.
2009: Regular Contributor on Morning Joe
In 2009, Lawrence O'Donnell became a regular contributor on Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough, which led to on-air confrontations.
September 27, 2010: Hosts The Last Word
On September 27, 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell began hosting "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell", a 10 p.m. show on MSNBC.
October 2010: Remarks Draw Criticism
In October 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell's introduction to a taped interview with RNC Chairman Michael Steele drew criticism, with some characterizing his remarks as racially insensitive, leading to an apology.
October 2010: Interview with Ron Paul
In October 2010, during an interview with Congressman Ron Paul, O'Donnell faced criticism when Paul accused him of breaking an agreement regarding the questioning of other political candidates.
November 6, 2010: Declares Himself a Socialist on Morning Joe
On November 6, 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell declared himself a socialist on the Morning Joe show.
2010: Substitute Host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann
In 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell frequently appeared as a substitute host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
January 21, 2011: Takes Over 8 p.m. Slot
On January 21, 2011, Lawrence O'Donnell took over the 8 p.m. slot on MSNBC after the termination of Keith Olbermann's show.
August 1, 2011: Explains Socialist Views
On August 1, 2011, during an episode of The Last Word, Lawrence O'Donnell further explained his socialist views, stating that he has been calling himself a socialist since his first economics class.
October 2011: Interview with Herman Cain
During an October 2011 interview, O'Donnell accused Herman Cain of avoiding the draft during the Vietnam War. The interview was defended by Al Sharpton.
October 24, 2011: Returns to 10 p.m. Eastern Slot
On October 24, 2011, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell switched time slots with The Ed Show, and O'Donnell returned to the 10 p.m. Eastern slot.
April 3, 2012: Comments on the LDS Church
On April 3, 2012, Lawrence O'Donnell made controversial comments on The Last Word regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
April 11, 2012: Apologizes for Comments
On April 11, 2012, Lawrence O'Donnell apologized for his April 3 comments about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) on the broadcast of The Last Word.
2013: Divorce from Kathryn Harrold
In 2013, Lawrence O'Donnell and Kathryn Harrold divorced.
April 2014: Traffic Accident in British Virgin Islands
In April 2014, Lawrence O'Donnell and his brother Michael were injured in a traffic accident while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands.
August 29, 2017: Live Broadcast incident
On August 29, 2017, during a live broadcast, Lawrence O'Donnell was recorded angrily cursing and swearing about background noise between segments. The eight-minute video clip was later leaked on September 20, 2017.
September 20, 2017: Video Clip Leaked
On September 20, 2017, an eight-minute video clip was leaked showing Lawrence O'Donnell cursing about background noise between segments of a live broadcast.
August 27, 2019: Reports on Deutsche Bank Documents
On August 27, 2019, Lawrence O'Donnell reported that Deutsche Bank documents showed Russian oligarchs had cosigned loan applications for Trump, based on a single, unverified source.
2023: K.I.N.D. Fund Success
As of 2023, the K.I.N.D. Fund, founded through a partnership between MSNBC and UNICEF following Lawrence O'Donnell's 2010 trip to Malawi, had raised $40 million for desks and scholarships, supplying 330,000 desks for 1.1 million students and scholarships for 27,600 girls.
Mentioned in this timeline
Deutsche Bank is a German multinational investment bank and financial...
Charles Joseph Scarborough is an American television host attorney political...
Football is a family of team sports centered around kicking...
Herman Cain was an American businessman known for his involvement...
Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former politician He...
Books are a means of storing information as text or...
Trending
3 months ago Kecmanovic Advances at Munich Open; Darderi to Face Kecmanovic Next Round
46 minutes ago Bublik's 'Mountain Prep' Leads to Gstaad Debut Success; Faces Comesana in Quarterfinal
Matthew Jordan is a professional golfer from England He competes on the European Tour pursuing a career as a professional...
Marcus Freeman is the head football coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a position he has held since Prior...
3 hours ago Garth Brooks' daughter comments on his marriage; Announces career first, stunning his fans.
Mary Stocks Baroness Stocks was a British writer deeply involved in social reform movements Connected to influential families like the...
Popular
Pam Bondi is an American attorney lobbyist and politician A...
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet from the Sun...
KPop Demon Hunters is a animated musical fantasy action comedy...
Thomas Douglas Homan is an American law enforcement officer and...
William Franklin Graham III commonly known as Franklin Graham is...
Rosie O'Donnell is a multifaceted American entertainer known as a...