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 considered a liberal political commentator. Besides his career in broadcast journalism, O'Donnell has worked as an actor and writer.
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'.
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, where he majored in economics and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon.
1983: Publishes 'Deadly Force'
In 1983, Lawrence O'Donnell published the book 'Deadly Force', about a case of wrongful death and police brutality.
1986: 'Deadly Force' Film Adaptation
In 1986, Lawrence O'Donnell's book 'Deadly Force' was adapted into the film 'A Case of Deadly Force', in which he served as associate producer.
1988: End of Writing Career
In 1988, Lawrence O'Donnell ended his career as a writer.
1989: Begins Political Career
In 1989, Lawrence O'Donnell began his political career as an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and was staff director for the Senate Finance Committee.
1989: Legislative Aide
In 1989, Lawrence O'Donnell started working as a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
1991: Senior Adviser to Moynihan
In 1991, Lawrence O'Donnell became senior adviser to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
1992: Staff director
In 1992, Lawrence O'Donnell became staff director of two senate committees that Moynihan was chairing: Environment and Public Works.
1993: Staff director
In 1993, Lawrence O'Donnell became staff director of the Finance committee, which Moynihan was chairing.
February 14, 1994: Marriage to Kathryn Harrold
On February 14, 1994, Lawrence O'Donnell married Kathryn Harrold.
1995: End of time as Legislative Aide
In 1995, Lawrence O'Donnell's time as a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan came to an end.
1999: Associated with 'The West Wing'
In 1999, Lawrence O'Donnell became associated with 'The West Wing', writing 16 episodes and serving as executive story editor for 12 episodes.
2000: Co-Producer for 'The West Wing'
In 2000, Lawrence O'Donnell worked as co-producer for five episodes of 'The West Wing'.
2001: Honorary Degree
In 2001, Lawrence O'Donnell was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) by Suffolk University.
2001: Wins Emmy 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 and writer for 'First Monday'
In 2002, Lawrence O'Donnell was supervising producer and writer for the television drama 'First Monday'.
2003: Consulting Producer for 'The West Wing'
In 2003, Lawrence O'Donnell became consulting producer for 44 episodes of 'The West Wing'.
2003: Creator, executive producer, and writer for 'Mister Sterling'
In 2003, Lawrence O'Donnell was creator, executive producer, and writer for the television drama 'Mister Sterling'.
2005: Executive Producer for 'The West Wing'
In 2005, Lawrence O'Donnell became executive producer for 22 episodes of 'The West Wing'.
2006: End of 'The West Wing' Association
In 2006, Lawrence O'Donnell's association with 'The West Wing' concluded. During his time on the show, he wrote 16 episodes, served as executive story editor, co-producer, producer, consulting producer, and executive producer.
2007: Criticism of Mitt Romney's Speech
In 2007, Lawrence O'Donnell criticized Mitt Romney's speech on religion.
2009: Regular Contributor on Morning Joe
In 2009, Lawrence O'Donnell became a regular contributor on 'Morning Joe' with Joe Scarborough, leading to several on-air confrontations due to his aggressive debate style.
September 27, 2010: Hosts 'The Last Word'
On September 27, 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell began hosting 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' on MSNBC.
October 2010: Criticism of Michael Steele
In October 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell criticized RNC Chairman Michael Steele with remarks that were deemed racially insensitive, leading to an apology from O'Donnell.
October 2010: Interview with Ron Paul
In October 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell's interview with Congressman Ron Paul drew criticism after Paul accused O'Donnell of breaking an agreement regarding the interview's focus.
November 6, 2010: Declares Himself a Socialist
On November 6, 2010, during the Morning Joe show, Lawrence O'Donnell declared himself a "socialist", differentiating himself from liberals and progressives.
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 from Keith Olbermann after Olbermann's departure from 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann'.
August 1, 2011: Explains Socialist Views
On August 1, 2011, during an episode of 'The Last Word', Lawrence O'Donnell further explained why he identifies as a socialist.
October 2011: Interview with Herman Cain
In October 2011, Lawrence O'Donnell's interview with Republican primary candidate Herman Cain drew criticism for his line of questioning regarding Cain's participation in the civil rights movement and military service.
October 24, 2011: Switches Time Slots with 'The Ed Show'
Beginning October 24, 2011, 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' switched time slots with 'The Ed Show', with O'Donnell returning to the 10 p.m. Eastern slot.
April 3, 2012: Comments Regarding the LDS Church
On April 3, 2012, during 'The Last Word' broadcast, Lawrence O'Donnell made controversial comments regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), calling it an "invented religion."
April 11, 2012: Apology for LDS Church Comments
On April 11, 2012, during 'The Last Word' broadcast, Lawrence O'Donnell apologized for the controversial comments he made on April 3 regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
2013: Divorce from Kathryn Harrold
In 2013, Lawrence O'Donnell and Kathryn Harrold divorced.
April 2014: Traffic Accident
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, background noise during a live broadcast led to Lawrence O'Donnell cursing angrily between segments, which was later leaked.
September 20, 2017: Video Leak and Apology
On September 20, 2017, an eight-minute video clip was leaked showing Lawrence O'Donnell angrily cursing between segments of a live broadcast from August 29, 2017. O'Donnell apologized on Twitter, and the leaker was fired.
August 27, 2019: Report on Trump Loan Applications
On August 27, 2019, Lawrence O'Donnell reported that Deutsche Bank documents showed Russian oligarchs had cosigned loan applications for Donald Trump. The next day he retracted the report.
2023: K.I.N.D. Fund Update
As of 2023, the K.I.N.D. Fund, founded in 2010 by Lawrence O'Donnell, has raised $40 million, supplied 330,000 desks for 1.1 million students, and provided scholarships for 27,600 girls in Malawian schools.
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