Career Timeline of Rachel Maddow: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Rachel Maddow built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Rachel Maddow is a prominent American television news host and liberal political commentator. She is best known for hosting 'The Rachel Maddow Show' on MSNBC, a weekly program where she offers her perspective on current events. Maddow also serves as MSNBC's special event co-anchor. Previously, she hosted a syndicated talk radio program of the same name on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010, establishing her as a significant voice in left-leaning media.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1999: First Radio Job at WRNX

In 1999, Rachel Maddow's first job as a radio host was at WRNX in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

2004: Joins Air America Radio

In 2004, Rachel Maddow left her role at WRSI to join the new Air America radio network.

March 2005: Cancellation of Unfiltered

In March 2005, "Unfiltered", which Rachel Maddow co-hosted with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead, was cancelled.

April 2005: The Rachel Maddow Show Begins on Air America

In April 2005, two weeks after the cancellation of Unfiltered, Rachel Maddow's weekday two-hour radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, began airing.

June 2005: Regular Panelist on Tucker

In June 2005, Rachel Maddow became a regular panelist on the MSNBC show Tucker.

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2005: The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio

In 2005, Rachel Maddow's syndicated talk radio program, called The Rachel Maddow Show, began airing on Air America Radio.

November 2006: Guest on Paula Zahn Now

During and after the November 2006 election, Rachel Maddow was a guest on CNN's Paula Zahn Now.

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January 2008: MSNBC Political Analyst

In January 2008, Rachel Maddow became an MSNBC political analyst and a regular panelist on MSNBC's Race for the White House with David Gregory and a frequent contributor on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

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March 2008: The Rachel Maddow Show Gains a Third Hour

In March 2008, The Rachel Maddow Show gained a third hour, broadcasting from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

July 2008: Substitute Host for Countdown

In July 2008, Rachel Maddow filled in for several broadcasts of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. She also filled in for David Gregory as host of Race for the White House.

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August 2008: The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC Announced

In August 2008, MSNBC announced that The Rachel Maddow Show would replace Verdict with Dan Abrams in the network's 9:00 p.m. slot the following month.

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2009: The Rachel Maddow Show Moves to a One-Hour Timeslot

In 2009, Rachel Maddow's radio show was moved to a one-hour timeslot at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time after she renewed her contract with Air America.

January 2010: Maddow Interviews Tracey Ullman on Her Show

In January 2010, Rachel Maddow invited Tracey Ullman, who played her in the Showtime comedy series Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, on her show and interviewed her.

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January 21, 2010: The Rachel Maddow Show Ends on Air America

On January 21, 2010, The Rachel Maddow Show ended its run on Air America when the network ceased operations.

2010: Maddow Involved with Batwoman and Appears on House of Cards

In 2010, Rachel Maddow voiced Vesper Fairchild in the television series Batwoman and wrote the introduction to the Batwoman: Elegy trade paperback. She also appeared as herself on the Netflix series House of Cards.

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2010: End of The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio

In 2010, The Rachel Maddow Show's run on Air America Radio concluded.

November 3, 2013: Maddow Appears as Character on 'The Simpsons'

On November 3, 2013, Rachel Maddow appeared as a character on The Simpsons episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral".

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December 2013: Maddow to Write Opinion Column for The Washington Post

In December 2013, The Washington Post announced that Rachel Maddow would write a monthly opinion column for the paper, contributing one article per month over a period of six months.

2016: Maddow Suggests Trump-Russia Collusion Continued Past 2016 Election

In 2016, Rachel Maddow suggested that the alleged Trump-Russia collusion had continued beyond the 2016 presidential election, and stated that if the Trump presidency is knowingly the product of a foreign-intelligence operation, that is a full-stop national crisis.

March 2017: Maddow Blames Russia for WikiLeaks' Vault 7 Disclosure

In March 2017, Rachel Maddow blamed Russia for WikiLeaks' Vault 7 disclosure of the CIA's hacking tools, suggesting Putin most hates and wants to beat the CIA, and that the dump of classified CIA material could be a devastating blow to the CIA's cyber war and spying capabilities.

May 2017: MSNBC Surpasses CNN and Fox News in Ratings

In mid-May 2017, amid controversies surrounding the Trump administration, MSNBC surpassed CNN and Fox News in the news ratings. The Rachel Maddow Show was the No. 1 non-sports program on cable for the week of May 15.

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March 2, 2018: Crossword Puzzle Published in The New York Times

On March 2, 2018, The New York Times published Rachel Maddow's first crossword puzzle, created in collaboration with Joe DiPietro.

October 2018: Maddow Argues Trump's Saudi Ties Raised Troubling Questions

Following the October 2018 murder of Saudi Arabian dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Rachel Maddow argued that Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia were raising some troubling questions.

October 2018: Launch of Bag Man Podcast

In October 2018, Rachel Maddow launched the podcast "Bag Man", produced with MSNBC and focusing on the 1973 political scandal surrounding Vice President Spiro Agnew.

December 2018: Maddow Criticizes Trump's Decision to Withdraw Troops from Syria

In December 2018, Rachel Maddow criticized President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

July 2020: Maddow's Unemployment Prediction Deemed 'Spectacularly Incorrect'

In July 2020, Rachel Maddow predicted that unemployment figures covering the previous month would be "absolutely terrible"; after the figures were released, showing the largest growth in employment in a single month in U.S. history, Politico named Maddow's prediction one of "the most audacious, confident and spectacularly incorrect prognostications about the year".

May 2021: Maddow Named as Example of Reporter Manipulation

In May 2021, former New York Times reporter Barry Meier published Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies, which cited the Steele dossier as a case study in how reporters can be manipulated by private intelligence sources. Meier named Rachel Maddow as one example.

Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies

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2021: Advocacy of Vaccination during COVID-19 Pandemic

During 2021, Rachel Maddow was an outspoken advocate of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging people to get vaccinated for the benefit of themselves and others.

April 2022: Hiatus for Bag Man Film Adaptation

From February to April 2022, Rachel Maddow took a hiatus from her show to coincide with production on the film adaptation of Bag Man.

May 2022: The Rachel Maddow Show Moves to Weekly Broadcast

As of May 2022, The Rachel Maddow Show moved to a weekly broadcast on Mondays.

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October 2022: Launch of Ultra Podcast Series

In October 2022, Rachel Maddow and MSNBC launched "Ultra", a podcast series chronicling U.S. right-wing extremism during the 1940s and World War II, including the 1944 sedition trial.

2022: Film Adaptation of Bag Man Announced

In 2022, a film adaptation of the podcast Bag Man was announced to be in production, with Ben Stiller attached to direct and Lorne Michaels to produce. Rachel Maddow is set to be an executive producer.