Rachel Maddow Biography
Born in Castro Valley, California, Rachel Maddow is an award-winning television personality, author, and political commentator currently (2021) the host of MSNBC’s Nightly TV show Rachel Maddow Show. She also serves as a special event co-anchor alongside Brian Williams.
Rachel Maddow Birthday | Age
Born in Castro Valley, California, USA, on April 1, 1973, Maddow is 51 years of age as of January 2025. The television personality celebrates her birthday on the 1st of April yearly.
- Birthday: April 1, 1973
- Age: 51 (as of January 2025)

Rachel Maddow Height
The television host Maddow is quite tall, at 5 feet and 10 inches.
Rachel Maddow Parents | Family
The MSNBC anchor/host was born to her parents in Castro Valley, California. Her father, Robert B. Maddow, is a former Air Force captain, while her mother, Elaine, was a school administrator. She has one sibling, an older brother named David.
Rachel Maddow Partner | Wife
TV personality Maddow is an openly lesbian woman in a relationship with her partner, Susan Mikula. Rachel’s wife, Susan Mikula, is an American artist and photographer born on March 7, 1958. Mikula is 66 years old as of 2024. The pair met in 1999 when the radio host turned television host was working on her doctoral dissertation.
Maddow’s lesbian status was revealed by her college newspaper inadvertently and her parents did not know that she was a lesbian until the time.
Rachel Maddow and Wife’s Age Difference
Maddow was born on April 1, 1973, while her wife, Susan Mikula, was born on March 7, 1958. The two have 15 year age difference.
Children | Daughter
Rachel has not publicly revealed whether she and her partner have Susan Mikula has children and for that matter a daughter.
Education | Career
Rachel Maddow is a graduate of Stanford University (1994) where she earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy. She also holds a doctorate in political science from Oxford University.
Before Rachel became a TV personality, she was a radio host. Her first radio Job was at WRNX in 1999. She also hosted WRSI’s Big Breakfast for two years before joining Air America.
Rachel Maddow MSNBC
The radio host went on to host Unfiltered and The Rachel Maddow Show before she transitioned to Television. Her first television work came at MSNBC in 2005 when she started appearing on MSNBC’s Tucker and as a guest on CNN’s Paula Zahn Now.
In 2008, she became an analyst for MSNBC’s Race for the White House. She appeared regularly on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Later in 2008, MSNBC launched her own The Rachel Maddow show. The show has since gained praise from critics and even earned higher ratings than CNN and Fox News in 2017. The television host is known for her monologues on the show that take up to 20 minutes or more.
Is Rachel Maddow’s Show Being Cancelled?
Rachel signed a multi-year contract with MSBC which will see her partnering with NBCUniversal in new projects, Rashida Jones, the MSNBC President reported. She added that Rachel will continue to host her show as it has been for the time being.
Podcast | Bag Man
Rachel launched her own podcast called Bag Man which is based on the 1973 controversy surrounding Spiro Agnew.
Books
The television personality Rachel has already authored two books. The books are:
- Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power-2012
- Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth– 2019.
Awards
Rachel won the 2021 Best Word Album with Blowout.
Rachel Maddow Net worth | Salary
Maddow has an estimated net worth of $35 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. The MSNBC show host earns an annual salary of $30 million. In August 2021, she signed a new contract with MSNBC which saw her salary increase to $30 million per year. The contract is set to keep her with MSNBC throughout the 2024 Presidential election.
X account
Rachel Maddow’s X account is @maddow