Alexandra Swe Wagner (born November 27, 1977) is an American journalist. She is the host of both ''
Alex Wagner Tonight
''Alex Wagner Tonight'' is an American liberal news and opinion television program hosted by Alex Wagner. It premiered on MSNBC on August 16, 2022, and airs on Tuesdays through Fridays as a substitute for ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (which, since ...
''on
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
and
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
's ''
The Mole'' reboot, as well as the author of ''FutureFace: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging'' (One World/
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
). She was a contributor for
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...
and is a contributing editor at ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
''.
Previously, she was the anchor of the daytime program ''
Now with Alex Wagner
''Now with Alex Wagner'' (stylized ''NOW'') is a political opinion program on MSNBC presented by progressive host Alex Wagner. The show debuted on November 14, 2011, and aired on weekdays at noon ET. Starting on January 13, 2014, ''Now'' aired at ...
'' (2011–2015) on
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
and the co-host of ''
The Circus'' on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
.
From November 2016 until March 2018, she was a TV co-anchor on ''
CBS This Morning Saturday
''CBS Saturday Morning'' is a Saturday morning television program that broadcasts on the American television network, CBS. It is currently anchored by Michelle Miller, Dana Jacobson and Jeff Glor.
Although the program's name has changed sever ...
''. She has also been a senior editor at ''The Atlantic'' magazine since April 2016.
After serving as a fill-in host for both ''
The Rachel Maddow Show
''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (also abbreviated ''TRMS'') is an American liberal news and opinion television program that airs on MSNBC, running in the 9:00 pm ET timeslot Monday evenings. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained a public pr ...
'' and ''
All In with Chris Hayes
''All In with Chris Hayes'' is an American news television program that airs weekdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on MSNBC. It is hosted by Chris Hayes, who previously hosted ''Up with Chris Hayes'' on MSNBC weekends. The show premiered on April 1, 2013. ...
'' on MSNBC, she began hosting ''Alex Wagner Tonight'' on August 16, 2022.
Early life and education
Alex Wagner was born and raised in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Her mother, Tin Swe Thant, is an
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from
Yangon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
(Rangoon),
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
(Burma), who became a naturalized
U.S. citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
before attending
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...
.
Her father, Carl Wagner, from
Lansing
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, was of
Luxembourger
Luxembourgers ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerger ) are a Germanic ethnic group and nation native to their nation state of Luxembourg, where they make up around half of the population. They share the culture of Luxembourg and speak Luxembourgish.
Luxembour ...
and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
descent. He was a prominent
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
political consultant who co-chaired
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
's presidential campaign. She attended
Woodrow Wilson High School (renamed Jackson-Reed in 2022) and graduated from
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in 1999, having studied art history and literature.
Wagner was raised
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
.
Career
Wagner has worked as the cultural correspondent for the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president and chief executive officer ...
.
From 2003 to 2007, she was editor-in-chief of ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'' magazine, covering music and cultural movements from around the world.
She also served as executive director of
Not On Our Watch Project, an advocacy organization focused on mass atrocities and human rights violations.
Wagner then became the
White House correspondent
The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...
for ''
Politics Daily
''Politics Daily'' was an American political journalism web site launched by AOL News in April 2009. It described itself as a "political news magazine for the general reader."
Melinda Henneberger, a former ''Newsweek'' and ''New York Times'' repo ...
'', a political news magazine under
AOL News
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...
.
She moved to ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' after it was acquired by
AOL
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017 ...
.
As an analyst on
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
, Wagner appeared on ''
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program hosted by Keith Olbermann that aired on MSNBC from 2003 to 2011 and on Current TV from 2011 to 2012. The show presented five selected news stories o ...
'' and ''
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Friday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to Thursdays and re ...
''.
On November 14, 2011, Wagner began hosting ''
Now with Alex Wagner
''Now with Alex Wagner'' (stylized ''NOW'') is a political opinion program on MSNBC presented by progressive host Alex Wagner. The show debuted on November 14, 2011, and aired on weekdays at noon ET. Starting on January 13, 2014, ''Now'' aired at ...
'' weekdays (originally at noon ET, but later at 4 PM ET).
On July 30, 2015, MSNBC President
Phil Griffin
Philip T. Griffin (born November 27, 1956) is an American television executive, who from 2008 to 2021 served as president of MSNBC, a United States cable news channel.
Early life
The youngest of four children, Griffin grew up in Chappaqua, Ne ...
announced that the series had been cancelled in an effort to transition the network's daytime programming to more breaking news reporting and less political commentary and opinion. The next day the program aired its final episode. MSNBC later announced that Wagner would host a weekend program, but those plans were later abandoned.
On April 26, 2016, ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' announced that Wagner was leaving MSNBC to join the magazine as a senior editor. In addition to writing for ''The Atlantic'', Wagner would moderate events with AtlanticLIVE and help with developing video and TV projects with The Atlantic Studios.
[
In November 2016, Wagner replaced ]Vinita Nair
Vinita Chandra Nair is an American television journalist currently working for an NBC News affiliate in Texas. Nair is the former co-host of ''CBS This Morning Saturday'' alongside Anthony Mason. She was replaced by Alex Wagner, starting with ...
on ''CBS This Morning Saturday
''CBS Saturday Morning'' is a Saturday morning television program that broadcasts on the American television network, CBS. It is currently anchored by Michelle Miller, Dana Jacobson and Jeff Glor.
Although the program's name has changed sever ...
''. March 17, 2018 was her last appearance on ''CBS This Morning Saturday'' as she confirmed she would be leaving that show to co-host '' The Circus'' for Showtime, replacing Mark Halperin
Mark Evan Halperin (born January 11, 1965)Mark Halperin. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Biography In Context. is an American journalist, currently a host and commentator for Newsmax TV. Halperin previously worked as ...
.[Ted Johnson]
Alex Wagner on the Return of Showtime’s ‘The Circus’: ‘We Will Get the Story’
''Variety'', March 15, 2018. URL accessed March 17, 2018
In 2020, Wagner launched a podcast with Crooked Media
Crooked Media is a progressive American political media company. It was founded in 2017 by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor, all former top Barack Obama staffers and former co-hosts of the '' Keepin' it 1600'' podcast. Dan Pfeiffer, also ...
and Cadence13
Cadence13 (formerly DGital Media Inc.) is a media company based in New York City that creates, distributes, and monetizes audio content, primarily podcasts. The company was founded in 2015 and is a division of Audacy, Inc. The company is helmed ...
that addressed the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
In March 2021, Wagner filled in for Nicolle Wallace
Nicolle Wallace (née Devenish; born February 4, 1972) is an American television host and author. She is known for her work as the anchor of the MSNBC news and politics program '' Deadline: White House'' and a former co-host of the ABC daytime ...
on MSNBC's '' Deadline: White House''.
In February 2022, Wagner filled in for Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow (, ; born April 1, 1973) is an American television news program host and liberal political commentator. Maddow hosts ''The Rachel Maddow Show'', a weekly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network's special eve ...
on MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show
''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (also abbreviated ''TRMS'') is an American liberal news and opinion television program that airs on MSNBC, running in the 9:00 pm ET timeslot Monday evenings. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained a public pr ...
'', as well as Chris Hayes
Christopher Loffredo Hayes (; born February 28, 1979) is an American political commentator, television news anchor, activist, and author. Hayes hosts ''All In with Chris Hayes'', a weekday news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes also ...
on ''All In with Chris Hayes
''All In with Chris Hayes'' is an American news television program that airs weekdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on MSNBC. It is hosted by Chris Hayes, who previously hosted ''Up with Chris Hayes'' on MSNBC weekends. The show premiered on April 1, 2013. ...
''. In June, it was announced that Wagner would host a show that assumes ''Maddow''s 9 PM slots on Tuesdays through Fridays as the former scaled back to Mondays only. Wagner's new show, ''Alex Wagner Tonight'', premiered on August 16, 2022.
In September 2022, it was announced that Wagner will be hosting Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
's '' The Mole'' reboot.
Political views
She has described herself as progressive. On matters involving Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, she believes that there is an element of "trepidation that inhibits a robust discussion about Israel in the American media
Mass media in the United States consist of several types of media: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and web sites. The U.S. also has a strong music industry. New York City, Manhattan in particular, and to a lesser extent ...
" due to fears of being falsely slurred as an anti-Semite
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
.
Personal life
On August 30, 2014, Wagner married former White House nutrition policy advisor and assistant chef Sam Kass
Samuel David Kass (born 1980) is an American political advisor, chef, and news personality, who served as President Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, Executive Director for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaig ...
in a ceremony held at Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a restaurant at the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York. The Hudson Valley restaurant is owned by Dan, David, and Laureen Barber, who also own the New York City Blue Hill restaurant. ...
, a restaurant in Pocantico Hills, New York
Pocantico Hills is a hamlet in the Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, New York, United States.
The Rockefeller family estate, anchored by Kykuit, the family seat built by John D. Rockefeller Sr., is located in Pocantico Hills, as is the ad ...
. The wedding was attended by then U.S. President Barack Obama and his family, as Kass had been the Obama family personal chef since Chicago. Wagner and Kass's first child, Cyrus, was born in 2017. On April 16, 2019, she gave birth to their second child, Rafael.
Books
In April 2018, ''Futureface,'' her book about her Burmese American
Burmese Americans ( my, မြန်မာဇာတိနွယ် အမေရိကန် ) are Americans of full or partial Burmese ancestry. The term encompasses people of all ethnic backgrounds with ancestry in present-day Myanmar (or Burma) ...
ancestry, was published.[
]
References
External links
*
Now with Alex Wagner on MSNBC
Alex Wagner bio on MSNBC
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Alex
1977 births
Living people
American people of Burmese descent
American political journalists
Brown University alumni
HuffPost writers and columnists
American magazine editors
American human rights activists
Women human rights activists
American television journalists
American women television journalists
American journalists of Asian descent
Journalists from Washington, D.C.
Woodrow Wilson High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
MSNBC people
Activists from Washington, D.C.
American women journalists of Asian descent
21st-century American women