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Nicolle Wallace (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Devenish; born February 4, 1972) is an American television host and author. She is known for her work as the anchor of the
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 ...
news and politics program '' Deadline: White House'' and a former co-host of the ABC daytime talk show '' The View''. As a political analyst for MSNBC and
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...
, she is a frequent on-air contributor to the programs ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', '' The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle'' and ''
Morning Joe ''Morning Joe'' is an American morning news and liberal talk show, airing weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the cable news channel MSNBC. It features former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough reporting and discu ...
.'' In her former political career, Wallace served as the White House Communications Director during the presidency of George W. Bush and in his 2004 re-election campaign. Wallace also served as a senior advisor for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. In addition, she is the author of the contemporary political novels ''Eighteen Acres'', ''It's Classified'', and ''Madam President''.


Early life

Nicolle Devenish was born on February 4, 1972, in Orange County in Southern California. The eldest of four siblings, she grew up in the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
suburb of Orinda in Northern California. Her mother was a third-grade teacher's assistant in public schools, and her father was an antiques dealer. Her grandfather, Thomas Devenish, was a Manhattan antiques dealer, part of "Devenish and Company". He was born in England to vaudevillian parents and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1947. Wallace is also of Greek descent. A 1990 graduate of
Miramonte High School Miramonte High School is a public high school located in Orinda, California, United States. It is part of the Acalanes Union High School District. The school has a college-preparatory program, with 15 Advanced Placement courses offered. Hist ...
, Wallace received a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
in 1994, and a master's degree from Northwestern University's
Medill School of Journalism The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...
in 1996.


Political career

Briefly an on-air reporter in California, Wallace started her political career working in California state politics. In 1999, she moved to Florida to serve as Governor
Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...
's press secretary and then became the Communications Director for the Florida State Technology Office in 2000. Wallace worked on the 2000 Florida election recount.


White House and Bush 2004 presidential campaign

Wallace joined the White House staff during George W. Bush's first term, serving as special assistant to the President and director of media affairs at the White House, where she oversaw regional press strategy and outreach. In 2003, Wallace joined Bush's 2004 presidential campaign as its communications director, wherein according to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' she "delivered her political attacks without snarling." On January 5, 2005, Bush named Wallace White House Communications Director. ''The New York Times'' story announcing her presidential appointment carried the headline: "New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room" and described Wallace's intentions "to improve the contentious relationship between a secretive White House and the press." According to ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', Wallace served as "a voice for more openness with reporters", and former colleagues describe Wallace as having been "very persuasive in the halls of the West Wing." She left the White House in July 2006 to relocate to New York City, where her husband Mark was representing the Bush Administration at the United Nations. Her White House colleague, presidential political advisor
Mark McKinnon Mark David McKinnon (born May 5, 1955) is an American political advisor, reform advocate, media columnist, and television producer. He was the chief media advisor to five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns, and is a co ...
, called her a "rare talent in politics."


McCain 2008 presidential campaign

Wallace also served as a senior advisor for the
John McCain 2008 presidential campaign The 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain, the longtime senior U.S. Senator from Arizona, was launched with an informal announcement on February 28, 2007, during a live taping of the ''Late Show with David Letterman'', and formally laun ...
. She appeared frequently on network and cable news programs as the campaign's top spokesperson and defender. In late October 2008, campaign aides criticized vice-presidential candidate
Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...
. One unnamed McCain aide said Palin had "gone rogue," placing her own future political interests ahead of the McCain/Palin ticket, directly contradicting her running mate's positions, and disobeying directions from campaign managers. In response to reports of dissension within the McCain-Palin campaign, Wallace issued a statement to both ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' and CNN saying: "If people want to throw me under the bus, my personal belief is that the most honorable thing to do is to lie there." Wallace was portrayed by Sarah Paulson in the 2012 film '' Game Change''. Wallace described the film as highly credible, saying the film "captured the spirit and emotion of the campaign." Wallace also told ABC News Chief Political Correspondent
George Stephanopoulos George Robert Stephanopoulos ( el, Γεώργιος Στεφανόπουλος ; born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a coanchor with Robin Robe ...
that the film was "true enough to make me squirm." Eight years after the election, Wallace stated that she did not vote for a presidential candidate in 2008 because Sarah Palin gave her pause.


Other work


White House novel series

She is the author of the 2010 novel ''Eighteen Acres'' (a reference to the 18 acres on which the White House complex sits), a fictional narrative about three powerful women at the top of their careers: the first female U.S. President, her
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
, and a White House correspondent. Wallace said, "It's my best attempt at a story that I hope people will pick up and read and enjoy and maybe feel like they're getting to see what it's really like in the White House in this entirely fictional story." Patrick Anderson of ''The Washington Post'' wrote, "To say that Nicolle Wallace's 'Eighteen Acres' is one of the best novels I've read about life in the White House may be faint praise—there haven't been many good ones—but her book is both an enjoyable read and a serious look at what high-level political pressures do to people." Craig Wilson of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' wrote, "Nicolle Wallace actually knows what she's talking about" and Ashley Parker of ''The New York Times'' called the book "an engaging, easy read." TV personalities such as George Stephanopoulos,
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 e ...
, John King, and
Andrea Mitchell Andrea Mitchell (born October 30, 1946) is an American television journalist, anchor and commentator for NBC News, based in Washington, D.C. She is NBC News' chief foreign affairs & chief Washington correspondent, reporting on the 2008 presi ...
also praised ''Eighteen Acres''. In September 2011, Wallace published the sequel to ''Eighteen Acres'', ''It's Classified'', about a fictional presidential campaign troubled by a mentally ill vice presidential candidate. Wallace said the premise was inspired by her experience as a senior adviser to the McCain/Palin campaign. Her third novel, ''Madam President'', was released in April 2015.


Television

On September 3, 2014, ABC announced Wallace would join '' The View'' as a new co-host alongside newcomer
Rosie Perez Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's per ...
. Wallace made her debut as a co-host on the premiere of the series' 18th season on September 15, 2014. Wallace exited the series at the end of the season. Following her departure from ''The View'', Wallace joined
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...
and its cable network
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 ...
as a political analyst. She was also a frequent contributor and guest host on MSNBC programs '' The 11th Hour with Brian Williams'' and ''
Morning Joe ''Morning Joe'' is an American morning news and liberal talk show, airing weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the cable news channel MSNBC. It features former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough reporting and discu ...
'' as well as on NBC's '' Today Show''. In November 2016, Wallace served as an analyst for MSNBC's live coverage of election results, which was anchored by
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
, Rachel Maddow, and
Chris Matthews Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, '' Hardball with Chris Matthews'', on America's Talking and later on ...
. Since May 9, 2017, Wallace has been the anchor of the afternoon news and opinion program '' Deadline: White House'' on MSNBC. ''Deadline: White House'' garnered a total of 2 million viewers in July 2020, and in the following month, it was expanded to two hours. Wallace was an executive producer on the July 3, 2022 MSNBC primetime special "Ukraine: Answering the Call", a fundraiser to support Ukraine during the 2022 invasion by Russia.


Personal life

Wallace married American businessman, former diplomat, and lawyer Mark Wallace in 2005. In 2012, the couple had a son. In February 2013, both Wallace and her husband publicly supported the legalization of same-sex marriage in an ''
amicus curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision o ...
'' brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. She and Mark divorced in 2019. Wallace described herself as a "self-loathing former Republican" in March 2021. In April 2022, she married journalist
Michael S. Schmidt Michael S. Schmidt (born September 1983) is a two time Pulitzer prize winning American journalist, author, and correspondent for ''The New York Times'' in Washington, D.C. He covers national security and federal law enforcement, has broken seve ...
.


Published works

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References


Further reading

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External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Nicolle 1972 births 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American civil servants American people of English descent American political consultants American political commentators American political writers American television talk show hosts American women non-fiction writers American women novelists American writers of Greek descent California Republicans Florida Republicans George W. Bush administration personnel John McCain 2008 presidential campaign Living people Medill School of Journalism alumni Miramonte High School alumni MSNBC people New York (state) Republicans People from Orinda, California People from Orange County, California University of California, Berkeley alumni White House Communications Directors Writers from California