Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (born September 8, 1972), referred to mononymously as Kennedy, is an American libertarian political commentator, radio personality, author, and former

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

VJ. She was the host of MTV's now-defunct daily late-night

alternative-rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

program ''

Alternative Nation ''Alternative Nation'' was a television show in the U.S. dedicated to alternative music. It aired on MTV from 1992 to 1997, mostly on weeknights. It was hosted by Kennedy. History ''Alternative Nation'' began airing in 1992. It was a somewh ...

'' throughout much of the 1990s. , she is the host of ''Kennedy'' on the

Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...

. Kennedy occasionally hosts '' Outnumbered'' on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...

, and is a frequent panelist on that network's show '' The Five''.

Early life

Lisa Kennedy Montgomery was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

, and raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. Kennedy and her two brothers were raised by her mother. She is of

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

and Scottish descent. She attended Lakeridge High School. She has a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in philosophy from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

(UCLA). Kennedy interned as a DJ at KROQ radio in Los Angeles as a teenager. She was known on KROQ as "the Virgin Kennedy".

Career

She was an early VJ at MTV. As "Kennedy", she hosted ''

'' from 1992–1997. In 1999, Kennedy published her book ''Hey Ladies! Tales and Tips for Curious Girls'', in which she incorporated a multitude of personal experiences. That same year, she moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

to host ''The Buzz'' on KQBZ radio; the show was a mix of news, local issues, and comedy. Montgomery left Seattle in 2001 to cohost a morning radio show with

Ahmet Zappa Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. Early life Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...

on the Comedy World Radio Network, ''The Future with Ahmet & Kennedy'', a similar mix of current events and comedy. She later co-hosted a morning show with Malibu Dan, ''The Big House''. Beginning June 3, 2002, Kennedy hosted

Game Show Network Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revive ...

's '' Friend or Foe?'', which ran for two seasons. On April 1, 2003, she guest-hosted the GSN show ''

WinTuition ''WinTuition'' is an American game show created as an original series for Game Show Network, on which it originally ran from December 9, 2002 to April 1, 2003, with repeats until January 4, 2004. The game had a school-oriented theme in wh ...

'' as part of GSN's April Fools prank where hosts swap places, while the original hosts usually appear as cameos, and play as contestants in ''

Lingo Lingo, a contraction of language, often refers to jargon, but in a less formal or technical sense. Lingo may also refer to: Technology * Lingo (programming language), one of several unrelated programming languages * Lingo (VoIP Service operator ...

'' for charity. She also hosted GSN's ''Who Wants to Be Governor of California?'', a televised debate among fringe candidates in the

2003 California gubernatorial recall election The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spa ...

, such as actors

Gary Coleman Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid ...

and Mary Carey. Beginning September 23, 2005, Kennedy appeared as an occasional panelist on VH1's ''

Best Week Ever ''Best Week Ever'' is an American comedy series created and executive produced by Fred Graver. The series originally aired from January 23, 2004, to June 12, 2009, on VH1.Harris, Scott"VH1 Cancels 'Best Week Ever'". ''Inside TV''. January 13, 20 ...

'' and

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 ...

's ''

Scarborough Country ''Scarborough Country'' is an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday to Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough. ''Scarborough Country'' made its debut in April 2003. On average, ''Scarborough Countr ...

''. In October 2005, she became host of Fox Reality's '' Reality Remix'' until that series ended in June 2008. In December 2007, she guest-hosted the evening show several times on

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

talk-radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

station

KFI KFI (640 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. It began operations in 1922 and became one of the first high-powered, clear-channel station, clear-channel List of ...

, before being hired by the station for a regular Sunday-afternoon show. In April 2008, she joined Bryan Suits as cohost of the ''Kennedy & Suits Show'' at that station through September 30, 2009. She hosted ''Music in the Mornings'' on KYSR in Los Angeles from 2009 until March 2014. Kennedy - 29074369537

On January 18, 2011, she began appearing as Anthony Sullivan's assistant on ''

PitchMen ''PitchMen'' (original name: ''But Wait...There's More'')Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...

as a contributor in 2012. She co-hosted '' The Independents'', a current-events and political discussion show, from its debut on December 9, 2013. The show was cancelled in January 2015, but she continued as host of her own program, ''Kennedy''. ''Kennedy'' was put on hiatus March 13, 2020, due to 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 identi ...

. On October 19, 2020, the program ended its seven-month hiatus. She is also a contributor to

Reason.com ''Reason'' is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 50,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the ''Chicago Tribune''. History ''Reas ...

and

Reason.tv ''Reason'' is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 50,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the ''Chicago Tribune''. History ''Reas ...

, and occasionally serves as guest host for Bill Carroll,

John and Ken ''The John and Ken Show'' is an American talk radio show, hosted by ''John Chester Kobylt'' and ''Kenneth Robertson Chiampou''. The show airs Monday thru Friday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time on KFI AM 640, a local Southern California talk ...

, and Tim Conway Jr. on KFI. She was a correspondent on the Fox Business talk show ''

Stossel Stoessel, Stössel, or Stossel may refer to: *Albert Stoessel (1894–1943), American composer, violinist and conductor *Anatoly Stessel (1848–1915), Russian baron, military leader, and general *Johann Stössel (1524–1576), Lutheran reformer an ...

'', and made occasional appearances as a panelist and guest host on

' '' Red Eye''. She has also made appearances on other Fox talk shows, such as '' Outnumbered'' and '' The Five''.

Politics

Kennedy is registered as unaffiliated. She is a supporter of same-sex marriage, and officiated at the wedding of fellow Fox contributor Guy Benson to husband Adam Wise. She also supports

privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

. She opposes the "war on drugs" and bureaucratic regulation. She is critical of

neoconservatism Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and co ...

. At MTV's 1993 Rock 'n' Roll Inaugural Ball for

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 again ...

, she chanted, "Nixon now! Nixon now!" whenever the Clintons went on stage. Along with being a fan of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

, she supported

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Quayle served as a U.S. ...

and

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his t ...

. She was a speaker at the 1996 Republican National Convention. She later abandoned

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institut ...

, saying, "Social conservatism was really bringing me down, and I realized, as time went on, that I wasn't a Bush conservative. I was really a libertarian." She was first introduced to

libertarianism Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

when

Kurt Loder Kurtis Loder (born May 5, 1945) is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at ''Rolling Stone'', during a tenure that ''Reason'' later called "legendary". He has contribute ...

Personal life

Kennedy is divorced from former professional snowboarder Dave Lee; the couple has two daughters. Kennedy dated frontman and guitarist John Rzeznik from the band

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sou ...

. The song "

Name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...

" was written about her. She has the

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n flag

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

ed on her left ankle, and a pink Republican elephant tattooed on her upper left thigh. In September 2012, during an appearance on '' Red Eye'', Kennedy said she had been diagnosed with

celiac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...

, leading her to change to a more meat-based diet. Kennedy is a triathlete.

Publications

* *

References

External links

* *
Reason.tv: Kennedy on Medical Marijuana, guns, alt rock and politics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy 1972 births Living people 20th-century American people 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American game show hosts American libertarians American people of Romanian descent American people of Scottish descent American political commentators American television news anchors American female triathletes Christian libertarians Critics of neoconservatism Fox Business people Fox News people Lakeridge High School alumni LGBT rights activists from the United States People from Indianapolis People from Lake Oswego, Oregon University of California, Los Angeles alumni VJs (media personalities)