Chris Matthews
{{Short description|American news anchor (born 1945)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{About other people|the American political commentator}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chris Matthews
| image = Chris Matthews 2011 Shankbone.JPG
| caption = Matthews at the 2011 Time 100 Gala
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1945|12|17}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.}}
| education = {{ubl|College of the Holy Cross (BA)|University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Harvard University}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- News anchor
- political commentator}}
| employer = NBCUniversal, Comcast
| television = Hardball with Chris Matthews
| years_active = 1994–2020, 2021-present
| party = Democratic
| spouse = {{Marriage|Kathleen Cunningham|1980}}
| relatives = Jim Matthews (brother)
| children = 3
| birth_name = Christopher John 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 MSNBC, from 1997 until 2020. He announced on his final episode that he was retiring, following an accusation that he had made inappropriate comments to a Hardball guest four years earlier.{{cite news |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. |title=Chris Matthews Out at MSNBC - Mr. Matthews's show, 'Hardball,' has been on the air since 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/media/chris-matthews-resigns-steps-down-msnbc.html |date=March 2, 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2020}}{{cite news |date=March 1, 2020 |title=MSNBC's Chris Matthews absent from air amid sexual harassment allegations |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/485361-msnbcs-chris-matthews-absent-from-air-amid-sexual-harassment-allegations |work=The Hill |access-date=March 2, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Chris Matthews, MSNBC's 'Hardball' Veteran, to Depart |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/chris-matthews-departure-msnbc-hardball-1203521543/ |website=Variety |date=March 3, 2020 |access-date=3 March 2020}}{{cite news |title= Chris Matthews resigns TRANSCRIPT: 3/2/20, Hardball w/ Chris Matthews|url= http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/hardball/2020-03-02 |date=March 2, 2020 |work=MSNBC |access-date=March 26, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Shelter |first=Brian |title= Chris Matthews retires from MSNBC after string of recent controversies|url= https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/02/media/chris-matthews-retires-msnbc/index.html |date=March 2, 2020 |work=CNN |access-date=March 26, 2020}}
Early life and education
Matthews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Mary Teresa (née Shields) and Herb Matthews, a court reporter.{{cite web |url=http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Matthews__Chris.html |title=Chris Matthews |website=Pabook.libraries.psu.edu |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014105732/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Matthews__Chris.html |archive-date=2012-10-14 |url-status=dead}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vKNGhCqmFRYC&pg=PA469 |title=Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero |access-date=October 28, 2012 |isbn=9781451635102 |last1=Matthews |first1=Chris |date=November 2011 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |via=Google Books}} Matthews's father was, he has written, "raised Episcopalian—Church of England," of English and Scots-Irish ancestry, and his mother was from an Irish Catholic family;Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, by Chris Matthews, pp.77–80, 2001 Matthews and his siblings were raised in the Catholic faith.{{cite web |last=White |first=Deborah |url=http://usliberals.about.com/od/thepressandjournalist1/p/CMatthews.htm |title=Profile of Chris Matthews, Host of MSNBC's Hardball |work=About.com |access-date=2010-06-22 |archive-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112213807/http://usliberals.about.com/od/thepressandjournalist1/p/CMatthews.htm |url-status=dead }}
Matthews attended La Salle College High School. Matthews is a 1967 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3080432 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619213959/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080432/ns/msnbc_tv-meet_the_faces_of_msnbc/ |url-status=live |archive-date=2009-06-19 |title=Chris Matthews - Meet the faces of MSNBC |website=MSNBC.com |date=January 26, 2007 |access-date=2010-02-23}}{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1574257/Chris-Matthews | title=Chris Matthews (American) | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date=2012-04-11}} Matthews was also a visiting fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics.{{cite web |title=Former Fellows by Year |url=http://www.iop.harvard.edu/former-fellows-year#visiting |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721175903/http://www.iop.harvard.edu/former-fellows-year#visiting |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 21, 2014 |website=Harvard University |access-date=4 November 2013 }}
Matthews served in the United States Peace Corps in Swaziland from 1968 to 1970{{cite news |title=9 Famous Peace Corp Volunteers |url=http://www.parade.com/147327/parade/famous-peace-corps-volunteers/#147338 |newspaper=Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays |date=February 17, 2011 |access-date=11 August 2011}} as a trade development adviser.
Matthews holds 34 honorary degrees from numerous universities and colleges.
Career
=Political career=
File:Chris Matthews interviewing Rudy Giuliani (2877311199).jpg during the 2008 Republican National Convention]]
When Matthews first arrived in Washington, D.C., he worked as an officer with the United States Capitol Police.{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3080601 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002203323/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3080601/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |title=American attitude – Hardball with Chris Matthews |work=NBC News |first=Chris |last=Matthews |access-date=2008-04-23}} Subsequently, Matthews served on the staffs of four Democratic Members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie. In 1974, Matthews mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in which he received about 24% of the vote in the primary.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=284778 |title=PA District 04 – D Primary |work=OurCampaigns.com |date=1974-03-21 |access-date=2008-04-23}} Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter Administration, and later worked for six years as Chief of Staff to longtime Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan Administration.
Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am ... I voted for George W. in 2000."October 3, 2003, and February 23, 2004, editions of Hardball Salon.com called him the "most conservative voice" on MSNBC's primetime lineup.{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/21/countdown_rip/index.html |title=Is Olbermann the victim of his own success? |first=Steve |last=Kornacki |date=2011-01-21 |website=Salon.com |access-date=4 March 2020}} Matthews has been accused by Media Matters for America{{cite news |url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200505310005 |title=Matthews's statements defy conservatives' claims that he is a "liberal Democrat" |first=A |last=S |work=Media Matters for America |date=2005-05-31 |access-date=2008-04-23 |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116053252/http://mediamatters.org/items/200505310005 |url-status=dead }} of having panels of guests that skew to the right and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments.{{cite news |url=http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11345 |title=The Harder He Blows |first=Todd |last=Gitlen |work=The American Prospect |date=2006-03-23 |access-date=2008-04-23 |archive-date=April 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070414215613/http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11345 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003 |title=Matthews trumpeted comparatively small Abramoff client donations to Sen. Clinton, virtually ignoring larger donations given to Bush, Hastert |date=2006-01-06 |access-date=2008-04-23 |work=Media Matters for America |first=J |last=B |archive-date=July 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724140624/http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003 |url-status=dead }}
On the April 14, 2008, edition of The Colbert Report, Matthews alluded to a possible run for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania.{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/15/chris-matthews-tells-colb_n_96714.html | title=Chris Matthews Tells Colbert: "I Want To Be A Senator" | work=Huffington Post | date=2008-04-23 | access-date=2016-01-08}} On November 28, 2008, Matthews contacted senior staffers of Barack Obama's campaign about a possible Senate run.{{cite web |url=http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/chris-matthews-running-for-pennsylvania.html |title=Chris Matthews Staffing Up for Probable Senate Run in 2010 |last=Quinn |first=Sean |work=Fivethirtyeight.com |date=2008-11-28 |access-date=2008-12-19 |archive-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217021416/http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/chris-matthews-running-for-pennsylvania.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-matthews-inches-toward-senate-run/ |title=Chris Matthews Inches Toward Senate Run |website=CBS News |last=Kraushaar |first=Josh |author2=Michael Calderone |date=2008-12-04 |access-date=2008-12-19}} On January 7, 2009, The New York Times reported that Matthews told his staffers that he would not run for the Senate.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/media/08mathews.html |title=Host of 'Hardball' Decides Against Senate Race |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=2009-01-07|newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2009-01-08}}
=Newspaper journalist=
File:Chris Matthews (4338863259).jpg
Matthews worked in print media for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000) and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Matthews covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, and the Good Friday Peace Talks in Northern Ireland. In 1997 and 1998, his research in the National Archives produced a series of exclusives on the Nixon presidential tapes. Matthews covered American presidential election campaigns from 1988 until his retirement in 2020.
=Author=
He is the author of eight best-selling books:
- Hardball: How Politics is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game (1988)
- Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America (1996)
- Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (2001)
- American: Beyond our Grandest Notions (2002)
- Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success (2007)
- Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero (2011)
- Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked (2013)
- Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit (2017)
Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero spent 12 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-11-20/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/list.html |title=Best Sellers |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=14 January 2014 |first=Gregory |last=Cowles}} The book was lauded by critics. "Matthews excels in capturing the tribalism of the Irish Catholic culture and experience Kennedy both absorbed and overcame as he made his way ... [and] is at his best in describing political dynamics," The Washington Post said.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews-killing-lincoln-and-jack-kennedy/2011/11/07/gIQAhC0BxM_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217073900/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-11-07/entertainment/35417691_1_matthews-dugard-heroic-tales |url-status=live |archive-date=17 February 2013 |title=Book reviews: 'Killing Lincoln' and 'Jack Kennedy' |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=14 January 2014}} "Matthews proves a compelling storyteller," said The Boston Globe.{{cite book |title=Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero |author=Matthews, C. |year=2012 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=9781451635096 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kLspqSlNjfYC}} "Matthews has produced a valuable addition to the literature about the life and career of our 35th president," said The Christian Science Monitor.{{cite journal |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2011/1031/Jack-Kennedy-Elusive-Hero/(page)/2 |title=Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero |journal=Christian Science Monitor |date=October 31, 2011 |access-date=14 January 2014}} "Matthews's stirring biography reveals Kennedy as a 'fighting prince never free from pain, never far from trouble, and never accepting the world he found,'" said Publishers Weekly.{{cite web |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4516-3508-9 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero by Chris Matthews |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=14 January 2014}}
=Television talk show host=
In 1997, Matthews began his own weeknight talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which originally aired on America's Talking and then moved to MSNBC. Hardball with Chris Matthews featured pundits and elected officials as guests.
The Chris Matthews Show aired in syndication on weekends from 2002 until 2013. The show was formatted as a political roundtable consisting of four journalists and Matthews, who served as the moderator.
In 2004, at the Democratic National Convention, Matthews predicted that he had "just seen the first Black president." The Huffington Post reported on Matthews's emotional expressions of support for Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential election, quoting him as saying: "I have to tell you, you know, it's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often."{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/13/chris-matthews-i-felt-thi_n_86449.html |title=Chris Matthews: "I Felt This Thrill Going Up My Leg" As Obama Spoke |last=Shea |first=Danny |date=2008-03-28 |website=Huffington Post |language=en-US |access-date=2018-01-11}}
While discussing proposed healthcare reform on the December 17, 2009, edition of Hardball, Matthews stated, "The Republicans will know they have lost ... Let them keep score and it's easy. It's complicated when liberals get to keep score. We're always arguing. Well, I'm a liberal, too."{{cite web |url=http://www.thefoxnation.com/chris-matthews/2009/12/18/chris-matthews-im-liberal |title=No Kidding: Chris Matthews Admits, 'I'm a Liberal' |website=Fox News |access-date=2009-12-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221065111/http://www.thefoxnation.com/chris-matthews/2009/12/18/chris-matthews-im-liberal |archive-date=2009-12-21}}{{cite web| title ='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Thursday, December 17th, 2009| website=NBC News |date=2009-12-18| url =https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34483277| access-date =2009-12-19}}
In March 2012, Matthews described himself as a centrist during an episode of his MSNBC talk show Hardball. That statement was questioned by Mediaite{{'}}s Josh Feldman directly afterward, based on Matthews's frequent condemnation of right-wing political figures and his emotional expression of support for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Feldman observed that Matthews has criticized liberals such as Hillary Clinton and occasionally even Barack Obama, and that this could explain Matthews's description of himself as a "centrist".{{cite web |url=http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbcs-chris-matthews-says-hes-a-centrist-no-seriously/ |title=MSNBC's Chris Matthews Says He's A Centrist. No, Seriously. |first=Josh |last=Feldman |date=March 25, 2012 |website=Mediaite.com}}
In 2013, Matthews announced that he had signed a long-term contract extension with MSNBC but that he would no longer host The Chris Matthews Show in order to focus his efforts on Hardball, writing books, and producing documentaries. The final episode of The Chris Matthews Show aired on July 21.{{cite news |last=Weprin |first=Alex |title=Chris Matthews Inks Long-Term Deal With MSNBC, But Ends 'The Chris Matthews Show' |date=2013-04-30 |website=Mediabistro.com |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/chris-matthews-inks-long-term-deal-with-msnbc-but-ends-the-chris-matthews-show_b177542 |access-date=2013-08-19 |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503074512/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/chris-matthews-inks-long-term-deal-with-msnbc-but-ends-the-chris-matthews-show_b177542 |url-status=dead }}
In December 2018, Matthews interviewed U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who stated she was "seriously considering" running for President.{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/hardball/2019-04-11 |title=Rep. Tulsi Gabbard plays Hardball. TRANSCRIPT: 4/11/19, Hardball w/ Chris Matthews. |date=April 11, 2019 |website=MSNBC}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw7SdzW0_vQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/xw7SdzW0_vQ| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Tulsi Gabbard: "I'm Seriously Considering" Running For President" |author=MSNBC |date=December 12, 2018 |website=YouTube |access-date=4 March 2020}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx1YPXf2hrw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/lx1YPXf2hrw| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Tulsi Gabbard On Joe Biden Supporting The Iraq War: It Was The Wrong Vote |author=MSNBC |date=June 26, 2019 |website=YouTube |access-date=4 March 2020}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://www.msnbc.com/hardball/watch/-dishonest-steve-schmidt-presses-tulsi-gabbard-on-meeting-bashar-al-assad-73802309934 |title='Dishonest' : Steve Schmidt presses Tulsi Gabbard on meeting Bashar al-Assad |date=November 21, 2019 |website=MSNBC.com}}
On February 7, 2020, during a panel discussion following a Democratic Party presidential candidate debate in New Hampshire, Matthews referenced Bernie Sanders's praise for aspects of Fidel Castro's Cuba, saying "if Castro and the Reds had won the Cold War, there would [have been] executions in Central Park and I might have been one of the ones getting executed and certain other people would be there cheering, OK? So I have a problem with people who took the other side."{{cite web|url=https://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/11th-hour-with-brian-williams/2020-02-07-msna1329566|title = Ukraine call TRANSCRIPT: 2/7/20, the 11th Hour with Brian Williams|website = MSNBC| date=February 8, 2020 }} His remarks were mocked by left-wing commentators.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/chris-matthews-bernie-sanders-public-executions-949802/|title = Chris Matthews' Wild Rant Connects a Bernie Sanders Win with Public Executions|magazine = Rolling Stone|date = February 8, 2020}}
During the opening monologue of his Monday, March 2, 2020, show, Matthews announced his immediately effective retirement from Hardball. Matthews alluded to claims of inappropriate comments that trailed him for years, resurfacing when freelance journalist Laura Bassett accused Matthews of making sexist remarks when she was a guest on “Hardball” in 2016.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chris-matthews-retire-msnbc-1282226 |title=Chris Matthews to Retire From MSNBC |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 2, 2020 |language=en |access-date=2020-03-03}} MSNBC had executed a long-term contract with Matthews, in 2013, to retain him with the network at least through the 2016 election,{{cite news |date=April 30, 2013 |title=Chris Matthews Signs New Long-Term Deal with MSNBC |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chris-matthews-signs-new-long-449074 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=March 3, 2020}} and he was expected to retire after the 2020 election cycle,{{cite news |date=March 3, 2020 |title=Chris Matthews retires from MSNBC after string of recent controversies |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/02/media/chris-matthews-retires-msnbc/index.html |work=CNN Business |access-date=March 3, 2020}} with an exit after Election Day in November 2020 likely.{{cite news |date=March 2, 2020 |title=Chris Matthews Out at MSNBC |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/media/chris-matthews-resigns-steps-down-msnbc.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 3, 2020}} Following his resignation, Matthews garnered well-wishes from professional colleagues in the news media and others, including from Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who noted Matthews's willingness to "criticize the neocon pro-war agenda."{{cite news |url=https://www.mediaite.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-lauds-chris-matthews-last-liberal-on-tv-willing-to-criticize-the-neocon-pro-war-agenda/ |title=Tulsi Gabbard Lauds Chris Matthews: Last Liberal on TV 'Willing to Criticize the Neocon Pro-War Agenda' |website=Mediate |date=March 3, 2020 |access-date=March 3, 2020}}
In September 2022, Matthews returned to MSNBC as a political analyst making appearances on the network's "Morning Joe" program.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
Controversies
=Inappropriate comments=
Throughout Matthews's career he has been criticized for making sexist comments about women in politics including Melania Trump, Sarah Palin, and Erin Burnett.{{Cite web |last1=Van-Syckle |first1=Katie |last2=Van-Syckle |first2=Katie |date=2016-05-04 |title=MSNBC's Chris Matthews Caught on Hot Mic Ogling Melania Trump |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/chris-matthews-sexist-melanie-donald-trump-msnbc-1201766549/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Byers |first=Dylan |date=2016-05-04 |title=Chris Matthews' Melania Trump remarks caught on hot mic |url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/04/media/chris-matthews-melania-trump/index.html |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=CNNMoney}}
In October 2016, Laura Bassett appeared on Matthews's program to comment on sexual assault allegations against then candidate Donald Trump. In February 2020, Bassett alleged that prior to that program, Matthews made inappropriate remarks about her makeup, clothing, and dating life. As she was having her television studio makeup applied, Matthews purportedly asked her: "Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?" Bassett claims that when she laughed nervously and said nothing, Matthews followed up to the makeup artist with: "Keep putting makeup on her, I'll fall in love with her."{{cite web |last1=Bassett |first1=Laura |title=Like Warren, I Had My Own Sexist Run-In with Chris Matthews |url=https://www.gq.com/story/chris-matthews-experience |website=Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine (GQ) |date=February 28, 2020 |access-date=29 February 2020}} In 2017, Bassett had previously published a text about the incident, which did not identify Matthews by name.{{cite news |title=Me Too, I Think? When Sexual Harassment Feels All Too Normal All women have stories. We're just not sure what to do with them. |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/me-too-sexual-harassment-normal_n_59ef6e98e4b0bf1f883628ac?guccounter=1 |first=Laura |last=Bassett |date=24 October 2017 |work=Huffington Post |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
In December 2017, details surfaced of a 1999 settlement Matthews's employer, MSNBC, reached with a female producer of Matthews's program who alleged Matthews made inappropriate comments about her in front of colleagues in the workplace. MSNBC denied making a settlement, but acknowledged Matthews had been reprimanded for the comments. {{cite web |title=MSNBC's Chris Matthews was reprimanded over comments about woman in 1999: report |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/msnbc-s-chris-matthews-was-reprimanded-over-comments-about-woman-n830471|website=NBC News |date=December 17, 2017 |access-date=17 December 2017}}{{cite news |last=Bowden |first=John |date=December 17, 2017 |title=NBC paid out severance to staffer who accused Chris Matthews of sexual harassment |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/365294-nbc-paid-out-severance-to-staffer-who-accused-chris-matthews-of-sexual |work=The Hill |access-date=February 23, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Snider |first=Mike |date=December 17, 2020 |title=MSNBC's Chris Matthews reprimanded over inappropriate comments about woman in 1999 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/12/17/msnbcs-chris-matthews-reprimanded-over-inappropriate-comments-woman-1999/959255001/ |work=USA Today |access-date=February 23, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Parker |first=Ryan |date=December 17, 2017 |title=NBC Paid Severance to Female Staffer Who Accused Chris Matthews of Sexual Harassment |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbc-paid-severance-female-staffer-who-accused-chris-matthews-sexual-harassment-1068717 |work=The Hollywood Reporter }}{{cite news |last=Tani |first=Maxwell |date=December 17, 2017 |title=NBC paid out a staffer who accused Chris Matthews of making inappropriate jokes in 1999 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/nbc-paid-staffer-who-accused-chris-matthews-of-inappropriate-jokes-2017-12 |work=Business Insider |access-date=February 23, 2020}}
In 2018 during a setup for a television interview with Hillary Clinton, Matthews stated out loud "where was the Cosby pill" that he brought with him.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/01/12/msnbcs-chris-matthews-joked-about-his-bill-cosby-pill-before-interviewing-hillary-clinton/ |title=Chris Matthews joked about his 'Bill Cosby Pill' before interviewing Hillary Clinton |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2018-01-12 |accessdate=2022-02-16}}
=Nazi metaphors=
On February 22, 2020, commenting on the 2020 Nevada Democratic caucuses, Matthews invoked Winston Churchill's feeling of disbelief following the fall of France to the Nazis in 1940 as a metaphor for the feeling of disbelief experienced by establishment figures in the Democratic Party to Bernie Sanders's victory in the state.{{cite web |last1=Arciga |first1=Julia |title=Chris Matthews Likens Bernie's Strong Nevada Showing to France Falling to Nazi Germany in WWII |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/chris-matthews-likens-bernies-strong-nevada-showing-to-france-falling-to-nazi-germany-in-wwii |website=The Daily Beast |access-date=February 22, 2020 |date=February 22, 2020}} As members of Sanders's family were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, his comparison was viewed as insensitive and prompted widespread negative reactions on Twitter calling for him to be removed from MSNBC.{{cite news |last1=Bekiempis |first1=Victoria |title=Outcry after MSNBC host compares Sanders' Nevada win to Nazi invasion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/23/msnbc-chris-matthews-sanders-nevada-win-nazi-invasion |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=February 23, 2020 |date=February 23, 2020}} Amid mounting criticism, Matthews issued an on-air apology to Sanders and his supporters on February 24. Sanders did not directly respond to the remarks.{{cite news |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Chris Matthews Apologizes to Bernie Sanders for Remarks on Nevada Win; An on-air comparison to Nazis angered Sanders aides, who privately complained to executives at MSNBC. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/business/media/chris-matthews-bernie-sanders-apology.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2020}}
Personal life
Matthews has been married since 1980 to Kathleen Matthews, who was a news anchor at WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., before accepting a position as an executive vice president with Marriott International. In 2015, Kathleen Matthews launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for a House seat in Maryland's 8th congressional district, which has been represented by progressive Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin since 2016. The couple have three children: Michael, Thomas, and Caroline. One of his four brothers Jim Matthews, a Republican, is a former county commissioner in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
In 2002, Matthews was hospitalized with malaria, which he contracted on one of his visits that year to Africa.{{cite news |last=Petrozzello |first=Donna |date=24 July 2002 |title=Matthews Hospitalized With Malaria |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2002/07/24/matthews-hospitalized-with-malaria/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |newspaper=New York Daily News}}
Matthews was the commencement speaker at Ohio State University on May 4, 2014{{cite news |first=Michele |last=Theodore |title=Chris Matthews of MSNBC's 'Hardball' to be Ohio State Spring Commencement speaker |url=http://thelantern.com/2014/03/chris-matthews-msnbcs-hardball-ohio-state-spring-commencement-speaker/ |work=The Lantern |date=2014-03-21 |access-date=2014-04-07}} and Merrimack College on May 15, 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.merrimack.edu/live/news/2411-merrimack-commencement-speakers-build-connections |title=Merrimack commencement speakers: Build connections with others |website=www.merrimack.edu |date=May 17, 2015 |language=en |access-date=2019-04-16}}
Matthews is a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation, an American non-partisan research foundation.{{Cite news |title=Chris Matthews |url=https://kettering.org/fellow/chris-matthews/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=Kettering Foundation |language=en-US}}
Awards
Matthews is the recipient of several awards, including The Pennsylvania Society's Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 2005,{{cite web |title=Gold Medal Award |url=http://pasociety.com/medal.html |website=The Pennsylvania Society |access-date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104045822/http://pasociety.com/medal.html|archive-date=2013-11-04 |url-status=dead}} the Abraham Lincoln Award from the Union League of Philadelphia,{{cite web |title=MSNBC Anchor Chris Matthews to Speak at Daemen College April 19 |url=http://www.daemen.edu/news/Newsreleases/Pages/MSNBCAnchorChrisMatthewstoSpeakatDaemenCollegeApril19.aspx |website=Daemen College |access-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125232/http://www.daemen.edu/news/Newsreleases/Pages/MSNBCAnchorChrisMatthewstoSpeakatDaemenCollegeApril19.aspx|archive-date=2 April 2015}} the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Award,{{cite news |title=Local Woman to Head National Hibernian Board |url=http://www.catholicherald.com/stories/Local-Woman-to-Head-National-Hibernian-Board,3575 |newspaper=Catholic Herald |access-date=4 November 2013 |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002140559/http://www.catholicherald.com/stories/Local-Woman-to-Head-National-Hibernian-Board,3575 |url-status=dead }} and the 2016 Tip O'Neill Irish Diaspora Award.{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonirish.com/news/2016/hardballs-chris-matthews-receive-tip-oneill-award |title=Hardball's Chris Matthews to receive Tip O'Neill award |website=Boston Irish Reporter |date=July 6, 2016 |access-date=2016-09-07}}
Honorary degrees
Chris Matthews has received over 30 honorary degrees, among which are:
{{Incomplete list |date=June 2018}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Chris |title=This Country: My Life in Politics and History |year=2021 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-9821-3484-6 |page=352}}{{cite web |date=March 16, 2021 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: This Country: My Life in Politics and History by Chris Matthews |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-9821-3484-6 |access-date=June 9, 2021 |website=Publishers Weekly}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit |year=2017 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-5011-1186-0 |page=416}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked |year=2013 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4516-9599-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/tipgipperwhenpol0000matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero |year=2011 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4516-3508-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/jackkennedyelusi00matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success |edition=1st |year=2007 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4000-6528-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/lifescampaignwha01matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions |year=2002 |publisher=Free Press |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-4086-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanbeyondou00matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think |edition=1st |year=2001 |publisher=Free Press |location=New York |isbn=0-684-86236-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/nowletmetellyouw00matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America |year=1996 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=0-684-81030-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/kennedynixonriva00matt}}
- {{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Christopher |title=Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told By One Who Knows the Game |year=1988 |publisher=Summit Books |location=New York |isbn=9780671631604}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
- [http://www.msnbc.com/hardball Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC]
- [http://www.msnbc.com/hardball-chris-matthews/chris-matthews-biography Chris Matthews bio on MSNBC]
- {{C-SPAN|628}}
- {{IMDb name|1236777}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Chris}}
Category:20th-century Roman Catholics
Category:21st-century Roman Catholics
Category:American male journalists
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent
Category:American political commentators
Category:American political journalists
Category:American political writers
Category:Speechwriters for presidents of the United States
Category:American television talk show hosts
Category:Catholics from Pennsylvania
Category:Carter administration personnel
Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni
Category:Pennsylvania Democrats
Category:People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Category:Television anchors from Philadelphia
Category:United States Capitol Police officers
Category:United States congressional aides