# Ed Schultz
**Ed Schultz** (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, political commentator, and news anchor, best known for hosting *The Ed Show*, a weekday news talk program on MSNBC from 2009 to 2015, and *The Ed Schultz Show*, a nationally syndicated talk radio show from 2004 to 2014.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) He began his career as a sports broadcaster in the upper Midwest, hosted a conservative talk show in the 1990s, and later shifted to liberal and pro-labor positions that defined his national profile.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1954, Norfolk, Virginia; July 5, 2018, Washington, D.C., at age 64[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) |
| Start in broadcasting | Sportscaster in Fargo, North Dakota, from 1978; earlier signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders and tried out for the New York Jets and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html) |
| Syndicated radio | *The Ed Schultz Show*, launched 2004 from Fargo; ended May 23, 2014, succeeded by the podcast *Ed Schultz News and Commentary* (2015–2018)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) |
| MSNBC | *The Ed Show* anchored from April 1, 2009 to 2015; moved into Keith Olbermann's former 8 p.m. slot on January 24, 2011[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) • [2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) |
| Political shift | Conservative talk host in the 1990s; became a Democrat and progressive commentator in the late 1990s[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) • [4](https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/ed-schultz/) |
| Labor recognition | Paul Wellstone Award, United Steelworkers convention, August 18, 2011[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) |
| Last role | Daily primetime weekday host of *The News with Ed Schultz* on RT America[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) |
## Early life and sports broadcasting
Schultz was born in [Norfolk, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/norfolk-virginia), in 1954 and came to Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1972 on a football scholarship.[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) After college, he sought a football career, signing with the [Oakland Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-raiders) as a free agent and having tryouts with the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League before abandoning the sport in favor of broadcasting.[3](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html)
His media career began at WDAY-TV in Fargo, where he started in the early 1980s as a sports broadcaster, becoming a sportscaster there in 1978 by the Star Tribune's chronology.[3](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html) • [2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) He spent many years hosting shows on stations in and around Fargo before expanding to wider syndication, and in 1992 he added political talk hosting in that city.[5](https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/30025) • [4](https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/ed-schultz/) He first filled in as a talk-radio host on WDAY in 1988, the same year [Rush Limbaugh](https://www.edgepedia.org/rush-limbaugh)'s show had its national premiere.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php)
## Radio career and the political shift
**From conservative to progressive.** Schultz was politically conservative in his younger years and hosted a conservative talk show in the 1990s.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) He later credited the shift to what he described as getting "out in the world" and going through "a series of grass roots experiences" in the late 1990s; according to the Los Angeles Times, his relationship with Wendy, a psychiatric nurse whom he accompanied to a homeless shelter on their first date, contributed to awakening him to progressive causes.[4](https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/ed-schultz/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-feb-16-la-fi-schultz-20120217-story.html)
In 2004 he launched *The Ed Schultz Show*, a nationally syndicated, liberal-leaning radio program, from Fargo, and moved the show to New York City when he joined MSNBC in 2009.[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) • [4](https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/ed-schultz/) The show ran until May 23, 2014, and was replaced by a one-hour podcast, *Ed Schultz News and Commentary*, which ran from 2015 until his death in 2018.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz)
**A rarity in progressive talk radio.** Progressive talk radio was a difficult commercial niche. A 2007 analysis of the 257 news/talk stations owned by the top five commercial station owners found that 91 percent of weekday talk programming was conservative and 9 percent progressive, with 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk broadcast each weekday compared with 254 hours of progressive talk.[8](https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/legacy-policy/talk_radio.pdf) Within that landscape, Schultz was one of only two of the top 20 weekday talk radio hosts on those stations who were progressive, the other being Randi Rhodes.[8](https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/legacy-policy/talk_radio.pdf) In 2004 the most popular liberal hosts aired on fewer than 100 affiliates, while Rush Limbaugh, the right's top talker, was on 600.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) Senator Tom Harkin, speaking on the Senate floor, said he found that in almost every market where Schultz went up against Limbaugh, more people listened to Schultz.[9](https://www.govinfo.gov/link/crec/151/S/12441)
## MSNBC and The Ed Show
*The Ed Show* debuted in April 2009 as a nightly opinion and interview program mixing commentary, interviews, and advocacy.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) • [5](https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/30025) In early meetings with MSNBC management, Schultz said, "I want to tell a story about what America needs. And what America needs right now is a voice for the middle class."[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) Throughout the show's first year he hammered for the public option in the healthcare reform debate, a subject his audience continued to associate him with years later.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php)
**Slot changes and ratings.** The program bounced among time slots: it originally aired at 6 p.m., moved briefly to 10 p.m. after [Keith Olbermann](https://www.edgepedia.org/keith-olbermann)'s 2011 departure, and settled at 8 p.m. in January 2011 when Schultz took over Olbermann's former prime-time slot.[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578) • [6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) • [10](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2017/05/State-of-the-News-Media-Report-2012-FINAL.pdf) In 2012, the show beat [Anderson Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/anderson-cooper) in that time slot and earned MSNBC its best 8 p.m. ratings among the 25-to-54 demographic since 2009.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php)
**Wisconsin and labor.** During much of 2011, Schultz focused on the fight against the anti-collective-bargaining legislation proposed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, frequently broadcasting live from the protests in Madison, something that consistently separated him from others in the MSNBC prime-time lineup during that story.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) He had begun traveling to Wisconsin in February 2011 to show support for protesters of the anti-union laws, and in August 2011 he received the Paul Wellstone Award at the United Steelworkers convention for his commitment to public service.[2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578)
**Controversies.** In May 2011, Schultz was suspended from MSNBC for a week after calling conservative radio host [Laura Ingraham](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-ingraham) a "right-wing slut" on his radio show.[7](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-feb-16-la-fi-schultz-20120217-story.html) • [2](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578)
By 2013, Columbia Journalism Review described a growing contrast between Schultz's fired-up everyman persona and the wonky, erudite liberalism increasingly dominant in MSNBC's lineup.[6](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php) After six years on the air, the ratings of *The Ed Show* were soft, and the network wanted more news rather than opinion in his slot; the program ended in 2015.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-ed-schultz-transformed-from-msnbc-lefty-to-the-american-face-of-moscow-media/2016/12/20/320713f4-c322-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz)
## RT America and later work
After leaving MSNBC, Schultz hosted *The News with Ed Schultz*, a daily primetime weekday show on [RT America](https://www.edgepedia.org/rt-america), the Russian-based television news network distributed on cable and the internet in the United States.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html) The Washington Post described the move as a twist in a long broadcast career, casting the former MSNBC host as the American face of Moscow media.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-ed-schultz-transformed-from-msnbc-lefty-to-the-american-face-of-moscow-media/2016/12/20/320713f4-c322-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html) On RT he defended the network against the description of RT as "a propaganda arm for Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin."[12](https://www.mediaite.com/online/thats-a-bunch-of-bullsht-rt-americas-ed-schultz-bashes-cnn-in-fiery-rant/)
## Death
Schultz died on July 5, 2018, of natural causes at his home in Washington, D.C., at age 64.[3](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz)
## Legacy
Schultz built his niche by talking about the poor and the middle class, gaining ratings while more and more Americans lost jobs, benefits, and middle-class status, at a time when media outlets had rarely succeeded in speaking for progressive causes; the liberal radio network [Air America](https://www.edgepedia.org/air-america-radio-network), for comparison, filed for bankruptcy twice during its six years of operation and closed in 2010.[7](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-feb-16-la-fi-schultz-20120217-story.html) Under his 8 p.m. tenure, MSNBC's prime-time line of Maddow, Schultz, and [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/lawrence-odonnell) helped the channel establish itself as a source of liberal news and viewpoints, beating CNN in prime-time viewership.[13](https://assets.pewresearch.org/files/journalism/State-of-the-News-Media-Report-2013-FINAL.pdf)
## References
1. [Ed Schultz, Television Academy bios](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ed-schultz)
2. [Ed Schultz: Bio, Minnesota Star Tribune (Neal Justin, September 4, 2011)](https://www.startribune.com/ed-schultz-bio/128937578)
3. [Former MSNBC host Ed Schultz is dead at 64, Los Angeles Times (July 5, 2018)](https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ed-schultz-obit-20180705-story.html)
4. [Ed Schultz, Discover the Networks](https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/ed-schultz/)
5. [Ed Schultz, Alegsa Online](https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/30025)
6. [Big talker, Columbia Journalism Review (March 1, 2013)](https://www.cjr.org/cover_story/ed_schultz_msnbc.php)
7. [MSNBC's Ed Schultz: A rare liberal success in broadcasting, Los Angeles Times (February 16, 2012)](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-feb-16-la-fi-schultz-20120217-story.html)
8. [The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio, Center for American Progress and Free Press (June 21, 2007)](https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/legacy-policy/talk_radio.pdf)
9. [Congressional Record — Senate, remarks of Senator Tom Harkin on talk radio](https://www.govinfo.gov/link/crec/151/S/12441)
10. [State of the News Media Report 2012, Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2017/05/State-of-the-News-Media-Report-2012-FINAL.pdf)
11. [How Ed Schultz transformed from MSNBC lefty to the American face of Moscow media, The Washington Post (December 20, 2016)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-ed-schultz-transformed-from-msnbc-lefty-to-the-american-face-of-moscow-media/2016/12/20/320713f4-c322-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html)
12. [RT America's Ed Schultz bashes CNN in fiery rant, Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/online/thats-a-bunch-of-bullsht-rt-americas-ed-schultz-bashes-cnn-in-fiery-rant/)
13. [State of the News Media Report 2013, Pew Research Center](https://assets.pewresearch.org/files/journalism/State-of-the-News-Media-Report-2013-FINAL.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcasters as people › Broadcast journalists and news presenters › American broadcast journalists and news presenters › MSNBC journalists and anchors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license