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Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. One or two of the players are cast in the role of news anchor, presenting gag news items based on current events and acting as host(s) for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests.

[edit] Weekend Update (1975–1980)

Chevy Chase (1975–1976)[link]

Weekend Update was created by original anchor Chevy Chase and SNL writer Herb Sargent,^{[citation needed]} and appeared on the first SNL broadcast on October 11, 1975. Chase popularized several catchphrases during the segment, such as his "I'm Chevy Chase... and you're not" greeting; and his repeated announcement that "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead". When Weekend Update began, Chase was consistently on the phone presumably talking to his lover, and would talk until realizing he was "on air." Chase would always end Weekend Update with "That's the news. Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow."

In addition, Garrett Morris parodied the practice of a picture insert of a person simultaneously giving the news read in sign language for the hearing impaired in "The News for the Hard of Hearing." Chase would sometimes repeat the top story at the end of the segment, while Morris simply cupped his mouth and shouted the headline loudly.

Jane Curtin (1976–1980)[link]

Jane Curtin substituted for Chase during Season 2 for a few shows due Chase's injury and replaced him when he left in 1976 and stayed as anchor until the end of Season 5 in 1980. Curtin finished Season 2 solo, but was then paired with co-anchors Dan Aykroyd (1977–1978) and Bill Murray (1978–1980), with Aykroyd being promoted to "Station Manager" in September 1978.

A frequent feature of Update during this time was "Point/Counterpoint", a send-up of the then-current 60 Minutes segment of the same name with James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander. SNL's version of "Point/Counterpoint" featured Curtin and Aykroyd making ad hominem attacks on each other's positions on a variety of topics. Aykroyd regularly began his reply with "Jane, you ignorant slut", which became another of the many SNL catch phrases (Curtin frequently began her reply with "Dan, you pompous ass").

Other popular running features were John Belushi giving editorials that usually ended with him working himself into a frenzy and stating "But Noooooo...." and Gilda Radner's character Emily Litella (later Roseanne Roseannadanna). During Curtin's tenure as host, she opened each Weekend Update segment with Roger Grimsby's "Here now the news" sign-on, and closed with Chase's "That's the news. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow".

1980–1985[link]

Charles Rocket (later teamed with Gail Matthius) anchored during the one-season (1980–1981) tenure of new executive producer Jean Doumanian. Rocket's final appearance was on the March 7, 1981 broadcast, hosted by Bill Murray, when Weekend Update received a one-time name and set change to SNL NewsLine. Rocket signed off each week by saying "Good night and watch out."

Following Rocket's firing from SNL, Chevy Chase made a guest appearance on April 11, 1981 (the final show of Season 6), and anchored Weekend Update, as he had on his previous appearances as host.

[edit] SNL Newsbreak (1981–1982)

The anchor position changed hands frequently under Dick Ebersol, executive producer of SNL from 1981 to 1985. Brian Doyle-Murray was teamed first with Mary Gross, then going solo for three months, then back with Mary Gross for one more month before finally being teamed with Christine Ebersole for the remainder of the season. Doyle-Murray signed off each week with "Goodnight, and good news."

[edit] Saturday Night News (1982–1985)

Brad Hall took over the desk of the retitled Saturday Night News in 1982 through most of the 1983 season. For the rest of the 1983–1984 season, and into the next, there were no regular anchors whatsoever – both cast members and SNL guest-hosts took turns at the chair (Hall himself left the show at the end of the 1983–1984 season). In December 1984, Christopher Guest became the new anchor.

[edit] The return of Weekend Update

Dennis Miller (1985–1991)[link]

In 1985, Lorne Michaels returned to produce the show, bringing the Weekend Update name with him. The new anchor was Dennis Miller, who remained in the chair for six years, the longest run for any one Weekend Update anchor. Miller opened the segments by saying "Good evening, and what can I tell ya?" and signed off by saying "That's the news, and I am outta here!" He would then scribble nonsense on his script, sometimes throwing it into the air. Miller left in 1991.

Kevin Nealon (1991–1994)[link]

Kevin Nealon took over with his "Mr. Subliminal" character and as the straightman in many highlights such as "Operaman" and "Cajun Man" (with both characters being played by Adam Sandler), and Chris Farley's "Bennett Brauer" character. Nealon had a three-year stint at the Update desk before requesting his departure, as he felt his time behind the desk was drawing away from other acting opportunities on the show. Nealon signed off with the tagline "I'm Kevin Nealon, and that's news to me".

Norm Macdonald (1994–1997)[link]

Norm Macdonald would take over the role for Season 20, harkening to the days of Chase and Curtin^{[citation needed]} by reading contrived news stories but acting as if he were a legitimate news anchor. Al Franken, whose history with SNL dated back to 1975, had been lobbying to replace Nealon as Weekend Update host – and left the show after losing the anchor spot.^[1] Macdonald would open each segment with "I'm Norm Macdonald, and now the fake news".

Running gags by Macdonald, who Chase called "the only other guy who did [the segment] funny",^[2] included punchlines involving Frank Stallone and Germans loving David Hasselhoff. In his last two seasons, he introduced another recurring gag where he would read a news story and then record a "note to self" on a tape recorder, regarding the story he had just read. One of the most frequent guest correspondents during Macdonald's run was Joe Blow (played by Colin Quinn), a blue-collar guy who would rant about things that bother him. He would often make Macdonald uncomfortable and always ask when they were "gonna go for a beer together", to which Macdonald would always end up blowing him off. His sign off was "that's the way it is."

Another common topic of Macdonald's jokes was O. J. Simpson after his arrest and trial for murder; one example was "A down-and-out O. J. Simpson...has decided to go back to doing what he does best: Killing people." SNL writer Jim Downey recalled that "we did, like three solid years of, like, 60 shows of O. J. jokes in a row." Macdonald made his final appearance as Weekend Update anchor in December 1997, after NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer—a longtime friend of Simpson, who had previously told Michaels to not let his friendship affect the show—demanded his dismissal from the segment, despite Michaels' protest that making the change in the middle of the season would be difficult for the show. Macdonald himself stated that he did not believe that the Simpson jokes were the cause for his firing, saying that he "wasn't crowd-pleasing enough."^[2]

Colin Quinn (1998–2000)[link]

Macdonald was replaced by Colin Quinn, who started on the first episode after Macdonald had been removed, and served through the 1999–2000 season. His very first edition of Weekend Update began with "Have you ever gone to a bar and found that your favorite bartender was replaced with a guy named Steve? -pause- Well I'm Steve, what can I get you?" His sign-off was "I'm Colin Quinn, that's my story and I'm sticking to it".

For the first half of the 1998–1999 season, Quinn would do a pre-desk monologue, where he would provide commentary and rant about the weeks biggest news stories. This feature was discontinued after the January 16, 1999 episode.

Quinn stepped down from Weekend Update after 1999–2000, when he left SNL at the end of the season. He anchored the segment for two and a half seasons.

Return to dual anchors[link]

Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey (2000–2004)[link]

Over the summer of 2000, cast members auditioned to be replacements. Among the candidates were stand-up comics Kevin Brennan and Jeffrey Ross, and two duos – Ana Gasteyer and Chris Parnell; and Jimmy Fallon and writer Tina Fey.^[3] The latter were chosen, and they made their first on-air appearance that October. Fallon ended each Weekend Update sketch by throwing his pencil at the camera and cheering if he managed to hit it. Fey often signed off with Chase & Curtin's "Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow".

Recurring features of the Fallon/Fey era included the "Update Door", a door on the left of the set where celebrities, as impersonated by SNL cast members (and at one time the Landshark), would walk through to do a commentary; a segment called "Terrible ReEnactments", in which Chris Kattan would do an intentionally bad re-enactment of a news story that had occurred during the week (usually the story involved a celebrity being injured); and regular appearances from Jeff Richards' Drunk Girl character.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler (2004–2006)[link]

Fallon left to pursue a film career in 2004, and was replaced by fellow cast member Amy Poehler as co-anchor, giving the sketch its first two-woman anchor team.

The 2005 season began with Poehler returning to her seat behind the desk. However, Fey temporarily left the show after giving birth to her first child and was replaced briefly by Horatio Sanz as co-anchor (Sanz wore horn-rimmed glasses during Fey's absence). Fey returned to the show in October for the season's third live episode.

The segment was also featured in the 2006 film Man of the Year starring Robin Williams who, in the film, appeared on Weekend Update along side Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.

Amy Poehler & Seth Meyers (2006–2008)[link]

After the departure of Fey, Amy Poehler continued as co-anchor along with new co-anchor Seth Meyers for the 2006–2007 season.^[4] The duo began a string of running gags, one of which was introduced during the 2006–2007 season, entitled "Really!?! with Seth and Amy", involved Seth and Amy lambasting celebrities (for example Alberto Gonzales, Larry Craig, Eliot Spitzer, Rod Blagojevich, or Michael Vick) for lack of common sense. Poehler left SNL in Fall 2008 to give birth to her first child.

During the 2007–2008 season, two previous hosts returned to the Update desk for one-off appearances – Chevy Chase, as "Senior Political Correspondent"; and Tina Fey, as "Special Women's News Correspondent". Women's News was a running segment during the Fey/Poehler era.^[5] Governor Sarah Palin also appeared on Weekend Update once during the 2008–2009 season, and ended the segment with the traditional "Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow" as Amy Poehler had left her seat to perform a 'Sarah Palin rap'.

Return to solo anchor[link]

Seth Meyers (2008–present)[link]

From October 25, 2008, onward, Meyers anchored the segment alone with Poehler still being credited, but not appearing. On December 6, 2008, Amy Poehler returned four weeks after the birth of her child to do Weekend Update with Meyers, but on the December 13, 2008, Weekend Update segment, Poehler announced to the audience that the show was her last one.

Since then, Meyers has continued anchoring Weekend Update solo. The "Really!?!" celebrity-mocking gag remained, retitled "Really!?! with Seth", and doing it with various hosts and guests such as Tracy Morgan and Jerry Seinfeld in March 2009 and Kermit the Frog in November 2011. In May 2010, Amy Poehler returned to do it once more, alongside Tina Fey as well.

A running gag of this era's season is Bobby Moynihan's portrayal of The Jersey Shore's Snooki. Moynihan displays a certain attraction to Meyers, who makes fun of the general attitude of the cast members of The Jersey Shore as well as Snooki's own personal attributes. A popular repeated segment on the show is the character "Stefon", the show's city correspondent, played by Bill Hader. Another popular guest on Weekend Update is New York Governor David Paterson, who is played by Fred Armisen. During the Weekend Update of the show's 36th season's premiere episode, the actual Governor Paterson made a guest appearance next to Armisen.

When Amy Poehler hosted the season premiere of the 36th season, she co-anchored the segment as she traditionally did before her departure.

On the December 17, 2011 episode, which was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, multiple former anchors returned for a "Weekend Update Joke-Off." Along with Seth Meyers, the anchors included Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey.

Seth Meyers signs off with "For Weekend Update, I'm Seth Meyers! Good Night!"

Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Amy Poehler would return to Weekend Update Thursday for at least two broadcasts as co-anchor in Fall 2009.^[6] For the third episode of Weekend Update Thursday, Seth Meyers anchored solo. After each episode, the anchor(s) throw to Parks and Recreation. Lorne Michaels had stated that there would be six more episodes of Update Thursday, however, the Spring 2010 episodes were scrapped.^{[citation needed]}

Poehler returned on the February 18, 2012 episode to co-anchor the show, and also hosted a short segment, alongside Meyers within Weekend Update entitled "Really? with Seth and Amy".

[edit] Weekend Update anchors

A total of 32 people have anchored the Weekend Update desk. Below is a complete list of any and all who have served as an anchor at one time or another, and the season(s) which they served. Note that throughout most of 1984, different cast members, special guests, or the weekly host handled the task. Those individuals (denoted in italics) are also listed below.

[edit] Weekend Update (1975–1981)

Season 1 (1975–1976)

• Chevy Chase (Last: October 30, 1976)

Season 2 (1976–1977)

• Chevy Chase (Last: October 30, 1976)
• Jane Curtin (First: September 25, 1976)
• Jane Curtin and Buck Henry (February 20, 1977)^[7]

Note that Chase began the season as anchor on September 18, but missed the next two episodes due to an injury sustained while performing a sketch in the season's first episode. He was replaced by Curtin during his absence. Chase returned to the show (and the Weekend Update desk) from October 16–30. Curtin permanently took over Weekend Update beginning November 13. Henry co-anchored with Curtin on the Mardi Gras special.

Season 3 (1977–1978)

• Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd

Seasons 4–5 (1978–1980)

• Jane Curtin and Bill Murray (Aykroyd is now "Station Manager")

Season 6 (1980–1981)

• Charles Rocket
• Charles Rocket and Gail Matthius (January 10 to February 21, 1981)
• SNL NewsLine with show host Bill Murray (March 7, 1981)
• Show host Chevy Chase (April 11, 1981)

[edit] SNL NewsBreak

Season 7 (1981–1982)

• Brian Doyle-Murray and Mary Gross (October 3–17, 1981)
• Brian Doyle-Murray (October 31, 1981 to February 6, 1982)
• Brian Doyle-Murray and Mary Gross (February 20 to March 20, 1982)
• Brian Doyle-Murray and Christine Ebersole (March 27 to May 22, 1982)

[edit] Saturday Night News

Season 8 (1982–1983)

• Brad Hall

Season 9 (1983–1984)

• Brad Hall (Last: January 21, 1984)
• Show host Don Rickles (January 28, 1984)
• Show host Robin Williams (February 11, 1984)
• Joe Piscopo (February 18, 1984)
• Special guest Edwin Newman (February 25, 1984)
• Show host Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (February 17, 1984)
• Show host Michael Douglas (April 7, 1984)
• Show host George McGovern (April 14, 1984)
• Show host Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (May 5, 1984)
• Special guest Edwin Newman (May 12, 1984)

Season 10 (1984–1985):

• Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (October 6, 1984)
• Show host Bob Uecker (October 13, 1984)
• Show host Jesse Jackson (October 20, 1984)
• Special guest Edwin Newman (November 3, 1984)
• Show host George Carlin (November 10, 1984)
• Show host Ed Asner (November 17, 1984)
• Christopher Guest (December 1, 1984 to April 13, 1985)

[edit] Weekend Update (1985–present)

Seasons 11–16 (1985–1991):

• Dennis Miller

Seasons 17–19 (1991–1994):

• Kevin Nealon

Seasons 20–22 (1994–1997):

• Norm Macdonald

Season 23 (1997–1998):

• Norm Macdonald (Last: December 13, 1997)
• Colin Quinn (First: January 10, 1998)

Seasons 24–25 (1998–2000):

• Colin Quinn

Seasons 26–29 (2000–2004):

• Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey

Season 30 (2004–2005):

• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

Season 31 (2005–2006)

• Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz (Last: October 8, 2005)

Note that Sanz filled in on a temporary basis while Fey was pregnant; the piece was still announced as "Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler" (Sanz wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, only during the Weekend Update sketches)

• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (First: October 22, 2005)

Seasons 32–33 (2006–2008)

• Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers

Season 34 (2008–2009)

• Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers (Last: December 13, 2008)
• Seth Meyers (First: October 25, 2008)

Seasons 35–37 (2009–present)

• Seth Meyers

See also[link]

• Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday
• Saturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend Update

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Saturday Night Live Website
• saturday-night-live.com – Weekend Update

Seth Meyers
Meyers at the Time 100 Gala, May 4, 2010.
Birth name	Seth Adam Meyers
Born	(1973-12-28) December 28, 1973 (age 38) Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	2001–present
Genres	Satire/political satire/news satire, improvisational comedy, sketch comedy
Subject(s)	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, mass media/news media
Notable works and roles	Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live

Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He currently serves as head writer for Saturday Night Live and hosts its news parody segment Weekend Update.

Early life[link]

Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois,^[1] the son of Hilary Claire (née Olson), a middle school French teacher, and Laurence Meyers, Jr.^[2][3] He attended Manchester High School West in Manchester, New Hampshire. He went on to graduate from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta. Meyers is the older brother of Josh Meyers, who was best known as a cast member of MADtv.

Career[link]

Before SNL, Meyers got his improv comedy start as a member of the Northwestern University improv sketch group Mee-Ow, created by Paul Warshauer and Josh Lazar. He continued his career at ImprovOlympic with the group Preponderate as well as overseas as a cast member of Boom Chicago, an English language improv troupe based in Amsterdam,^[4] where his brother was also a cast member.^[5]

Meyers appeared with Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem in the 2008 3D film Journey to the Center of the Earth. He also makes a cameo in the 2008 film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist as a drunk man who mistakes the main character's Yugo for a taxi. Meyers is currently writing and will star in a movie called Key Party. He also starred in the 2004 comedy See This Movie with John Cho.^[6][7] In July 2008, Meyers directed the web series The Line on Crackle.^[8] Meyers has hosted the Webby Awards twice, in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Meyers hosted the Microsoft Company Meeting at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA.^[9] Meyers hosted the 2010 and 2011 ESPY Awards on ESPN.^[10] In 2011, Seth Meyers was the keynote speaker at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on April 30; during his introductory remarks, he made a joke about Osama bin Laden's actions while in hiding,^[11] unaware that US intelligence had found bin Laden and he would be dead within hours.

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Meyers joined the SNL cast in 2001.^[5] In 2005, he was promoted to writing supervisor,^{[citation needed]} and in January 2006 he became co-head writer, sharing the role with Tina Fey and Andrew Steele.^[12] In 2004, he auditioned to co-anchor "Weekend Update" with Fey, but lost out to Amy Poehler.^[13] With Fey's departure, Meyers became head writer for the 2006–2007 season and also took on the role of Weekend Update co-anchor with Amy Poehler.^[14][15] Since Poehler left the show during the 2008–2009 season, Meyers has anchored solo. In fall 2009, Meyers co-anchored two episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday with Poehler.^{[citation needed]}

During the 2008 United States presidential election,^[16] while appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman, former SNL cast member Fey credited Meyers with writing the sketches involving Fey's impression of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

On SNL, Meyers has impersonated such figures as John Kerry,^[5] Michael Caine, Anderson Cooper, Carrot Top, Prince Charles, Ryan Seacrest, Sean Penn,^[5] Stone Phillips,^[5] Tobey Maguire, Peyton Manning, Ben Curtis (also known as the Dell Dude), Ty Pennington, Bill Cowher, Brian Williams, Nicollette Sheridan, Wade Robson, Donald Trump, Jr., Tom Cruise, and Kevin Federline. His recurring characters include Zach Ricky, host of the kids' hidden camera show "Pranksters"; Nerod, the receptionist in the recurring sketch "Appalachian Emergency Room"; David Zinger, a scientist who often insults his fellow workers; DJ Johnathan Feinstein, the DJ on the webcam show "Jarett's Room"; Dan Needler, half of a married couple "that should be divorced," (opposite Amy Poehler); William Fitzpatrick, from the Irish talk show "Top o' the Morning," and Boston Powers (one of the comedians in the "Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy" series). In the season 29 episode hosted by Lindsay Lohan, he did an impression of Ron Weasley in a parody of Harry Potter.

Meyers supported and picketed during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. When interviewed he said, "We all know how lucky we are to have the jobs we have. We're not asking for much. You have to change the rules because people are watching TV in a different way."^[17] Even so, he mentioned in interviews that he regretted missing much of the presidential election primary season.^[18][19]

Meyers is currently the longest tenured Saturday Night Live cast member, having been a member since Season 27.

Other pursuits[link]

Meyers won the third season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown and donated the $100,000 prize to the Boston-based Jimmy Fund.^[20][21] In 2008, Meyers donated over $4,000 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.^[22] Meyers and SNL castmate Bill Hader penned a Spider-Man one-shot entitled "The Short Halloween". It was illustrated by Kevin Maguire and came out May 29, 2009, to positive reviews. Meyers, along with Mike Shoemaker of SNL, created an animated half-hour series "The Awesomes" that was picked up by MTV and will be produced by Lorne Michaels's production company, Broadway Video.^[23] He was also a guest speaker at the 2011 White House Press Correspondents Dinner.

Personal life[link]

Meyers is an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, the Pittsburgh Steelers (his father being a Pittsburgh native), and West Ham United in the English Premier League.^[24][25] He is the older brother of actor Josh Meyers.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Seth Meyers

• Seth Meyers at the Internet Movie Database
• Seth Meyers on Twitter
• Seth Meyers on National Public Radio in 2008
• Official SNL cast biography
• Live from New York: It’s Sunday Afternoon! conversation with Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, and Kristen Wiig at The New Yorker Festival, October 2010

Ann Romney
Ann Romney after speaking at CPAC in 2011
First Lady of Massachusetts
In office January 3, 2003 – January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Chuck Hunt (acting)
Succeeded by	Diane Patrick
Personal details
Born	Ann Lois Davies (1949-04-16) April 16, 1949 (age 63)[1]
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mitt Romney (m. 1969) «start: (1969)»"Marriage: Mitt Romney to Ann Romney" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Ann_Romney)
Children	Tagg (b. 1970) Matt (b. 1971) Josh (b. 1975) Ben (b. 1978) Craig (b. 1981)
Residence	Belmont, Massachusetts Wolfeboro, New Hampshire La Jolla, San Diego, California
Alma mater	Brigham Young University (B.A.)
Occupation	Homemaker
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Ann Lois Romney (née Davies; born April 16, 1949) is the wife of American businessman and Republican Party politician Mitt Romney. From 2003 to 2007 she was First Lady of Massachusetts.

She was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and attended the private Kingswood School there, where she dated Mitt Romney. She converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966. She attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and married Mitt Romney in 1969. Ann Romney completed credits towards her undergraduate degree through Harvard Extension School, and in 1975 she received a Bachelor of Arts in French from BYU.

As First Lady of Massachusetts, she served as the governor's liaison for federal faith-based initiatives. She was involved in a number of children's charities, including Operation Kids, and was an active participant in her husband's 2008 presidential run, where she became the most visible of all the Republican candidates' wives in campaigning. She has continued campaigning on her husband's behalf during his 2012 presidential bid.

Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and has credited a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle mostly without limitations. In one of those activities, equestrianism, she has consequently received recognition in dressage as an adult amateur at the national level and competed professionally in Grand Prix as well. In 2008, she was also diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, a non-invasive type of breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy in December of the same year and has since been cancer-free.

She and husband Mitt have five children, all boys, born between 1970 and 1981.

Early life[link]

Born Ann Lois Davies,^[2] she was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,^[3] by parents Edward R. Davies and Lois Davies.^[4] Her father, originally from Caerau near Bridgend, Wales,^[5] was a self-made businessman who became president of Jered Industries, a maker of heavy machinery for marine use;^[4][6] he also was mayor of Bloomfield Hills.^[3] Raised in the Welsh Congregationalists, he had become strongly opposed to all organized religion,^[6] although on her request the family very occasionally attended church, and she nominally identified as an Episcopalian.^[7][8] At times she helped out at her father's plant.^[9]

Ann Davies knew of Mitt Romney since elementary school.^[8] She went to the private Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills,^[10] which was the sister school to the all-boys Cranbrook School that he attended.^[10] The two were re-introduced and began dating in March 1965;^[11] they informally agreed to marriage after his senior prom in June 1965.^[6][11]

While he was attending Stanford University for a year and then was away starting two-and-a-half years of Mormon missionary duty in France,^[11] she decided on her own^[3] to convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during 1966.^[6][12] In doing so she accepted the guidance of Mitt's father George Romney, the Governor of Michigan.^[6] (Within a year her two brothers followed her in converting.^[6]) She graduated from high school in 1967 and began attending Brigham Young University (BYU).^[3] She also spent a semester at the University of Grenoble in France during her freshman year.^[4] The Mormon missionary rules allowed her only two brief visits with Mitt and very rare telephone calls with him.^[13] While at BYU, she dated future business academic Kim S. Cameron.^[13][14] She sent Mitt a "Dear John letter", while Mitt sent letters back imploring her to wait for him.^[14]

Marriage and children[link]

Immediately after Romney's return from France in December 1968, the pair reconnected and agreed to get married as soon as possible.^[13] Ann Davies and Mitt Romney were married by a church elder in a civil ceremony on March 21, 1969, at her Bloomfield Hills home, with a reception afterward at a local country club.^[4][13] Among the 250 guests was U.S. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, and President Richard Nixon sent congratulations.^[15] The following day the couple flew to Utah for a wedding ceremony inside the Salt Lake Temple; her parents could not attend since they were non-Mormons, but were present at a subsequent wedding breakfast held for them across the street.^[4][16]

The couple's first son was born in 1970^[13] while both were undergraduates at BYU^[17] (which Mitt had transferred to based upon her request).^[14] After he graduated, the couple moved to Boston so that he could attend Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. Slowed down by parenthood, she later finished her undergraduate work by gaining a semester and half's worth of credits via taking night courses at Harvard University Extension School.^[17] Ann Romney received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in French language from BYU in 1975.^[1][18]

A stay-at-home mother,^[19] Romney raised the family's five boys (born between 1970 and 1981)^[13] and taught early morning seminary to them and other children^[19] while her husband pursued his career, first in business, then in politics.^[20] She wanted to go on for a master's degree, perhaps in art history, but first taking care of her children, and later her health issues, forestalled that.^[17] She was active in the local PTA and with the League of Women Voters.^[21] With a friend, she held local cooking classes.^[9]

Her first prolonged public exposure came during her husband's eventually losing effort in the 1994 U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts,^[19] during which she campaigned for him on a nightly basis.^[15] She was seen as superficial and too deferential to him^[19] and some columnists labelled her a "Stepford wife".^[22] Late in that campaign, she gave a long interview to The Boston Globe.^[15] Her statement in it that she and her husband had never had a serious argument during their married years^[15] came in for ridicule,^[23] and her portrayal of the couple's student years as financially impoverished, while they lived off of sales of George Romney's stock and loans, made her seem privileged and naïve and brought a harsh public reaction.^[24][25] Boston University political science professor later said, "She definitely hurt him in that race."^[19] Ann Romney later termed the experience "a real education".^[19]

Multiple sclerosis[link]

During 1997, Ann Romney began experiencing severe numbness, fatigue, and other symptoms,^[13] and just before Thanksgiving in 1998, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.^[17][20] Mitt Romney described watching her fail a series of neurological tests as the worst day of his life.^[13] He later said: "I couldn't operate without Ann. We're a partnership. We've always been a partnership so her being healthy and our being able to be together is essential."^[17] She initially experienced a period of severe difficulty with the disease,^[1] and later said: "I was very sick in 1998 when I was diagnosed. I was pretty desperate, pretty frightened and very, very sick. It was tough at the beginning, just to think, this is how I'm going to feel for the rest of my life."^[26]

Since then, she credits a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle mostly without limitations.^[1] She initially used corticosteroids, including intravenously, and credited them with helping stop the progression of the disease.^[26] She then dropped them and other medications due to counterproductive side effects.^[19] She has partaken of reflexology, acupuncture, and craniosacral therapy, and has said, "There is huge merit in both Eastern and Western medicine, and I've taken a little bit from both."^[26] She is a board member for the New England chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.^[18]

Equestrianism[link]

Romney is an avid equestrian, crediting her renewed involvement in it while in Park City, Utah, (where the couple had built a vacation home and where they lived when he was in charge of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games) for much of her recovery after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis^[20][27] and for her continued ability to deal with the disease.^[19] She has said that riding "saved my life", explaining that, "I was losing most of the function of my right side. And I decided I needed to go back and do what I loved before I couldn't do it anymore."^[28] At first she could barely stay on a horse without getting tired,^[29] but gradually the muscle control required for riding proved directly beneficial, and psychologically, "Riding exhilarated me; it gave me a joy and a purpose. When I was so fatigued that I couldn't move, the excitement of going to the barn and getting my foot in the stirrup would make me crawl out of bed."^[28] As a result, she said, "My desire to ride was, and is, so strong that I kept getting healthier and healthier."^[24]

She has received recognition in dressage as an adult amateur at the national level,^[19] including earning her 2006 Gold Medal^[30][28] and 2005 Silver Medal at the Grand Prix level from the United States Dressage Federation.^[18][28] She also sometimes competes in professional dressage events and has broken the 60% level at Grand Prix. Romney works with California trainer Jan Ebeling,^[31] who schools her and her horses in dressage and works with her importing new stock from Europe.^[29] The pair qualified for the Pan-Am games in 2004. The Romneys have helped fund Ebeling's attempt to qualify for equestrian competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[29] By 2011, the horses she owned and kept at Eberling's Moorpark, California, stables, which she is a partner in,^[28] were valued at more than $250,000.^[32]

Charitable work[link]

Ann Romney has been involved in a number of children's charities, including having been a director of the inner city-oriented Best Friends, which seeks to assist inner-city adolescent girls.^[22][9] She advocated a celibacy-based approach to the prevention of teen pregnancy.^[24] She worked extensively with the Ten Point Coalition in Boston and with other groups that promoted better safety and opportunities for urban youths.^[33]

She was an honorary board member of Families First, a parent education program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[34] She was a volunteer instructor of middle-school girls at the multicultural Mother Caroline Academy in Boston.^[22][9]

She has said her interest in helping underprivileged children dates back to when she and her five boys saw a vehicle carrying a group of boys to a Massachusetts Department of Youth Services detention center.^[35] She began volunteering for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay soon after that,^[35] and by 2002 was serving as one of that organization's board members.^[34] She was on the Faith in Action Committee for the United Way, working with local religious establishments to assist at-risk children^[22] and helping to found United Way Faith and Action.^[33] Earlier, by 1996, she was a member of the Massachusetts Advisory Board of Stand for Children.^[36]

During the 2002 Winter Olympics effort, she co-chaired the Olympic Aid charity, whichs provides athletic activities and programs for children in war-torn regions.^[34][24]

Ann Romney was given the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from Salt Lake City-based Operation Kids.^[37]

First Lady of Massachusetts[link]

Romney joined in her husband's campaign in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election from the start, and nominated him at the state party convention.^[25] A commercial entitled "Mitt and Ann", highlighting their romance and marriage, began the campaign's television advertising.^[22][24] She avoided media interviews like the one that plagued her in 1994, but was a force behind the scenes during the eventually successful campaign.^[22]

In January 2003, following his election, Romney became First Lady of Massachusetts, a position she held through January 2007. In that role, she generally kept a low public profile,^[38] with by her husband's initial indications no public role in administration or its policies.^[22] In 2006, The Boston Globe characterized her as "largely invisible" within the state (although by then she was becoming more visible outside the state, due to national appearances in connection with her husband's possible presidential campaign).^[38]

While Massachusetts First Lady, she was active in teenage pregnancy prevention efforts.^[39] In 2004, she said she was in favor of stem cell research as long as it was done "morally and ethically".^[26] One of her rare public appearances at the Massachusetts State House came in 2004 when she lobbied the legislature to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis.^[40]

In 2005, the governor appointed his wife as head of a new special office whose purpose was to help the state's faith-based groups gain more federal monies in association with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.^[35][41] This came after the state had seen its share of faith-based grants decline over the preceding three years.^[42] In this unpaid Governor's Liaison position,^[18][41] Ann Romney was termed a "dynamo" by Jim Towey, director of the White House office.^[42]

At the conclusion of her time as Massachusetts First Lady, Romney said that the role "doesn't need to change your life at all. I think it's an opportunity for service and an opportunity to see people of all walks of life from across the Commonwealth...It's an enriching part of your life [and one will] treasure it forever."^[43] Her health was still a primary factor in family decisions about her husband's career, and Mitt said in 2005 that if her multiple sclerosis flared up, "I wouldn't be involved in politics anymore; that would be over." ^[44]

Role in 2008 presidential campaign[link]

Ann Romney with her husband, at a campaign stop in Altoona, Iowa on December 29, 2007.

Ann Romney was an active participant in her husband's 2008 presidential campaign.^[45] One past issue that arose involving her was her donation of $150 to Planned Parenthood in 1994,^[46] though she now considers herself pro-life^[47]. By late 2007, she had become an integral part of his campaign, and was doing more trips and appearances on her own, despite the risk that added stress would aggravate her condition.^[48]

Her political message was often mixed with discussions of her family, her recipes, or managing her affliction.^[19][48] Romney's television advertisements in the early primary states prominently featured her^[49] and by the close of 2007, she was the most visible of all the Republican candidates' wives in campaigning.^[19] Regarding having to witness criticism of her husband, she later acknowledged that she sometimes wanted to "come out of my seat and clock somebody [but] you learn to just take a deep breath."^[50] By the time he ended his campaign in February 2008, she had become openly distasteful of the whole process.^[23]

Between campaigns[link]

In late 2008, Romney was diagnosed with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ, a non-invasive type of breast cancer, and had the lump removed via lumpectomy;^[51] she subsequently underwent radiation therapy.^[50] Her prognosis from this condition was excellent,^[51] and she later reflected that "I was really lucky" to have caught it so early.^[50] President-elect Barack Obama was among the well-wishers who called her.^[52] She has been cancer-free since.

In June 2009, due to her husband's request, Ann Romney became the first spouse to be included in the official Massachusetts State House gubernatorial portrait.^[53]

For many years the couple's primary residence was a house in Belmont, Massachusetts,^[18] but this and the Utah home were sold in 2009. They reside in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, along Lake Winnipesaukee, and at an oceanfront home in La Jolla, San Diego, California, that they had bought the year before.^[54][55][56] Both locations were near some of the Romneys' grandchildren,^[55] who by 2012 numbered sixteen,^[57] and the La Jolla location is near where she rides horses and is well-situated for her multiple sclerosis therapies and for recovering from her cancer treatments.^[51][55][58] They also bought a smaller condominium in Belmont during 2010.^[59]

Role in 2012 presidential campaign[link]

Regarding another possible run for office by her husband in the 2012 presidential election, Romney said in March 2010 that this time the process would hold no surprises, and that if he decided in favor of doing it, "I’m up to saying, go storm the castle, sweetie."^[60] Although still not liking the political process, which she referred to as "a very difficult game", she urged her husband to run again.^[23]

Once the campaign began, she stumped for her husband in early primary states and criticized the record and ideological direction of the Obama administration.^[61] As part of trying to lighten her husband's image, she sometimes participated in comic setup routines with him.^[62] Romney said that if she became First Lady of the United States, she would seek to work with at-risk youths and on behalf of those with multiple sclerosis.^[63][23] She expressed admiration for three former first ladies, Mamie Eisenhower, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush.^[23]

By December 2011, Romney assumed an even more prominent role in the campaign, as she tried to offer a more rounded and compelling portrait of her husband while he fell behind Newt Gingrich for a stretch in polls.^[23][64] Her emphasis on their 42 years of marriage and his steadfastness following the onset of her disease offered an implicit but clear contrast with Gingrich's own personal history.^[23][64] During the up-and-down campaign she became known as the "Mitt-stabilizer" due to the calming effect she had on her husband, and began appearing with him more often during February 2012 as he dueled with Rick Santorum.^[65] Regarding the couple's wealth, she alluded to her health problems and said, "Look, I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing, it can be here today and gone tomorrow. And how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones that I have and the people that I care about in my life."^[66]

In April 2012, Ann Romney was spotlighted when Democratic commentator Hilary Rosen declared Romney to be unfit to address women's economic issues because as a stay-at-home mother, she had "never worked a day in her life".^[67] In response, Ann Romney issued her first tweet, saying "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work."^[68] The following day Rosen said, "I apologize to Ann Romney and anyone else who was offended."^[67]

Awards and honors[link]

In 2005, Ann Romney received an honorary degree from Mount Ida College.^[69] In 2006, she received the MS Society Inspiration Award from the Central New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.^[70][12] In May 2008, she shared with her husband the Canterbury Medal from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, for "refus[ing] to compromise their principles and faith" during that year's presidential campaign.^[71]

See also[link]

• Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012

References[link]