Laura Ingraham

Laura Anne Ingraham (born June 19, 1963) is an American radio talk show host, best-selling author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Courtside Entertainment. Ingraham is also the official guest host for Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor and a contributor for This Week on ABC News.

Early life and career

Ingraham grew up in a middle-class family in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where she was born to Anne Caroline (née Kozak) and James Frederick Ingraham III. Her maternal grandparents were Polish immigrants. She graduated from Glastonbury High School in 1981.

Ingraham earned a Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College in 1985 and a Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1991. As a Dartmouth undergraduate, she was a staff member of the independent conservative newspaper, The Dartmouth Review. In her senior year, she was the newspaper's editor-in-chief, its first female editor. She wrote several controversial articles during her tenure, notably an article alleging racist and unprofessional behavior by Dartmouth music professor Bill Cole, who later sued Ingraham for $2.4 million. The college paid his legal costs. The suit was settled in 1985.Jeffrey Hart, the faculty adviser for The Dartmouth Review described Ingraham as having "the most extreme anti-homosexual views imaginable", claiming "she went so far as to avoid a local eatery where she feared the waiters were homosexual." In 1997, she wrote an essay in the Washington Post in which she stated that she changed her views on homosexuality after witnessing "the dignity, fidelity and courage" with which her gay brother Curtis and his companion coped with AIDS. Ingraham has stated that she supports civil unions, but still believes that marriage "is between a man and a woman".

The Laura Ingraham Show

The Laura Ingraham Show is a three-hour American radio show hosted by conservative commentator Laura Ingraham. Ingraham's show has historically aired from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Eastern Time Zone (ET), adjusted seasonally for Daylight Saving Time, with delayed rebroadcast on various local terrestrial radio stations.

As of 2008 her show was one of the most popular radio shows. Her Web site features online polls, "Read It or Weep" articles of note handpicked by Laura from various Web sites and blogs, and audio clips available via podcasting.

The show covers primarily politics, pop culture, and media bias; with topics of interest including race relations, trends in schools, the Middle East and the legacy of feminism. The show features several recurring segments, each with a distinct satirical theme.

Ingraham's show, one of many to launch in 2001 as the conservative talk radio genre expanded in popularity, was originally aired on the now-defunct Westwood One. She joined Talk Radio Network in 2004. In June 2008, Ingraham temporarily left the air due to a contract dispute. A number of hosts filled in for her, primarily Tammy Bruce and Monica Crowley; Ingraham returned at the end of the month. Ingraham left TRN in November 2012 after her contract expired. The show returned on January 1, 2013 after Ingraham took ownership of her show. In addition to politics, Ingraham discusses pop culture. The new show is distributed through Courtside Entertainment Group, a company controlled by Norman Pattiz.