A Moderated Conversation with Acclaimed Journalist Alex Wagner
Acclaimed journalist and author Alex Wagner – known as the host of MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight – brings a savvy balance of political and cultural insight to engaging moderated conversations. Ranging from key issues in politics and the future of American democracy, to voting rights, to her acclaimed memoir Futureface about identity and immigration, Wagner offers an insightful, thought-provoking, and humorous perspective that makes a major impact with audiences.
Speaker Spotlight: Acclaimed journalist Alex Wagner inspires curiosity and connection
When critically acclaimed journalist and author ALEX WAGNER joined the HWA team for a virtual visit, we were blown away by the breadth of experience as well as the humor she brings to every moderated conversation. Now the host of MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight, Wagner delivers compelling storytelling and field reporting about the central issues facing Americans today. But previously, she has served as co-host and Executive Producer for Showtime’s Emmy-winning docuseries The Circus, hosted numerous heavy-hitting political podcasts, and wrote an acclaimed memoir Futureface: A Family Mystery, An Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging, which Barack Obama called “A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are… and the values and ideals that bind us together as Americans.”
In her writing and reporting, as she does in her riveting speaking engagements, Wagner exudes an inspiring curiosity for who we are – as citizens and communities – and what unites us in the challenges we face and overcome. She shared her fascinating journey from covering music and culture as the editor-in-chief of The Fader magazine, to serving as the executive director of Not on Our Watch, a grant-making and advocacy non-profit created to stop mass atrocities. No matter the subject at hand, Wagner is passionate about what she calls her ‘work’ – creating opportunities for a multiplicity of stories about what it means to be American and advocating for underrepresented voices.
Alex Wagner is the host of Alex Wagner Tonight, which airs Tuesday to Friday at 9pm on MSNBC. Prior to this, she was a co-host and executive producer of The Circus, Showtime’s Emmy-nominated weekly documentary series chronicling American politics. She was a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and is the author of Futureface, a critically-acclaimed memoir about identity and immigration.
Wagner is a former special correspondent with CBS News and co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday. Prior to this, she was the host of the Emmy-nominated NOW with Alex Wagner on MSNBC. She was a reporter with the Huffington Post, where she covered innovation and the American economy, and also served as the White House Correspondent for AOL’s Politics Daily.
Wagner has hosted several podcasts, including Crooked Media’s Six Feet Apart, a limited-run series about the pandemic, as well as Podcast for America, Slate’s weekly political podcast, which she co-hosted with journalists Mark Leibovich and Annie Lowrey.
Earlier, Wagner was the executive director of Not on Our Watch, a grant-making and advocacy non-profit created to stop mass atrocities. Before that, she spent four years as the editor-in-chief of The Fader magazine, covering music and culture around the world.
Wagner attended Brown University and lives in New York City with her family.