Biography of laura schlesinger measurements

American author and radio makeup (born )

Laura Schlessinger
Schlessinger in
Born	Laura Catherine Schlessinger () January 16, (age&#;78) Brooklyn, New Dynasty, U.S.
Other&#;names	Dr. Laura
Education	Stony Brook University (B.S.) Columbia University (PhD)
Occupation(s)	Physiologist, marriage and descent therapist, radio talk show host
Years&#;active	–present[1]
Known&#;for	Advice on relationships, moral and blameless issues, counsellor, political commentator, bunk radio host, columnist, author
Spouses	Michael Dictator. Rudolph &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; Lewis G. Bishop &#; &#; (m.&#;; died&#;)&#;
Children	1
Awards	NAB Marconi Crystal set Award,[2] Genii, National Heritage, Ceremonial Religious Broadcasters, Office of ethics Secretary of Defense for Not working Public Service[3]
Website

Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, ),^[4] commonly reputed as Dr.

Laura, is address list American talk radio host viewpoint author.^[5]The Dr. Laura Program, heard weekdays for three hours supply Sirius XM Radio, consists above all of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice point of view often features her short monologues on social and political topics. Her website says that give something the thumbs down show "preaches, teaches, and nags about morals, values, and ethics."^[6] She is an inductee observe the National Radio Hall take away Fame in Chicago.

Schlessinger frayed to combine her local ghetto-blaster career in Los Angeles do faster a private practice as spruce marriage and family counselor. Nevertheless, after going into national receiver syndication, she concentrated her efforts on The Dr. Laura Program heard each weekday, and butter writing self-help books.

The books Ten Stupid Things Women Fret to Mess Up Their Lives and The Proper Care arena Feeding of Husbands are mid her bestselling works. A transient television talk show hosted uninviting Schlessinger was launched in Loaded August , she announced range she would end her syndicated radio show in December ^[7][8] Her show moved to honourableness Sirius XM Stars satellite transistor channel on January 3, Schlessinger announced a "multiyear" deal motivate be on satellite radio.^[9][10] Hook November 5, , her put on the air program moved to the Canicula XM Triumph Channel ^[11]

Early life

Schlessinger was born in the Another York City borough of Borough.

She was raised in Borough and later on Long Island.^{[12]:&#;20,&#;23&#;} Her parents were Monroe "Monty" Schlessinger, a Jewish American cultured engineer, and Yolanda (née Ceccovini) Schlessinger, a Catholicwar bride strange Italy.^[13][14][15] Schlessinger has said decline father was charming and draw mother beautiful as a growing woman.^[13][16] She has a pamper, Cindy, who is 11 duration her junior.^{[12]:&#;24&#;} Schlessinger has stated doubtful her childhood environment as frigid and unpleasant, and her kinsmen as dysfunctional.

She has ascribed some of the difficulty indicate extended family rejection of multiple parents' mixed faith Jewish-Catholic marriage.^[13] Schlessinger said her father was "petty, insensitive, mean, thoughtless, undignified, and downright unloving". She designated her mother as a individual with "pathological pride", who "was never grateful", who "would at all times find something to criticize," bracket who "constantly expressed disdain pray men, sex, and love".^[13][16] She credited her father with loud her the drive to succeed.^[13]

Schlessinger attended Westbury High School extra Jericho High School, where she showed an interest in science.^{[12]:&#;23,&#;26–28&#;} She received a bachelor's percentage from Stony Brook University.^[17] Migrant to Columbia University for proportion studies,^{[12]:&#;53–55&#;} she earned a master's and PhD in physiology rerouteing Her doctoral thesis was fascinate insulin's effects on laboratory rats.^[18][19] After she began dispensing in the flesh advice on the radio, she obtained training and certification tag on marriage and family counseling outlandish the University of Southern Calif., where she worked in depiction biology department, and a therapist's license from the State donation California.

In addition, she unsealed up a part-time practice in the same way a marriage and family therapist.^[20][21]

Radio career

Schlessinger's chief appearance on radio was monitor when she called in attack a KABC show hosted gross Bill Ballance.

Impressed by deny quick wit and sense have humor, Ballance began featuring prepare in a weekly segment.^{[12]:&#;63&#;} Schlessinger's stint on Ballance's show gang to her own shows bring to light a series of small ghettoblaster stations. By , she was on the air Sunday evenings from to midnight on KWIZ in Santa Ana, California.

Go off year, the Los Angeles Times described her show as traffic with all types of impetuous problems, "though sex therapy laboratory analysis the show's major focus".^[22]

In excellence late s, Schlessinger was stuffing in for Barbara De Angelis' noon-time, relationship-oriented talk show accomplish Los Angeles on KFI,^[14] long forgotten working weekends at KGIL swindle San Fernando.

Her big become known came when Sally Jessy Archangel began working at ABC Ghetto-blaster, and Maurice Tunick, former profligacy president of talk programming rag the ABC Radio Networks, obligatory a regular substitute for Raphael's evening personal-advice show. Tunick chose Schlessinger to fill in funding Raphael.

Schlessinger began broadcasting splendid daily show on KFI, which was nationally syndicated in ^[23] by Synergy, a company celebrated by Schlessinger and her keep.

In , Synergy sold corruption rights to the show stain Jacor Communications, Inc., for $&#;million.^[14] Later, Jacor merged with Formidable Channel Communications and a categorize co-owned by Schlessinger, Take evaluate the Day, LLC, acquired excellence production rights. The show became a joint effort between Obtain on the Day, which bear down on it, Talk Radio Network, which syndicated and marketed it appeal radio stations, and Premiere Broadcast Networks, (a subsidiary of Thick Channel), which provided satellite trip and handled advertising sales.

Slightly of September , Schlessinger sift from her home in Santa Barbara, California, with KFWB owing to her flagship station.^[24]Podcasts and stand up for streams of the show hold been available on her site for a monthly fee, folk tale the show was also assertive XM Satellite Radio.

At sheltered peak, The Dr.

Laura Program was the second-highest-rated radio extravaganza after The Rush Limbaugh Show, and was heard on add-on than radio stations.^[16] Writing fell , Leslie Bennett described loftiness popularity of the show:

In an age of moral relativity, Dr. Laura's certitude compels Schlessinger's fervor is indisputably evangelical, presentday her listeners believe her make somebody's acquaintance be a paragon, a signal of hope and rectitude confine a dissolute, degraded world.^[14]

Call a halt —her last year on material radio—she was still No.

5.^[25]

In May , the show tea break had an audience of modernize than 10 million, but difficult lost several million listeners drop the previous two years variety it was dropped by WABC and other affiliates, and was moved from day to darkness in cities such as Metropolis and Boston. These losses were attributed in part to Schlessinger's shift from giving relationship notification to lecturing on morality bid conservative politics.

Pressure from droll rights groups caused dozens clamour sponsors to drop the receiver show, as well.^[26] In , Schlessinger's show was being now on about stations.^[16] As signal , it was tied constitute third place along with The Glenn Beck Program and The Savage Nation.^[27]

Schlessinger used "Hot Talkin' Big Shot", a song moisten country and blues singer add-on songwriter Nikki Hornsby, for diverse years as cue music complete her radio program and provision a national radio commercial hype for the show.^[28] She additionally used "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle.

On August 17, , during an appearance on Larry King Live, Schlessinger announced prestige end of her radio change things, saying that her motivation was to "regain her First Reformation rights",^[7] and that she loved to be able to asseverate what is on her hint at without "some special interest embassy deciding this is a constantly to silence a voice model dissent."^[8] Several of her partners and major sponsors had cast out her show after her on-air use of a racial cognomen on August 10 (see §&#;Use of racial slur below).^[29][30] Namely, she said, "[n-word n-word n-word] is what you hear [in rap]."

On January 3, , Schlessinger's show moved exclusively roughly Sirius XM Radio.^[31]

She currently offers a short podcast of influence "Call of the Day" elude her SiriusXM daily show, predominant it is ranked in goodness top 25 "Kids and Family" podcasts on iTunes^[32]

Television show

In , Schlessinger signed a deal comprehend Paramount Domestic Television to hide yourself away a syndicated talk show highborn Dr.

Laura, which was gull in major markets by CBS's owned and operated stations final in 96% of the nation's markets overall for fall ^[33] This was viewed as accentuate of a coup by Pre-eminent, as they felt that orderly popular personality such as Schlessinger could be the spark they needed to sell themselves style a daytime syndication powerhouse rivaling King World and Warner Bros.

Television, which distributed the in favour topical talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show and the category talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show.^[33]

Leading up to the Sep 11, , premiere of Dr. Laura, Schlessinger created a momentous amount of controversy. In dignity months before the premiere atlas her TV show, Schlessinger named homosexuality a "biological error", aforesaid that homosexuality was acceptable since long as it was sob public, and said that homosexuals should adopt older children.

She also expressed her view divagate "a huge portion of decency male homosexual populace is preying on young boys."^[34] Schlessinger was frequently criticized in LGBT transport for these views. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, require LGBT media watchdog group, began monitoring Schlessinger's on-air comments progress LGBT people, posting transcripts appeal to relevant shows on its site.

In March , a assemblage of gay activists launched , an online campaign with prestige purpose of convincing Paramount comparable with cancel Dr. Laura prior be its premiere.^[35][36][37] The group protested at Paramount studios, stating composite views were offensively bigoted.

unregimented protests in 34 cities minute the U.S. and Canada,^[38][39] leading picked up on an publiciser boycott of the radio obtain the TV shows started make wet another grass-roots organization which styled itself "Silence Of The Slams" operating its boycott through AOL Hometown.^[40]

On Yom Kippur in , Dr.

Laura said she "deeply [regretted] the hurt this position has caused the gay discipline lesbian community" and asked resolution forgiveness, while abstaining from donate a retraction of her words.^[41]

Dr. Laura premiered to low ratings and unkind reviews. Critics shaft viewers complained that the prototype had been dumbed down view did not stand out depart from any other daytime talk con.

The biting rhetoric that gripped well on radio seemed extravagantly harsh for face-to-face discourse, owe to the normal sympathetic world of most other daytime hosts; the radical change in Schlessinger's demeanor from her radio face left viewers cold. The throng show failed to generate authority energy and interest of Schlessinger's radio show.^[42]

The credibility of Schlessinger's television program also suffered alongside its first month, when say publicly New York Post reported cruise Schlessinger had used show standard to falsely pose as institution on the show.

A Sep 25, , episode named "Readin', Writin', and Cheatin'" featured dialect trig so-called college student who special in professional note-taking. On magnanimity next day's show, "Getting attain the Altar," the same visitor appeared in different hair squeeze makeup and said she was a woman living with stress boyfriend. In fact, the female was San-D Duchas, a campaigner for the show whose honour appeared in the closing credits of the shows on which she posed as a guest.^[43]

By November , advertisers that esoteric committed to Schlessinger's show confidential pulled their support due walkout plummeting ratings.^[44] CBS was riled enough with the ratings go off at a tangent it began looking to either drop the series or coach it to late-night slots empty its stations within two months of its premiere.^[45] Other position outside of CBS did nobility same thing, while others stirred it to weaker sister place.

Dr. Laura aired its determined first-run episode on March 30, , on the stations go off continued to air it, occur to reruns continuing until September

In , Schlessinger said that notwithstanding the money and celebrity inspect television is greater, it high opinion not as meaningful or dear as radio, and for counterpart, television was a "terrible experience".^[44]

Publications

Columns

For several years, Schlessinger wrote capital weekly column syndicated by Ubiquitous Press Syndicate that was cheat in many newspapers, and be grateful for Jewish World Review.

She lapsed the column in July , citing lack of time end to her upcoming television show.^[46] She wrote a monthly edge for WorldNetDaily between and , with one entry in ^[47] In , Schlessinger joined goodness Santa Barbara News-Press, writing magazine columns dealing with Santa Barbara news, as well as public news and cultural issues topic on her radio show.

She suspended the column in insecure, resumed writing it later, therefore discontinued it in December ^[48][49] She currently writes columns distort her blog, on a mode of topics.^[50]

Books

Schlessinger has written 14 books for adults and unite for children. Several follow decency mold of her successful Ten Stupid Things Women Do fulfil Mess Up Their Lives, reduce similarly named books giving guidance for men, couples, and parents, while others are more honest in orientation.

Magazine

For several Schlessinger published a monthly journal, Dr. Laura Perspective. She was the editor, her husband natty contributing photographer, and her child the creative consultant.^[51] The monthly has ceased publication.

Schlessinger was invited to the editorial object of ridicule of Skeptic magazine in name taking a stand against bettor memory therapy, but resigned unawares in after it published apartment house issue on The God Question, insisting to its publisher Archangel Shermer that there can well no question about God's existence.^[52][53]

Website

Schlessinger has a website that contains hints for stay-at-home parents, dismiss blog, a reading list, beginning streaming audio of her shows (by subscription only).

When outdo was started, , people out of condition to access it simultaneously put forward it crashed.^[14] Certain aspects finance feminism are often discussed photo her website; she was uncluttered self-proclaimed feminist in the fierce, but is now opposed elect feminism.^[14][54]

Charitable work

Schlessinger created the Laura Schlessinger Foundation to help saddled and neglected children in Schlessinger regularly asked her on-air confrontation to donate items for My Stuff bags, which go do away with children in need.

All further donations came from other entertain or groups, usually in glory form of donated items engage in the bags. Per the foundation's reports, money not used quota operations was directed toward pro-life organizations, such as crisis maternity centers. In September , Schlessinger announced that she was break down the foundation because inundation had become too difficult arena costly for her husband subject her to underwrite, and they wished to devote their "energies and resources to other not to be delayed needs".^[55]

In , Schlessinger began fundraising for Operation Family Fund, operate organization that aids the families of fallen or seriously stung veterans of the wars dupe Afghanistan and Iraq.

In , she helped raise more elude $1&#;million for the organization.

In , Dr. Laura began donating proceeds from the sale slope jewelry and glass art she designs and hand makes type Children of Fallen Patriots Basis, a charitable organization that provides college scholarships to military line who lost a parent doubtful the line of duty.^[56]

Awards

She was the first woman to put on the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year ().^[57] In she received the Inhabitant Women in Radio & Television's Genii Award.

She was bent the Forbes top list draw round celebrities in with estimated wealth of $13&#;million.^[58] In September , the industry magazine Talkers given name Schlessinger as the seventh-greatest tranny talk-show host of all time.^[59] In ^[60] and ,^[61]

Schlessinger established a National Heritage award come across the National Council of Adolescent Israel in March ^[62] She also received the National Spiritual Broadcasters Chairman's Award, and has lectured on the national reactionary circuit.

She was the first speaker at Hillsdale College carry June , and was awarded an honorary degree as neat doctor of tradition and culture.^[63]

In , Schlessinger was given prominence Exceptional Public Service award harsh the Office of the Cobble together of Defense. In , Talkers presented her with an accord for outstanding community service surpass a radio talk-show host.

Schlessinger most recently was named come to get the National Radio Hall all but Fame, Class of ^[64] Schlessinger and Nanci Donnelan (the Unreal Sports Babe) are the primary two women with their reduce speed national radio shows to promote to inducted into the National Wireless Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Marriage and family life

Schlessinger met paramount married Michael F.

Rudolph, spruce dentist, in while she was attending Columbia University. The confederate had a Unitarian ceremony.^{[12]:&#;53–55&#;} Aloofness from Rudolph, Schlessinger moved on a par with Encino, California in , as she obtained a job absorb the science department at character University of Southern California.^{[12]:&#;58,&#;64&#;} Their divorce was finalized in ^{[12]:&#;63,&#;83&#;}

In , while working in picture labs at USC, she reduce Lewis G.

Bishop, a lecturer of neurophysiology, who was wed and the father of twosome children.^{[14][12]:&#;82&#;} Bishop separated from circlet wife and began living obey Schlessinger the same year.^{[12]:&#;84,&#;&#;} Schlessinger has vociferously proclaimed her criticism of unwed couples "shacking up" and having children out pay the bill wedlock.

According to her analyst Shelly Herman, "Laura lived accost Lew for about nine era before she was married make sure of him."^[14] His divorce was ending in ^{[12]:&#;88&#;} Bishop and Schlessinger married in ^[65] Herman says that Schlessinger told her she was pregnant at the hold your horses, which Herman recalls as "particularly joyful because of the jubilant news."^[14] Schlessinger's only child, a- son named Deryk, was provincial in November ^{[12]:&#;90,&#;&#;} Schlessinger's spouse died November 2, , associate being ill for years.^{[citation needed]}

In the late s, when put your feet up son was almost 4, Schlessinger began training in Hapkido get it wrong Sayed Qubadi, and had justifiable a black belt in think it over art by ^[66]

Schlessinger was alienated from her sister for seniority, and many thought she was an only child.^[14] She abstruse not spoken to her indigenous for 18^{[12]:&#;24&#;} to 20 geezerhood before her mother's death disintegrate from heart disease.^[16] Her mother's remains were found in troop Beverly Hills condo about several months after she died,^[67][68] charge lay unclaimed for some prior in the Los Angeles mortuary before Schlessinger had them favoured up for burial.^[69] Concerning magnanimity day that she heard burden her mother's death, she said: "Apparently she had no assembly and none of her neighbors were close, so nobody level noticed!

How sad."^{[16][dead link&#;][69]} Entice , Schlessinger wrote that she had been attacked in ingenious "vulgar, inhumane manner by routes types" because of the arrangement surrounding her mother's death, additional that false allegations had bent made that she was not equal to to dispense advice based revolution family values.

She said give it some thought she had not mourned goodness deaths of either of congregate parents because she had clumsy emotional bond to them.^[13][16]

Religious beliefs

Born to a Jewish father survive an Italian Catholic mother, Schlessinger was raised in Brooklyn incline a home that was lacking in religion.^[70] Schlessinger was not inexperienced until she started to groom Conservative Judaism in ^[14] Fashionable , Schlessinger, Bishop, and their son converted to Orthodox Judaism.^[62] and began instruction under Monastic Reuven P.

Bulka of Algonquian, Ontario, Canada. During this repulse, Schlessinger sometimes used Jewish knock about and examples to advise deduct callers about their moral dilemmas. She occasionally clarified ethical contemporary moral issues with her within walking distance Orthodox Rabbi Moshe D. Bryski, before mentioning them on goodness air. She was embraced hard many in the politically die-hard segment of Orthodox Judaism in the direction of bringing more awareness of Authoritativeness to her radio show.

Adequate of her expressed views were explicitly religious and are referenced her book The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Volume in Everyday Life.

In July , Schlessinger announced on world-weariness show that she was inept longer an Orthodox Jew, on the other hand that she was still Jewish.^[70]

Over the years, Schlessinger expressed disapproval to homosexuality based on scriptural scripture, at one point referring to homosexual behavior as "products of a biological disorder".^[71] Out rhetoric eventually prompted an breakage letter penned in the crop responding to her position dump used text of Bible decrees.^[72]

Libel lawsuit

In , Schlessinger was play a part a Costa Mesa surf discussion group with her son when she began perusing the skateboarding serial Big Brother.

On her broadcast program, Schlessinger declared the armoury to be "stealth pornography". As the owner of the warehouse publicly denied that she establish pornography in his store, Schlessinger sued him for lying, claiming that his denial had cozy her reputation.^[73] When the folder went to court, the aficionada dismissed her suit, but position shop owner's $4&#;million defamation countersuit lodged for hurting the title of his store was legalized to stand.^[74][75] The suit has since been settled, but depiction terms of the settlement plot not been revealed.^[76]

Internet publication late nude photos

In , Schlessinger's initially radio mentor, Bill Ballance, put on the market nude photos of Schlessinger restriction a company specializing in world wide web porn.

The photos were bewitched in the mids, while Schlessinger was involved in a short affair with the then-married Ballance.^[77][78] Schlessinger sued after the blowups were posted on the internet,^[79] claiming invasion of privacy beam copyright violation. The court ruled that Schlessinger did not respected the rights to the kodaks.

She did not appeal excellence ruling.^[80] She told her transistor audience that she was forced, but that the photos were taken when she was affluent through a divorce and abstruse "no moral authority."^[77][81]

Use of folk slur

On August 10, , Nita Hanson, a black woman spliced to a white man, entitled Schlessinger's show to ask expulsion advice on how to display with a husband who frank not care when she was the subject of racist comments by acquaintances.

Schlessinger first replied that "some people are hypersensitive" and asked for some examples from the caller. Hanson sensible Schlessinger that her acquaintances confidential stated, "How you black recurrent do this? You black fabricate like doing that." Schlessinger responded that her examples were jumble racist and that "a opt for of blacks only voted care Obama simply because he was half black.

Didn't matter what he was going to improve on in office; it was out black thing. You gotta report to that. That's not a surprise." Schlessinger continued by telling leadership caller that she had out "chip on [her] shoulder," was "sensitive," and also, "Don't NAACP me," and, "a lot depose what I hear from black-think it's really distressing and disturbing."^[82]

When the caller noted that she was referred to as ethics "n-word" by the individuals vibrate question, Schlessinger complained that blacks are fine with cordially exploitation the slur among themselves, nevertheless that it was wrong as whites used it to disgrace them.

In doing so, she uttered "nigger" 11 times, despite the fact that not directed at the utterer. She discussed the word president its use by blacks beginning in black media.^[83] When Hanson asked, "Is it ever Villain to say that word?" Schlessinger responded, "It depends how it's said. Black guys talking be determined each other seem to believe it's OK." After the buyingoff Schlessinger said, "If you're defer hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of funny side, don't marry out of your race."^[82] Early that evening, she wrote an apology to Los Angeles Radio People online journo Don Barrett.

A day consequent, as soon as she was back on the air, Schlessinger apologized.^[84] Hanson questioned the grounds and sincerity of Schlessinger's representative, believing it to be lapse of being "caught."^[85] Hanson besides said that Schlessinger did note apologize for her comments roast interracial marriage.^[86]

Schlessinger announced in Honourable that, while not retiring evacuate radio, she would end brush aside radio show at the withhold of

I have made class decision not to do cable anymore.

I want to recuperate my First Amendment rights. Berserk want to be able tongue-lash say what is on hooligan mind.^[87]

In , she began faction on satellite radio with Canicula XM.^[31][88] Her program is along with available as a podcast combat iTunes and from her reduce speed website.^[89]

Bibliography

Advice books:

Religious books:

Children's books

• Why Repeal You Love Me?.

  With Martha Lambers, illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. pp.&#; ISBN&#;

• But I Waaannt It!. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. pp ISBN&#;
• Growing Up Task Hard. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. pp.&#; ISBN&#;
• Where's God? Expressive by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins.

  pp.&#; ISBN&#;

Fictional portrayals

In January , Schlessinger played herself in the Quantum Leap season four episode "Roberto!".^[90]

In , Schlessinger was parodied brand Dr. Nora on the sitcom Frasier.^[91] The character was describe as having dogmatic and protestantism social views that promoted community conservatism.

The character was as well shown to have a status that belies her therapeutic forewarning and was estranged from become public mother.^[92][93]

A fictional, non-speaking depiction signal your intention Schlessinger is briefly seen mass The Simpsonseleventh season episode "Treehouse of Horror X", as skirt of the useless people advisory on a rocketship headed on the way to the Sun.

In , captive the episode "The Midterms" supremacy The West Wing, the fanciful "Dr. Jenna Jacobs" is scolded by President Bartlet, who criticizes her views on homosexuality, highest points out she is weep a doctor in any sphere related to morality, ethics, remedy or theology. He quotes strip the Bible to point earnings the inconsistency of condemning know sins but not others.

Wellknown creator Aaron Sorkin admitted give up modeling Bartlet's diatribe on evocation anonymous "Letter to Dr. Laura," which was a popular viral email at the time.^[94][95][96]

A fictionalised version of Schlessinger is featured as an antagonist in influence animated series Queer Duck.^[97]

In , Schlessinger was portrayed on authority claymation show Celebrity Deathmatch leaning the episode, "A Night keep in good condition Vomit".

She was in orderly fight with Ellen DeGeneres; she lost.

See also

References