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Stephanie Catherine Miller (born September 29, 1961) is an American
political commentator A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
, comedian, and host of ''
The Stephanie Miller Show ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu, comedic style. The three-hour show is hosted by Stephanie Miller and is syndica ...
'', a
Progressive talk radio Progressive talk radio is a talk radio format devoted to expressing Left-wing politics, left-leaning viewpoints of news and issues as opposed to conservative talk radio. In the United States, the format has included radio syndication, syndicated ...
program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and syndicated nationally by
Westwood One Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...
. In 2017, ''
Talkers Magazine ''Talkers Magazine'' is a trade-industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media". In addition to radio, it also covers talk shows on broadcast and cable television, a ...
'' ranked her the 23rd-most important radio talk show host in the U.S.2017 Talkers Heavy Hundred
''Talkers Magazine'', May 22, 2017
Miller has leveraged her talk show via various platforms including online, as well as via her ''Sexy Liberal Tour'' live comedy show.


Early life

Miller was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Stephanie (Wagner) (1923-2023), and former
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
William E. Miller (1914-83), who was
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
's running mate in the 1964 presidential election and a chairman of the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
.Hurley, Morgan
Radio "Talk Show Host Stephanie Miller: 'I Am A Gay Woman'"
'San Diego Gay & Lesbian News.Com'', August 16, 2010.
After her father left the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
when Miller was three years old, her family moved to her father's hometown of
Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York, United States. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census figures, and an estimated population of 20,305 as of 20 ...
. She is the youngest of four children; her two elder sisters, Libby and Mary, are almost 20 years her senior. She also has an older brother, William Jr. Her brother ran unsuccessfully for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from upstate New York, in 1992 and 1994. Miller's father died in 1983; her mother died in 2023
Stephanie Miller on Twitter
Miller's first efforts at comedy were in high school, performing in a sketch, "Torn Between Two Lovers," requiring a specially-sewn dress with panels that boys ripped open every time a chorus of the song was heard. Recalling the performance, Miller says, "I got my first laugh, and that was it. It's like a drug. It's always been my only drug."Michaelson, Judith -

, ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', July 12, 1998
After completing her secondary education in private
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
schools, graduating from DeSales High School in Lockport in 1979,Pergament, Alan
"Late Night In Fall Holds Promise As Miller Time"
''The Buffalo News'', June 28, 1995
Miller attended the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
, earning a degree in theatre.Netsky, Ron -
Left Laughing: Stephanie Miller Moves from Sister Sleaze to Progressive Radio Queen
, ''Rochester City Newspaper'', December 27, 2006
Her original plan after college "was to be
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer. Burnett has played dramatic and comedic roles on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Carol Burnett, nu ...
". On September 29, 2015, Burnett called Miller on her radio show to wish her happy birthday. On the phone, Miller told Burnett she always wanted to be her, "but it didn't work out. She made me cry when she said I shouldn't be Carol Burnett because there's only one Stephanie Miller and nobody does what I do. I was bawling."McGaughy, Emily
Stephanie Miller on her Sexy Liberal tour and the advice she took from Chely Wright
''AfterEllen'', February 9, 2016


Stand-up comedy

Miller's first job after graduation from college was at the
Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for ...
, the legendary Hollywood
comedy club A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisati ...
, working for club owner
Jamie Masada Jamie Masada (; born in Pahlavi Iran) is a Persian American businessman and comedian. He is the founder of the Laugh Factory, a chain of comedy clubs in several states. Early years Masada is a Persian Jewish immigrant from Iran who had arrive ...
, answering phones, putting names on the marquee, cocktail waitressing,Smith, Bryan
"From Her Los Feliz Basement, Stephanie Miller Is Rallying Millions Against Trump"
''LA Weekly'', June 20, 2017
and other tasks, while also performing stand-up at the club. When Miller moved back to upstate New York a few years later, she worked at Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club in Buffalo, living in a $125 per month apartment over a pizza parlor near the club. While working in radio in the 1980s and 1990s, she also performed at many comedy clubs around New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.Stephanie Miller's Popular Progressive Voice Returns to Radio With Nation's Fastest Growing Radio Format
PR Newswire. September 7, 2004
She appeared twice on ''A & E's An Evening at the Improv'', on the A&E TV Network, on August 5, 1988, and March 3, 1989. She was also the first comedian to perform when the Chicago Improv club opened. In addition, she performed a one-woman
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
show while living in New York City in the early 1990s.Puig, Claudia -
Next for Stephanie Miller: The Queen of All Media?
, ''Los Angeles Times'', January 3, 1995
Miller also performed at the
Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for ...
when she moved back to Los Angeles from New York City in 2003.Ryon, Ruth
''Hot Property Column''
''Los Angeles Times'', March 9, 2003
Miller says she has a talk with her late father every time she is about to face an audience.


Acting roles

Miller initially set out to be an actress, and for many years had hoped to star in her own sitcom, and also expressed interest in doing film. Early in her career, she had several small acting jobs, such as appearing as a nun in the 1984 TV movie ''Shattered Vows'', and a brief appearance as a nurse on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
''. After gaining prominence as a radio and TV host she had roles where she essentially played herself, as in the movie '' View from the Top'', and an episode of the TV series '' Diagnosis: Murder''. Miller's most significant acting role was in the 1997 comedy film '' Just Write''. During the late 1990s she also explored doing a television sitcom with producer Barry Kemp, who cast her in a pilot for ABC.Pergament, Alan - "New Shows, Bigger Laughs for WNY's Stephanie Miller"
''The Buffalo News'', July 22, 1998


Radio and television career


Early radio career

Miller did not plan a career in radio. In her words, "I always say radio was an accident until they started paying me a lot of money and then it wasn't an accident anymore." She began her radio career after her father's death in 1983, when she returned to Lockport from California. Her first radio experience was delivering humorous bits on Sandy Beach's morning show on Hot 104 WNYS in Buffalo, New York, which included doing impressions of
Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
. She then took an on-air job at radio station
WLVL WLVL (1340 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Lockport (city), New York, Lockport, New York, United States, the station serves the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area. The station is owned by ...
in Lockport, where she went from evenings to afternoon drive to mornings in three months. She then sent a tape to Brother Wease (Alan Levin), the morning drive host at WCMF in
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
. Levin "hired her as soon as I heard her tape," and in 1985 she went to WCMF to work as "Sister Sleaze" on the '' Brother Wease'' show. Speaking about Miller, Levin has been very complimentary, noting "She's very manic, very bright, very funny and creative." While working with Miller, in reply to friends asking Levin "how come you give that girl so much mike?" he responded: "Because she's phenomenal. Don't try and compete; let people fly. I let her fly, and we had a ball." After Rochester, Miller progressed to larger markets, as morning co-host at radio station WCKG in Chicago with John Howell from early 1988 to October 1989, and as morning co-host with Howard Hoffman at Hot 97
WQHT WQHT (97.1 FM broadcasting, FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge ...
in New York City for three years until 1993. In 1993, Miller headed back to Los Angeles to develop a sitcom for
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
that never materialized. Instead, in 1994 she began her talk radio career when was hired by talk station KFI in Los Angeles, initially for her own weekend show which quickly became a weeknight radio show where Miller achieved high ratings.Alafi, Shireen
"Hear Her Purr, Hear Her Roar"
''Radio Guide Magazine'' Vol. 3, No 1
During the show, as she had on her earlier stations in Rochester and New York City, Miller would sometimes call her mother (also named Stephanie) in upstate New York on the phone, and her mother would also co-host when she came to visit in-person. Miller's mother would later do the same on her radio show at KABC. On her show on KFI, Miller began to incorporate political talk. "It was the first time I had done talk radio, and I was like, 'Oh, you mean just me talk, with no music?'" she recalls. "I was like, blah, blah, blah. Oh, I still have 10 minutes left. That's when I guess I started to get political, and I started to realize more of my liberal leanings." She states that her turning point in terms of being outspoken about politics came in August 1992, when she heard
Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan ( ; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative author, political commentator, and politician. He was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He ...
's gay-bashing "culture wars" speech at the Republican Convention. "It was just so mean. It changed everything for me."


Television talk show

In the autumn of 1995, Miller became one of the few women to host her own
late night television Late-night television is one of the dayparts in television broadcast programming. It follows prime time and precedes the overnight television show graveyard slot. The slot generally runs from about 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with variat ...
talk show, ''The Stephanie Miller Show'', syndicated by Buena Vista Television. Unlike other late night television talk shows, the show had no band, no desk, a studio audience with nightclub-style seating instead of theatre-style seating, conversations with the audience via video phone, and pre-taped sketches starring Miller as real-life characters. Anne Beatts, formerly a writer on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', was executive producer and a writer for the show. Beatts enjoyed working on the show with Miller, and liked the immediacy of a daily talk show. However, the show was canceled in December 1995 after only 13 weeks.
Danny Bonaduce Dante Daniel Bonaduce (; born August 13, 1959) is an American retired radio personality, actor, television personality and professional wrestler. Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce ('' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' ...
filled in for Miller the last week the show was on the air. Reflecting on the experience a few years later for an article in ''
The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...
'', Miller said, "I think 13 weeks is a pretty tough shot for any unknown in late night. I felt like my dad must have felt in the 1964 campaign: 'I have no shot in hell, but I'll just give it a try." Comedian and voice actor
Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor. His voice acting roles include the original voice of Spyro from '' Spyro the Dragon'', the Taco Bell chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials, Rocko on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', D ...
, who later worked with Miller on her KABC radio show, and is a regular guest on her radio program (''Coffee with Carlos''), was part of the ''Irregular Regulars'' sketch comedy group on Miller's television show.


Return to radio

Stating that "After a year in the Federal Talk Show Relocation Program, I decided to come home to radio," Miller returned to Los Angeles radio in June 1997, first doing afternoons at KTZN ("The Zone") and then moving to evenings at KABC. It was during this period that she first began working with Chris Lavoie, who would later be her long-time executive producer on her syndicated radio show, which began in 2004. Impressionist Jim Ward, who is on Miller's radio show, also was with her on KABC, along with Carlos Alazraqui. The show was syndicated in September 1998 on approximately 20 stations. KABC canceled Miller's show in March 2000.Michaelson, Judith
"KABC-AM Is Dropping the Stephanie Miller Show"
''Los Angeles Times'', March 2000
The show continued in syndication on other stations for another week, but was then canceled completely. According to Miller, the firing from KABC was for the "somewhat racy content of my show" and for being "too liberal."


TV hosting

Along with her radio show, Miller began co-hosting in 1997 the
CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
television show ''
Equal Time The equal-time rule ( 47 U.S. Code § 315 - Candidates for public office) specifies that American radio and television broadcast stations must provide equivalent access to competing political candidates. This means, for example, that if a statio ...
'' as the liberal counterpoint to conservative
Bay Buchanan Angela Marie "Bay" Buchanan (born December 23, 1948) is a conservative political commentator who served as Treasurer of the United States under President Ronald Reagan.Buchanan would only talk to her when the camera was on. Miller left the show in 1998 to become the original host and a writer for a year on the Fox Family channel program ''Show Me the Funny.''Ryon, Ruth -
Radio Host Selling Malibu Home - She Needs Land, Not Sand
, ''Los Angeles Times'', October 28, 1999
In February 2000, shortly before her departure from KABC, Miller began hosting the Oxygen Channel's revival of the game show '' I've Got a Secret''. After her radio show on the ABC Radio Today network ended, Miller moved back to the New York City area and worked for the Oxygen Channel. She hosted its revival of '' I've Got a Secret'', which ran for 120 episodes until 2001. Miller and May Lee also co-hosted Oxygen's 30-minute, weekday TV magazine show, ''Pure Oxygen,'' from 2000 to 2002. Lee said she and Miller "made a pretty good team - illeras the funny, goofy half; me as the serious, sophisticated other half. We worked well together and understood our respective roles on the show."


TV and radio hosting: 2003 and later

After leaving Oxygen, Miller returned to Los Angeles in 2003, and shopped a pilot that she co-produced, which she described as a cross between ''
The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harv ...
'' and ''
Politically Incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
''. The pilot was not picked up. From 2004 to 2005, Miller also served as a frequent panelist on the
PAX TV Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American terrestrial television, broadcast television network and Free ad-supported streaming television, FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scri ...
game show '' Balderdash'', which was hosted by Miller's friend
Elayne Boosler Elayne Boosler (born August 18, 1952) is an American comedian, writer, and actress. She was one of the few women working in stand-up comedy in the 1970s and 80s, and she broke ground by adopting an Observational comedy, observational style that ...
. In 2004, Miller was initially offered the original morning show at Air America, but the offer was withdrawn, and the slot was taken by ''
Morning Sedition ''Morning Sedition'' was an American three-hour radio program that premiered April 1, 2004 and ran until December 16, 2005. It was hosted by comedian Marc Maron and New York radio veteran Mark Riley. Prior to June 2004, the show was also host ...
'', with
Marc Maron Marc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and appeared more than forty times ...
, Mark Riley, and Sue Ellicott. In 2006, CNN discussed with Miller the possibility of a television show; however, the show was never developed.


The Stephanie Miller Show

On September 7, 2004, ''
The Stephanie Miller Show ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu, comedic style. The three-hour show is hosted by Stephanie Miller and is syndica ...
'' was launched by Democracy Radio and WYD Media Management. Miller's show's audience has grown to approximately 6 million weekly listeners (2017). She was ranked second in Los Angeles right behind '' The Rush Limbaugh Show''. In 2017, ''Talkers Magazine'' ranked her the 23rd most important radio talk show host in America. The 2014 Talkers Heavy Hundred list ranked Stephanie Miller as the 22nd most important radio talk show host as well as the No. 3 radio talk host in the LGBT category in the United States market. In 2011, Miller won the ''Talkers Magazine'' Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Talk Radio by a Woman. Since 2010, TV and video simulcasts of ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' have been broadcast through numerous outlets, including
Ustream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to the IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest office ...
(2010–2013),
Current TV Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a small ...
(2012–2013), Free Speech TV (2014–present), and Twitch.


''Goldwater/Miller '08 Presidential Campaign''

In 2007, Miller launched a spoof Presidential campaign with CC Goldwater, the granddaughter of
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
. Miller's father ran with Barry Goldwater as vice president in 1964. The 2008 campaign was dubbed ''Goldwater/Miller '08...ex-Republican girls gone wild!'' Commenting on the campaign, Miller stated, "We are the ticket of low expectations and morals and are damn proud of it, too." During the campaign, it was noted that with over $345 cash on hand, Goldwater wanted to buy some media time in the 4:00-4:15 am time slot in Kern County, California.


''Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour''

Starting with the first show on April 23, 2011, in Madison, Wisconsin, Miller's live ''Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour'' has periodically toured the country to sold-out houses and very high acclaim. After
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
became president, the tour was renamed the ''Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour''. The cast includes Miller, John Fugelsang, and the comedy duo
Frangela Frangela is a Los Angeles-based comedy duo composed of comedians Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton, both of The Second City. Callier and Shelton regularly appeared on the VH1 weekly comedy news review ''Best Week Ever'', the NPR radio show ...
, for an evening of liberal humor and commentary. The shows also have special guests. The comedy album, ''Stephanie Miller's Sexy Liberal Tour, Vol. 1'', was released in December 2011. It became the first album to reach No. 1 on the comedy charts for
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
,
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
, and ''Billboard''. On the day of its release, it was the No. 2 most downloaded album on Amazon and remained on the ''Billboard'' Comedy Album charts for 6 weeks. A DVD of the November 2016 pre-election show in Los Angeles is also available. In September 2012, Current TV broadcast a behind-the-scenes documentary about the ''Sexy Liberal Tour'', including the origins of the ''Sexy Liberal Tour'' and never-before-seen footage and commentary from Miller and her then tour co-hosts John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, and Aisha Tyler, as they toured the country."Current TV Orders Stephanie Miller Documentary Special"
''Broadway World'', July 31, 2012
The idea for the ''Sexy Liberal Tour'' originated in-studio during a live radio broadcast with Miller and John Fugelsang in 2011. The goal was to do a concert in Madison, Wisconsin to raise money for the recall of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Tickets went on sale two weeks prior to the show date and were sold out within four days. On July 24, 2016, during a performance of the ''Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour'' in Philadelphia in conjunction with the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the maj ...
, Miller fell off the stage at the
Walnut Street Theatre Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1808 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by Walnut Str ...
, falling into the orchestra pit. John Fugelsang jumped into the orchestra pit after Miller to check on her. Civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred who was at the show, also came to her aid. Fugelsang and Frangela finished up the performance without her. Miller missed the next day's radio show, but was back on the air on Tuesday July 26. In early 2024, the project announced Save The World Comedy Tour shows with veterans Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks and Frangela.


''Stephanie Miller's Happy Hour'' podcast

On September 12, 2014, Miller began ''Stephanie Miller's Happy Hour'' podcast, released weekly via paid subscription. This uncensored show of original content features many of the regulars and guests from her radio show, and other celebrities and comedians, typically consuming alcohol (as with any other
happy hour Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to ...
) while they chat. Video versions of the ''Happy Hour'' are also available. The concept was suggested by Travis Bone, one of Miller's producers, who thought listeners might like to hear and see what it's like to be at a party at Stephanie's house. It also debuted on the ''Billboard'' charts on February 18, 2015, at No. 2, and was dubbed by ''Billboard'' as its "Hot Shot Debut". ''The Best of Stephanie Miller's Happy Hour, Volume 2'', released in November 2015, repeated the feat.


''Sexy Liberal! Of Me I Sing'' book release

In 2016, Miller released ''Sexy Liberal! Of Me I Sing'', a combination of memoir and political humor. It was initially released as an
ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...
where it immediately became No. 1 on Amazon in political, humor, and memoirs, and later was released in paperback.


Personal life

Miller lives in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles with her rescue dogs, Bonnie and Clyde. She has never been married and has no children, and often jokingly refers to herself as "a childless loser". In the 1990s, she had celebrity dates with parody songwriter
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
and Barry Williams of Greg Brady fame. While she had been open about her sexuality with family and friends for many years, in 2010 in the midst of the furor over gay marriage and
Proposition 8 Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage. It passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned by the ...
in California, she decided to publicly announce that she is a lesbian. On her August 13, 2010, radio show, Miller said, "I've reached my personal tipping point to say I am a gay woman." She then movingly shared details about her private life and personal journey in deciding to publicly disclose that she is gay. Miller credited country singer
Chely Wright Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American Activism, activist, author, and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the numb ...
with helping her in
coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
. Commenting in an interview with the '' San Diego Gay and Lesbian News'' on her decision, Miller said, "I realized that I can't authentically talk to y listenersabout these issues anymore without walking in my truth. I can't just stand on the sidelines as an unbiased observer." After Miller came out as gay, she recorded a video for the
It Gets Better Project It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, m ...
, whose mission is to communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth that it gets better. In the video she discussed how she had lost 15 years of closeness with her family because she mistakenly thought they wouldn't accept her as gay. The day after Miller came out, at a town hall in Seattle, Washington, a 16-year-old girl and her family came up to Miller "and they were all crying. They thanked me and told me I had given their daughter the courage to come out today. We all hugged and cried. And I told the young girl that it's going to be okay now; you're going to have a good life." Miller has been public about having plastic surgery, stating "As it turns out, you ''can'' fool Mother Nature!! She's not that bright." Miller's plastic surgery includes a short-scar lift, a forehead lift, under-eye peels, a permanent nose job, and lip and eye lining.''Culture, Power and History: Studies in Critical Sociology''
edited by Stephen J. Plohl; 2005; p. 32; quoting from January 2002 ''Harper's Bazaar'' Article, "Forever Young: Some Women Will Stop at Nothing to Ward Off - and Reverse the Signs of Aging", by Nancy Miller, p. 44


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Stephanie 1961 births 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American women American alternative journalists American game show hosts American infotainers American lesbian actresses American LGBTQ broadcasters American LGBTQ comedians American LGBTQ journalists American LGBTQ rights activists American political commentators American stand-up comedians American talk radio hosts American television talk show hosts American women comedians American women radio hosts Comedians from Washington, D.C. Lesbian comedians Living people Progressive talk radio Radio personalities from Washington, D.C. USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni