Arianna Huffington | |
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| Αριάδνη Στασινοπούλου | |
 Huffington at the 2011Tribeca Film Festival | |
| Born | Ariadnē-Anna Stassinopoúlou (1950-07-15)July 15, 1950 (age 75) Athens, Greece |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Girton College, Cambridge (BA) |
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| Political party | Democratic (2004–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (née Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou;Greek:Αριάδνη-Άννα Στασινοπούλου,pronounced[ariˈaðniˈanastasinoˈpulu]; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek and American author,syndicated columnist and businesswoman.
She is a co-founder ofHuffPost, the founder and CEO ofThrive Global,[1] and the author of fifteen books.[2] She has been named inTime magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people[3] and theForbes Most Powerful Women list.[4] Huffington serves on numerous boards, includingOnex and Global Citizen.
Two of her books have been dogged by allegations ofplagiarism, for one of which she paid another author an out-of-court settlement. Her last two books,Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder andThe Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time, both became international bestsellers.[5]
Huffington, the former wife of Republican congressmanMichael Huffington, co-foundedThe Huffington Post, which was later acquired byBuzzFeed.[6] She was a popularconservative commentator in the mid-1990s, after which, in the late 1990s, she offeredliberal points of view in public, while remaining involved in business endeavors.[7] In 2003, she ran as anindependent candidate forgovernor in theCalifornia recall election and lost.[8] In 2009, Huffington was No. 12 inForbes first-ever list of the Most Influential Women In Media.[9] She has also moved up to No. 42 inThe Guardian's Top 100 in Media List.[10] As of 2014, she was listed byForbes as the 52nd Most Powerful Woman in the World.[11] She had moved to 77nd as of 2018 and dropped off the list as of 2019.
In 2011,AOL acquiredThe Huffington Post for US$315 million and made Huffington the president andeditor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which includedThe Huffington Post and then-existing AOL properties includingAOL Music,Engadget,Patch Media, and StyleList.[12]
She stepped down from her role atThe Huffington Post in August 2016 to focus on a new start-up,Thrive Global, a behavior-change technology company with the mission of improving productivity and health outcomes.[13]
Huffington was born Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou (Αριάδνη-Άννα Στασινοπούλου) inAthens, Greece,[4] in 1950,[14] the daughter of Konstantinos (a journalist and management consultant) and Elli (née Georgiadi) Stasinopoulou, and is the sister of Agapi (an author, speaker, and performer).[15] She moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 16 and studiedeconomics atGirton College, Cambridge, where she was the first foreign, and third female,[16]president of theCambridge Union.[17] She studied abroad in India, and told IANS in an email interview "India has long held a special place in my heart, from the time I went to study comparative religion atVisva-Bharati University."[18]
In 1971, Huffington appeared in an edition ofFace the Music along withBernard Levin. A relationship developed, of which she wrote, after his death: "He wasn't just the big love of my life, he was a mentor as a writer and a role model as a thinker."[19] Huffington began writing books in the 1970s, with editorial help from Levin.[20][21] The two traveled to music festivals around the world for theBBC. They spent summers patronizing three-star restaurants in France. At the age of 30, she remained deeply in love with him but longed to have children; Levin never wanted to marry or have children.
From March to April 1980, Huffington joinedBob Langley as the co-host ofBBC1's late-night talk and entertainment showSaturday Night at the Mill, appearing in just five editions before being dropped from the program.[22]
In 1973, Arianna (as Stasinopoúlou) wrote a book titledThe Female Woman, attacking the Women's Liberation movement in general andGermaine Greer's 1970The Female Eunuch in particular. In the book she wrote, "Women's Lib claims that the achievement of total liberation would transform the lives of all women for the better; the truth is that it would transform only the lives of women with strong lesbian tendencies."[23]
In the late 1980s, Huffington wrote several articles forNational Review. In 1981, she wrote a biography ofMaria Callas,Maria Callas – The Woman Behind the Legend, and in 1989, a biography ofPablo Picasso,Picasso: Creator and Destroyer.[24]
Huffington rose to the national U.S. prominence during the unsuccessful Senate bid in 1994 by her then husband, Michael Huffington, aRepublican. She became known as a reliable supporter of conservative causes such asNewt Gingrich's "Republican Revolution" andBob Dole's 1996candidacy for president. She teamed up withliberalcomedianAl Franken as the conservative half of "Strange Bedfellows"[25] duringComedy Central's coverage of the 1996 U.S. presidential election. For her work, she and the writing team ofPolitically Incorrect were nominated for a 1997Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program.[26]
As late as 1998, Huffington still aligned herself with the Republican Party. During that year, she did a weekly radio show in Los Angeles calledLeft, Right & Center, that "match[ed] her, the so-called 'right-winger', against self-described centrist policy wonkMatt Miller, and veteran 'leftist' journalistRobert Scheer."[16][27] In an April 1998 profile inThe New Yorker,Margaret Talbot wrote, "Most recently, she has cast herself as a kind of Republican Spice Girl – an endearingly ditzy right wing gal-about-town who is a guilty pleasure for people who know better." Huffington described herself by side-stepping the traditional party divide, saying "the right–left divisions are so outdated now. For me, the primary division is between people who are aware of what I call 'the two nations' (rich and poor), and those who are not."[16]
Huffington, of Greek background, opposed theNATO intervention inSerbia during theYugoslav Wars[28] and in 2000, she co-convened the "Shadow Conventions",[29] which appeared at theRepublican National Convention inPhiladelphia and theDemocratic National Convention inLos Angeles atPatriotic Hall.[30]
Huffington headedThe Detroit Project, a public interest grouplobbying automakers to start producing cars running onalternative fuels. The project's 2003 TV ads, which equated drivingsport utility vehicles to fundingterrorism, proved to be particularly controversial, with some stations refusing to run them.[31]
In a 2004 appearance onThe Daily Show withJon Stewart, she announced her endorsement ofJohn Kerry by saying, "When your house is burning down, you don't worry about the remodeling."[32] Huffington was a panel speaker during the 2005 California Democratic Party State Convention, held in Los Angeles. She also spoke at the 2004College Democrats of America Convention in Boston, which was held in conjunction with the2004 Democratic National Convention. She was also a regular panelist on the nationally syndicated weekend radio program,Both Sides Now with Huffington & Matalin,[33] hosted byMark Green.
Huffington serves on the board of directors of theBerggruen Institute,[34] theCenter for Public Integrity,[35]Uber,[36] andOnex Corporation.[37]
She is also a One Young World Counsellor, speaking to delegates at summits inJohannesburg,South Africa, in 2013 andDublin,Ireland, in 2014. She spoke about her "third metric" for success and the value of youth leadership.[38]
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On May 22, 2016, she gave the commencement address[39] and received anhonorary degree fromColby College in Waterville, Maine.[40] Also in 2016, she was named toOprah Winfrey'sSuperSoul100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.[41]
Huffington has authored 15 books in her career. She faced 37 rejections before securing a publishing contract for her second book. Huffington also wrote the foreword for Marina Khidekel's book 'Your Time to Thrive,' published in 2021.[42][43]
In 2005, Huffington foundedThe Huffington Post (now known asHuffPost) with Andrew Breitbart,Kenneth Lerer, andJonah Peretti.[44][45] It was launched on May 9, 2005, as a commentary outlet, blog, and an alternative to news aggregators such as theDrudge Report. The site historically published work from both paid staff writers and reporters and unpaid bloggers.[46] In February 2011,AOL acquiredThe Huffington Post for US$315 million, making Huffington editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.[47] In 2012,The Huffington Post became the first commercially run United States digital media enterprise to win aPulitzer Prize.[48] In 2016, Huffington leftThe Huffington Post.[49]
In 2016 Huffington stepped down from her positions at AOL andHuffington Post to launch her new enterprise, Thrive Global, which claims to offer "science-based solutions" to end stress and burnout.[50]
Huffington was anindependent candidate in the2003 California gubernatorial recall election of California GovernorGray Davis. She described her candidacy against frontrunnerArnold Schwarzenegger as "thehybrid versus theHummer", making reference to her ownership of a hybrid vehicle, theToyota Prius, and Schwarzenegger's Hummer. The two would proceed to have a high-profile clash during the election'sdebate.[56]
She dropped out of the race on September 30, 2003, and endorsed Governor Gray Davis' campaign to vote against the recall. Polls showed that only about 2 percent of California voters planned to vote for her at the time of her withdrawal.[57] In the announcement of her withdrawal, Huffington stated,
"It has become clear to me that the only way to stop a Republican takeover of our state is to vote No on the recall. Because it's also clear that I am not going to win on October 7, I am withdrawing from the race so that I can devote all my time and energy in the remaining week to defeating the recall – and to defeating the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Pete Wilson forces that are trying to use the recall to hijack our state."[58]
Though she failed to stop the recall, Huffington's name remained on the ballot and sheplaced 5th, capturing 47,505 votes – less than 1% of the vote.
Huffington was a panelist on the weeklyBBC Radio 4 political discussion programmeAny Questions?, and the BBC television panel gamesCall My Bluff andFace the Music.[59] She served as co-host of BBC's late-night chat showSaturday Night at the Mill for four weeks before viewer complaints caused her to be dropped from the show.[60]Huffington at one point was the co-host of the weekly, nationally syndicatedpublic radio programBoth Sides Now, along withMary Matalin, former top aide to theGeorge W. Bush administration. Every week onBoth Sides Now, Huffington and Matalin discussed the nation's relevant political issues, offering both sides of every issue to listeners.Both Sides Now was hosted by formerAir America Radio president andHuffPost bloggerMark Green.[33]
Prior toThe Huffington Post, Huffington hosted a website called AriannaOnline.com. Her first foray onto the internet was a website called Resignation.com, which called for the resignation of PresidentBill Clinton and was a rallying place for conservatives opposing Clinton. About Clinton resigning, she wrote, "Only some act of sacrifice can begin to restore the image of the President that we are left with from theStarr report – a man of staggeringnarcissism and self-indulgence, whom nobody dared gainsay, investing his energies first in gratifying his sexual greeds and then in using his staff, his friends, and the Secret Service to cover up the truth."[61]
In November 2008, Huffington joined the cast ofSeth MacFarlane's animated seriesThe Cleveland Show, where she lent her voice to the wife ofTim the Bear, also namedArianna.[62]
Huffington was spoofed by actressTracey Ullman in herShowtime comedy seriesTracey Ullman's State of the Union. Huffington spoke glowingly of the impersonation.[23]
Huffington was further impersonated by actressesMichaela Watkins andNasim Pedrad onSaturday Night Live.[63]
She appeared as herself in the May 10, 2010, episode of theCBS sitcomHow I Met Your Mother.
Huffington participated in the 24th annual "Distinguished Speaker Series" at theUniversity at Buffalo, New York, on September 16, 2010. She headlined a debate against radio co-host Mary Matalin on current world events, political issues, and the local Buffalo economy. The University at Buffalo "Distinguished Speaker Series" has featured a multitude of world-renowned politicians and celebrities such asTony Blair,Bill Nye,Jon Stewart, andthe Dalai Lama.[64]
Huffington offered to provide as many buses as necessary to transport those who wanted to go to Jon Stewart'sRally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30, 2010, fromThe Huffington Post headquarters in New York City.[65] Ultimately, she paid for 150 buses to ferry almost 10,000 people fromCiti Field in Queens toRFK Stadium in DC.
Huffington played herself in theFamily Guy episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller" along withDana Gould andBill Maher in alive segment ofReal Time with Bill Maher.
In 2012, Huffington became aLinkedIn influencer, writing about success and sharing professional insights.[66]
Huffington was accused ofplagiarism for copying material for her bookMaria Callas (1981); the claims were settled out of court in 1981, with Callas' biographer Gerald Fitzgerald being paid "in the low five figures."[67][68][69]
Huffington has had a lifelong interest in spirituality; in her youth, together with Bernard Levin, she explored theRajneesh movement, later datingErhard Seminars Training founderWerner Erhard and going on to become affiliated withJohn-Roger Hinkins'Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.[23][70] In 1994, she published a self-help book titledThe Fourth Instinct, outlining her view that people should rise above the three basic instincts of survival, power, and sex to find their higher and better selves.[71]
Huffington was named to the 2011 Time 100 as a media mogul.[72] Huffington was selected for the inaugural 2021Forbes 50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50.[73]
Huffington is Greek by birth[71] and became anaturalized American citizen in 1990.[74] She met her husbandMichael Huffington in 1985.[75] They were married a year later, on April 12, 1986,[76] and have two daughters.[77]
The couple later moved toSanta Barbara, California, and, in 1992, Michael ran as a Republican for a seat in theU.S. House of Representatives, winning the election by a significant margin. In 1994, henarrowly lost the race for theU.S. Senate seat in California to incumbentDianne Feinstein.[78]
The couple divorced in 1997.[79] In 1998, Michael Huffington disclosed that he wasbisexual, saying, "I know now that my sexuality is part of who I am, I've been through a long process of finding out the truth about me."[80][81] He stated, "In December 1985, in my Houston townhouse I sat down with [Arianna] and told her that I had dated women and men so that she would be aware of it... The good news was that it was not an issue for her."[23]
Huffington has residences in New York City and theBrentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.[82][83][84]
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