Al Franken

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Lore & Background

Franken was born in New York City to Joseph Philip Franken, a printing salesman, and Phoebe Geraldine Franken (née Kunst), a real estate agent. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Germany; his maternal grandfather came from Grodno, Russian Empire; and his maternal grandmother's parents were also from the Russian Empire. Both of his parents were Jews, and Franken was raised in a Reform Jewish home and attended Temple Israel in Minneapolis. The Frankens moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota, when Al was four years old. The family then moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Franken graduated from The Blake School in 1969, where he was a member of the wrestling team. He attended Harvard College, where he majored in political science, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. As a student, Franken wrote comedy and idolized comedians Dick Gregory and Lenny Bruce because they did acts about hypocrisy and corruption while making the audience laugh. Franken and Tom Davis were recruited as two of the original writers and occasional performers on Saturday Night Live (SNL) (1975–1980, 1985–1995). In SNL's first season, the two apprentice writers shared a salary of $350 per week. Franken received 15 Emmy nominations and five Emmy awards for his television writing and producing, while creating such characters as self-help guru Stuart Smalley. On Weekend Update near the end of season 5, Franken delivered a commentary called "A Limo for a Lame-O," mocking controversial NBC president Fred Silverman as "a total unequivocal failure" and displaying a chart showing the poor ratings of NBC programs. As a result, Silverman declined Lorne Michaels's recommendation for Franken to succeed him as the producer, and Franken left the show when Michaels did, at the end of the 1979–1980 season. Franken returned to the show in 1985 as a writer and occasional performer. He has acknowledged using cocaine and other illegal drugs while working in television and stated that he stopped after John Belushi died of an overdose. In 1995, Franken left the show in protest over losing the role of Weekend Update anchor to Norm Macdonald. Dan Aykroyd confirmed that Franken wrote the famous line "Jane, you ignorant slut" from the Point/Counterpoint segment during Aykroyd's tenure at SNL. In 1995, Franken wrote and starred in the film Stuart Saves His Family, which was based on his SNL character Stuart Smalley. The film was a critical and commercial failure and Franken became depressed as a result. After SNL, Franken authored four books that made The New York Times Best Seller list. His 1996 book Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations topped the New York Times list; the audiobook, which was read by Franken, won a Grammy Award. Another Grammy was awarded for Franken's 2003 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. The book's title incorporated the Fox News slogan "Fair and Balanced," and had a cover photo of Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly; that August, Fox News sued claiming infringement of its registered trademark phrase. A federal judge found the lawsuit "wholly without merit." The incident focused media attention on Franken's book and, according to him, greatly increased its sales. The publicity propelled Franken's yet-to-be-released book to number 1 on Amazon.com. Franken signed a one-year contract in early 2004 to host a talk show for Air America Radio's flagship program with co-host Katherine Lanpher. Originally named The O'Franken Factor, but later renamed The Al Franken Show on July 12, 2004, the show aired three hours a day, five days a week for three years. Franken's last radio show on Air America Radio was on February 14, 2007, at the end of which he announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. Franken was elected to the United States Senate in 2008, defeating incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman by 312 votes out of nearly three million cast (a margin of just over 0.01%) in one of the closest elections in Senate history. Franken was reelected in 2014 with 53.2% of the vote. In January 2018, he resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him. He later said he regrets that decision. In September 2019, Franken announced he would be hosting The Al Franken Show on Saturday mornings on SiriusXM radio. It covers global affairs, politics, and entertainment.

Reader's Guide

Al Franken's career is notable for its transition from entertainment to high political office, a path that was initially dismissed as a novelty candidate due to his background in comedy. His work on Saturday Night Live established him as a prominent comedic voice, particularly through his satirical characters and political commentary, including writing the famous line "Jane, you ignorant slut." His shift to political activism via his Air America radio show and satirical books, and then to the U.S. Senate, reflected a broader trend of entertainers entering politics. His 2008 election was one of the closest in Senate history, decided by a margin of just over 0.01% (312 votes out of nearly three million). As a senator, he served from 2009 until his resignation in 2018 following allegations of sexual misconduct, a decision he later said he regretted. After leaving office, he returned to media, hosting The Al Franken Show on SiriusXM radio starting in September 2019, covering global affairs, politics, and entertainment. Franken also co-wrote the film When a Man Loves a Woman, co-created and starred in the NBC sitcom LateLine, and appeared in the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate. He toured Iraq several times with the United Service Organizations (USO) and on March 25, 2009, was presented with the USO Metro Merit Award for his ten years of involvement with the organization.

Did You Know?

• Franken was elected to the Senate in 2008 by a margin of just 312 votes out of nearly three million cast (just over 0.01%).
• He wrote the famous SNL line 'Jane, you ignorant slut' from the Point/Counterpoint segment.
• Franken won two Grammy Awards for his audiobooks: one for Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations and another for Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
• Fox News sued Franken over the title of his 2003 book, but a federal judge found the lawsuit 'wholly without merit.'
• Franken left SNL in 1995 in protest over losing the role of Weekend Update anchor to Norm Macdonald.

The Comedy Foundation

Franken's comedy career was forged in the trenches of Saturday Night Live. Alongside his writing partner Tom Davis, he was recruited as one of the show's original writers in 1975, sharing a meager weekly salary of just $350. Over two stints—1975 to 1980 and 1985 to 1995—he accumulated fifteen Emmy nominations and five wins, crafting memorable characters like the delusional self-help guru Stuart Smalley. His tenure was marked by both creative triumph and personal turbulence. He openly acknowledged using cocaine and other drugs during his television years, a habit he abandoned after John Belushi's fatal overdose. A pointed Weekend Update sketch mocking NBC president Fred Silverman as a total and unequivocal failure reportedly cost him a shot at the producer role. He departed the show twice—first alongside Lorne Michaels in 1980, and again in 1995 after losing the Weekend Update anchor seat to Norm Macdonald. Beyond the sketch format, Franken and Davis co-wrote the 1986 film One More Saturday Night, and he later starred in the 1995 vehicle Stuart Saves His Family, a project whose critical and commercial failure left him deeply depressed.

From Satirist to Senator

Franken's foray into elected politics was met with widespread skepticism. Observers dismissed him as a novelty candidate whose comedy background made him ill-suited for the U.S. Senate. Yet in 2008, the Minnesota Democrat defeated incumbent Republican Norm Coleman in what remains one of the tightest Senate races in American history, winning by a mere 312 votes out of nearly three million cast—a margin barely exceeding one-hundredth of a percent. His 2014 reelection was far more comfortable, with 53.2 percent of the vote. His Senate service, however, ended abruptly in January 2018 when he resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct. In the aftermath, Franken publicly stated that he regretted his decision to step down. The arc of his political life—rising from a figure many considered a joke to a two-term sitting senator, then departing under a cloud—remains one of the most dramatic and polarizing narratives in modern Minnesota politics.

Roots and Rebellion

Born in New York City on May 21, 1951, to a printing salesman father and a real estate agent mother, Al Franken grew up in a Reform Jewish household with deep European roots—his paternal grandparents emigrated from Germany, while his maternal grandparents traced their origins to the Russian Empire. The family relocated to Albert Lea, Minnesota, when he was four, and after his father's short-lived quilting factory collapsed, they settled in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. At The Blake School, where he graduated in 1969, Franken wrestled and, more importantly, discovered his comedic voice alongside his lifelong writing partner Tom Davis. The pair performed at Minneapolis's Brave New Workshop, a theater devoted to political satire, before chasing show business in Los Angeles—a stretch Franken later characterized as one of near-total failure on the fringes of the industry. At Harvard, he majored in political science and graduated cum laude in 1973, carrying with him the influence of comedians like Dick Gregory and Lenny Bruce, who proved that laughter could be wielded against hypocrisy and corruption.

The Pundit Years

After leaving SNL, Franken channeled his satirical instincts into a sustained campaign against what he saw as the excesses of the American right. His 1996 book, Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and its audiobook—narrated by Franken himself—earned a Grammy. A second Grammy followed for his 2003 satire Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, whose title riffed on Fox News's Fair and Balanced slogan. Fox News sued over the phrase, but a federal judge dismissed the case as wholly without merit, and the publicity paradoxically boosted the book to number one on Amazon.com. In early 2004, Franken joined Air America Radio to co-host a daily talk show with Katherine Lanpher, extending his commentary into the audio medium. After his Senate resignation, he returned to the airwaves in September 2019, launching The Al Franken Show on SiriusXM, where he covers global affairs, politics, and entertainment on Saturday mornings.