MSNBC's Mara Gay Keeps Her Personal Life Private
Mara Gay is a 'The New York Times' editorial board member and an MSNBC political analyst.
Aug. 19 2022, Published 11:47 a.m. ET
The New York Times editorial board member and MSNBC political analyst Mara Gay is keen on keeping her private life just that — private, and understandably so. As a journalist and someone who often commentates on controversial topics like the COVID-19 vaccine and the correlation between “Americanness and whiteness,” it can’t hurt for Gay to keep details about herself under wraps.
However, after Gay’s comments on the “disturbing” number of American flags she saw while visiting Long Island, more people want to know about The Times journalist. Here’s what we know.
Mara Gay lives in Brooklyn but attended college in Michigan.
According to multiple sources, Gay was born on September 10, 1986, which would make her 35 years old. Although Gay was born in New York, she earned a degree in political science from the University of Michigan. Before the journalist was welcomed to The Times family in 2018, she worked as a City Hall reporter at The Wall Street Journal, according to her NYT bio.
During her time at The Wall Street Journal, Gay covered stories involving people like Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was publicly shamed by his former aide, Lis Smith. In addition to working for the NYT and WSJ, Gay also contributed to the New York Daily News, The Atlantic, and The Daily. She also appears on MSNBC from time to time, providing her take on pressing political issues.
Mara Gay receives a great deal of criticism for her thoughts and views.
Although Gay is often criticized for her opinions, particularly by those whose views don’t align with hers, her words carry weight and are appreciated by many. In fact, a quote from Gay was featured in Wajahat Ali’s book, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American (2022).
The journalist also gained backing from The Times in 2021 after she expressed concern while appearing on MSNBC over certain individuals “seeing Americanness as the same as one with whiteness.”
As the harsh comments rolled in, The Times quickly chimed back on Twitter saying Gay’s “comments on MSNBC have been irresponsibly taken out of context. Her argument was that Trump and many of his supporters have politicized the American flag. The attacks on her today are ill-informed and grounded in bad-faith.”
