Sean Hannity

Sean Patrick Hannity was born on December 30, 1961, in New York City. The youngest of four siblings and the only boy, his parents, originally John F. Kennedy supporters, later leaned Republican. Growing up in Franklin Square, New York, he delivered newspapers such as the New York Daily News and the Long Island Daily Press. He attended Sacred Heart Seminary and St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary before further studies at New York University and Adelphi University, though he did not graduate from either. His early career included operating a house-painting business and working as a building contractor in Santa Barbara, California. His broadcasting career began in 1989 at KCSB-FM, the volunteer college radio station at UC Santa Barbara, where he volunteered as a talk show host. While his initial foray into radio was brief and controversial due to discussions on gay and lesbian rights, an ACLU campaign for his First Amendment rights led to an offer to return, which he declined, seeking more airtime and an apology.

Hannity then pursued radio professionally, first at WVNN in Athens, Alabama, and subsequently at WGST in Atlanta in 1992. A significant turning point came in 1996 when Roger Ailes, co-founder of Fox News, hired him to co-host “Hannity & Colmes” alongside Alan Colmes, where Hannity represented the conservative viewpoint. That same year, he moved to WABC in New York, eventually securing a permanent afternoon drive-time slot in January 1997, which he held until 2013. His national radio presence expanded significantly with “The Sean Hannity Show,” which launched into national syndication on over five hundred stations in September 2001. This show broadened its reach in 2006 by becoming available via the Armed Forces Radio Network, attracting millions of listeners weekly.

His television career continued to evolve with “Hannity’s America,” a Sunday night show on Fox News starting in January 2007. Following Alan Colmes’ departure, “Hannity & Colmes” concluded in January 2009, leading to Hannity hosting his own self-titled program, “Hannity,” in the same time slot, which has maintained a format similar to “Hannity’s America.” Beyond broadcasting, Hannity is a prolific author, having penned four New York Times best-selling books, including “Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism” (2002) and “Live Free or Die” (2020). His contributions to broadcasting have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Marconi Award for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year in 2003 and 2007 from the National Association of Broadcasters, and his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November 2017.