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Quick Facts
- NAME: Laura Schlessinger
- OCCUPATION: Educator, Medical Professional, Philanthropist, Radio Personality, Talk Show Host, Journalist
- BIRTH DATE: January 16, 1947 (Age: 66)
- EDUCATION: State University of New York at Stonybrook, University of Southern California, Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Brooklyn, New York
- Full Name: Laura Catherine Schlessinger
- AKA: Laura Schlessinger
- AKA: Dr. Laura
- ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn
Best Known For
Controversial radio host Laura Schlessinger, also known as "Dr. Laura," is an expert at giving listeners—and readers—a piece of her mind when it comes to moral living and leading a successful family life.
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Play NowLaura Schlessinger. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:06, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197.
Laura Schlessinger. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Laura Schlessinger." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 07:06 http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197.
"Laura Schlessinger," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Laura Schlessinger," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Laura Schlessinger [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197.
Laura Schlessinger, http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Laura Schlessinger. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/laura-schlessinger-9542197. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Laura Schlessinger was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 16, 1947. She was a family counselor for 12 years, and then started a radio show that grew to attract nearly 18 million listeners. In early 2000, "Dr. Laura's" conservative views of family life led gay and lesbian activists to initiate a public crusade against her. Around the same time, Dr. Laura, a daytime television talk show featuring Schlessinger as host, debuted. The show received minimal success, however,
Contents
and was canceled in March 2001. The controversial host went on to sign a contract with XM/Sirius radio, which launched her radio show in January 2011.
Early Life and Education
Radio talk show host Laura Schlessinger, also known as "Dr. Laura," was born on January 16, 1947, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the State University of New York at Stonybrook, located on Long Island, New York, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in physiology from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. She earned a post-doctoral certification in marriage, family and child counseling from the University of Southern California.
Schlessinger was a faculty member at both USC and Pepperdine University in Malibu, and has taught at UCLA. She was in private practice for 12 years before turning her attention to a national audience. Her radio show, the syndicated Dr. Laura Schlessinger Show on KFI-AM Radio in Los Angeles, debuted in 1990.
Radio Show
She is best known for her no-nonsense philosophy of personal responsibility and self-motivation, which has won her millions of fans, and more than a few critics. Schlessinger is also a best-selling author. Her published books include Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives; The Ten Commandments: The Significance or God's Laws in Everyday Life; How Could You Do That?: The Abdication of Character, Courage and Conscience; and Ten Stupid Things Men Do To Mess Up Their Lives. Additionally, Schlessinger is a much sought-after public speaker.
Schlessinger's radio audience extends to 400 stations across the United States. Her fans admire her humor and bluntness, which allow her to cut to the root of problems. Her critics, however, consider her to be unbearably self-righteous, harsh and insensitive, and question whether callers have an unhealthy attraction to being publicly reprimanded, sometimes very severely. Schlessinger preaches "no sex before marriage," "no marriage before 30," "no abortions," "no day care" and, above all, "no whining." She was publicly ridiculed as a hypocrite when nude pictures from her youth, taken by a former lover, surfaced on the Internet.
Daytime TV Talk Show
The always controversial Schlessinger made headlines in early 2000 when nearly 400 people attended a raucous demonstration outside the Paramount Pictures lot to protest the studio's plans for a daytime television talk show hosted by "Dr. Laura." Protesters accused the tough-talking Schlessinger of homophobia and cited comments that she made on her weekly call-in radio show—heard by an estimated 18 million listeners—including references to gays and lesbians as "deviant" and "a biological error."
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