Alan Colmes Biography Quotes 2 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education

Alan Colmes was born in 1950 in New York City and came of age in an era when radio, comedy, and politics were rapidly reshaping American public life. He studied communications at Hofstra University, where campus radio provided an early proving ground for the skills that would define his career: a warm microphone presence, a quick wit, and an instinct for fair but pointed questioning. Comedy fascinated him as much as broadcasting did, and as a young man he experimented with stand-up and emceeing, a formative experience that sharpened his timing and gave his political commentary a disarming humor.

Radio Beginnings and Rise

Colmes developed his voice in New York radio, cultivating a late-night style that felt conversational rather than combative. He treated callers as partners in a public conversation, allowing opposing views ample time while gently pressing for clarity and evidence. In a medium that often rewarded outrage, he distinguished himself by empathy and a willingness to listen. Over time he expanded from local programs to nationally syndicated radio, building a loyal audience that followed him for his blend of progressive politics, curiosity, and civility. He learned to set the table for debate, to make ideological disagreement accessible to listeners who might otherwise tune out.

Hannity & Colmes

In 1996, as cable news entered a new phase, Colmes was recruited to join the then-new Fox News Channel and paired with conservative commentator Sean Hannity for a nightly program. The format of Hannity & Colmes was simple and theatrical: two hosts, openly identified with different political perspectives, interviewing guests and arguing the pressing issues of the day. Colmes, the liberal in the duo, brought a calm, probing manner to the exchanges, often letting guests articulate their positions at length before challenging their logic or evidence. The chemistry between Colmes and Hannity became a defining feature of the channel's early years. On air they sparred; off air they maintained a professional respect that surprised viewers who assumed their televised disagreements translated to personal acrimony.

Colmes's approach won admirers who valued his measured tone, even as some on the left criticized him for not matching the volume of his counterparts. He understood the role he played in a network identity built around ideological clash, and he tried to show that liberalism could be argued with clarity and good humor rather than rancor. The show ran for more than a decade, shaping the cable-news debate template. When it ended in 2009 and Hannity launched a solo program, Colmes remained with the network as a contributing commentator.

Writer, Blogger, and Radio Host

Parallel to his television work, Colmes sustained a robust radio career. The Alan Colmes Show, broadcast nationally on Fox News Radio, provided him a nightly laboratory for the style he preferred: long-form interviews, unscreened calls, and the freedom to let arguments breathe. He was meticulous about sourcing and took pride in correcting the record on air, a small but meaningful habit that built trust with his listeners.

Colmes also wrote about politics with the same mix of seriousness and levity. His 2003 book, Red, White & Liberal, laid out a case for progressive policies through stories and arguments rather than slogans. He later published another book further defending liberalism's role in American life. In the digital era he expanded his presence with a political blog known as Liberaland at alan.com, curating news and commentary with an unabashedly progressive lens while highlighting voices across the spectrum.

Personal Life

In 2003 Colmes married Jocelyn Elise Crowley, a public policy scholar, and their partnership connected his media world with academic research on families and public affairs. Through that marriage he became the brother-in-law of Monica Crowley, a conservative commentator. The unusual family configuration reflected Colmes's comfort with ideological diversity in private life; debates might be spirited, but they were underwritten by affection and regard. Colmes valued friendships that crossed political lines, and those who worked with him often remarked on his kindness behind the scenes, his support for producers and junior staff, and his inclination to credit colleagues for the success of a segment or show.

Final Years and Death

After leaving the co-host chair on Hannity & Colmes, Colmes continued to appear on Fox News programs as a liberal analyst while keeping up the nightly cadence of his radio show. He wrote, blogged, and moderated arguments that grew only more polarized in the 2010s, insisting that persuasion was still possible if participants listened carefully. In early 2017 he died at age 66 after what was described as a brief illness, reported by colleagues as lymphoma. Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. Sean Hannity recalled a friend and worthy adversary; figures at Fox News, including executives who had backed him since the network's early years, praised his character and professionalism; and Jocelyn Crowley spoke publicly about his gentleness, humor, and dedication to his craft. Monica Crowley, who had debated him on air and celebrated holidays with him off air, remembered him as family first and foremost.

Legacy

Colmes's legacy rests not on a single viral confrontation or a signature legislative scoop, but on the possibility he modeled: that political argument can be grounded in good faith, patience, and wit. He showed that a liberal voice could thrive inside a conservative media ecosystem without surrendering its principles, and that viewers and listeners would reward a host who treated them as thinking participants rather than partisans to be rallied. The show he co-anchored with Sean Hannity helped define the point-counterpoint genre on cable news, but his radio work and writing reveal the full picture of his method: a rigorous, humane curiosity shaped by years behind the microphone.

For those who worked with him, Alan Colmes is remembered as a generous collaborator who amplified others. For audiences, he remains a singular presence: a broadcaster who made ideological disagreement feel like a conversation worth having and who carried that spirit into every studio he entered. His books, archived shows, and the digital footprint of Liberaland continue to reflect his central belief that argument, done well, is a form of respect.