Guide Note

Michael Savage is a conservative radio talk show host who was fired from his MSNBC show in 2003 for calling a prank caller a "sodomite" who he said should "get AIDS and die." Prior to becoming a conservative commentator, Savage went under the name Michael Weiner and authored over 17 books on natural medicine and health. His radio show, The Savage Nation, is syndicated on over 400 stations in the United States.

Fast Facts

1. Born: March 31, 1942
2. Birth name: Michael Weiner
3. Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
4. Education: Queens College, B.A.
5. Master's: University of Hawaii, M.A. in Anthropology and Ethnobotany
6. Doctorate: University of California, Berkeley in Nutrititional Ethnomedicine
7. Spouse: Janet Weiner
8. Residence: Marin County, California
9. Host of The Savage Nation conservative talk show
10. Author of four New York Times bestsellers
11. Wrote more than 17 books on natural medicine under name Michael Weiner
12. Became a conservative in 1980; former friend of Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Savage's Remarks on Autism

On July 21, 2008, protesters gathered outside WOR Radio in New York City demanding an apology from Savage after he remarked that children with autism are "brats" on his July 16 radio show.¹

Savage Statement

The following statement was posted on the WOR710.com site by Mike Savage in response to the backlash he received about his comments on autism:

• • "My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as "autistic." Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing "autism" for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!"¹

1. March 31, 1942: Born Michael Alan Weiner in The Bronx
2. 1964: Marries first wife, Carol Ely
3. 1967: Marries Janet Weiner
4. 1968: Moves to Hawaii to study ethnobotany
5. 1973: Befriends Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti
6. 1975: Publishes first book, Plant a Tree
7. 1994: Given own radio show on KGO in San Francisco
8. 1996: Founds Paul Revere Society to protest undocumented immigrants
9. March 2003: Hired by MSNBC to do one-hour television show
10. July 2003: Fired by MSNBC
11. 2005: Publishes Liberalism is a Mental Disorder