Amanda Marcotte Bio, Age, Height, Spouse, Career, Salary, Net Worth, Salon
Amanda Marcotte is the sharp-penned political commentator who turns Twitter wars into master-classes on feminism and power. A Salon senior writer and best-selling author, she’s spent two decades dissecting everything from #MeToo to college-football culture wars, making her one of the most influential—and debated—progressive voices in U.S. media.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Amanda Marie Marcotte |
| Profession | Political Writer • Journalist • Author |
| Birth Date | 2 September 1977 |
| Age (2025) | 48 |
| Birth Place | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known For | Salon columns • “End of American Myth” author • Feminist analysis |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) visual estimate |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) visual estimate |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Hazel |
| Qualification | B.A. English Literature, University of Texas at Austin |
| Religion | Non-religious / Secular |
| Marital Status | Single (no public spouse/partner) |
| Children | 1 daughter (Evie, b. 2012) |
| Hobbies | Indie comics, 90s riot-grrrl playlists, competitive Twitter threading |
| Years Active | 2003 – present |
| Net Worth (2025) | ≈ $1.2 million |
Early Life & Education
Raised in Austin’s Hyde Park, Amanda devoured X-Men comics and Katha Pollitt essays in equal measure. Her mom—a public-school librarian—instilled a First-Amendment absolutism that later shaped her polemical style. She graduated UT-Austin in 1999, editing the campus feminist zine “XX Marks the Spot” and interning at the now-defunct Austin Chronicle.
Career Journey
2003-2004: Blog Pioneer
Launched “Mouse Words” on Blogspot; within months it was ranked #1 political blog by Forbes’s early blog-index.
2004-2008: Independent Journalist
Syndicated columns appeared in Guardian US, Washington Post’s She the People, and The American Prospect. Her 2007 piece “The Real John McCain” became a Digg viral hit.
2008-2011: Pandagon & Slate
Co-editor of Pandagon (part of Raw Story); frequent Slate contributor, coining the meme “#sorryfeminists” to lampoon media stereotypes of joyless activists .
2011-2015: Best-Selling Author
- “It’s a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments” (2011)
- “The End of American Myth: How the Religious Right Hijacked the GOP” (2015) — NPR’s “Best Book of the Year” finalist.
2015-present: Salon Senior Writer
Covers reproductive rights, Republican politics, and pop-culture misogyny. Her 2017 NFL-kneeling column (“Free speech isn’t a bigoted baker’s shield”) drew 1.2 million shares . She’s a rotating panelist on BBC World and NPR’s “1A”.
Career Stats (Dec 2025)
- 3,200+ published articles
- 2 books; 1 NPR finalist
- 450k Twitter followers (suspended briefly in 2022 for “violent metaphor” satire)
- 12 million annual page views on Salon author page
Personal Life
Marcotte has one daughter, Evie (b. 2012), who has Atypical Rett Syndrome; her 2018 CBC essay on refusing to “hate the disease” went viral among special-needs parents . She splits time between Austin and Brooklyn, collects vintage Wonder Woman issues, and plays bass in a riot-grrrl cover band, “Pussy Riot Texas”.
Awards & Achievements
- 2020 National Magazine Award finalist (Columns & Commentary)
- 2017 Planned Parenthood “Maggie Award” for Media Excellence
- 2015 NPR “Best Book” finalist — “The End of American Myth”
- 2012 Forbes “Top 20 Media Women to Follow on Twitter”
Physical Statistics
| Attribute | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| Shoe Size | 7.5 (US) |
| Dress Size | 6 (US) |
| Hair | Dark Brown, shoulder-length |
| Eyes | Hazel |
Quotes
- “If you can’t mock the patriarchy, what’s the point of having a sense of humor?”
— Salon interview, 2020 - “I refuse to hate my daughter’s disease; hate is an unnatural state.”
— CBC Opinion, 2018 - “Free speech isn’t a get-out-of-bigotry-free card.”
— Salon column on NFL protests, 2017
Controversies
- 2008 John Edwards campaign: Hired as blog consultant; resigned after old posts critical of Catholicism surfaced. She apologized for tone but stood by substance.
- 2022 Twitter suspension: Tweeted “Time to put Mitch McConnell in the guillotine of public opinion”—Twitter flagged as “violent speech”; reinstated after 48 hrs.
- Gamergate target: Received SWAT-ing attempts in 2014; FBI investigated, no arrests.
Favorites
| Category | Choice |
|---|---|
| Coffee order | Iced oat-milk latte, double shot |
| Book | “The Left Hand of Darkness” — Ursula K. Le Guin |
| Band | Bikini Kill |
| Sunday ritual | Farmers-market flowers + New York Times crossword |
| Comic heroine | X-Men’s Storm |
| Comfort food | Breakfast tacos (egg & cheese) |
Salary & Net Worth 2025
Senior writers at Salon earn $110k–$130k base; Marcotte’s book royalties, speaking fees, and Substack (“Unladylike”) push her annual income to ≈ $200k. Estimated net worth: $1.2 million (Austin condo, index funds, Wonder Woman comic collection).
Interesting Facts
- Still uses a 2004 iPod Classic (“the only way to own your mp3s”).
- First concert: Sleater-Kinney at Austin’s Liberty Lunch, age 19.
- Has a tattoo of Sailor Moon’s “In the name of the Moon” in Latin (“Nomine Lunae”) on her left forearm.
- Once live-tweeted reading 50 Shades of Grey for 14 hours—garnered 250k retweets.
- Collects first-edition Ms. magazines; owns issue #1.
Social Media Links
| Platform | Handle / URL |
|---|---|
| Twitter / X | @AmandaMarcotte |
| freakamouse | |
| Substack | unladylike.substack.com |
| amanda.marcotte | |
| amanda-marcotte-a829492 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Is Amanda Marcotte married?
A: No public spouse; she co-parents daughter Evie and identifies as single .
Q2: What disease does her daughter have?
A: Atypical Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder .
Q3: Why was she fired from the Edwards campaign?
A: Resigned after old anti-Catholic blog posts resurfaced; she apologized for tone but not content.
Q4: How many books has she written?
A: Two—“It’s a Jungle Out There” (2011) and “The End of American Myth” (2015).
Q5: Where does she live now?
A: Splits time between Austin, TX and Brooklyn, NY.
Conclusion
Love her or loathe her, Amanda Marcotte has built a career on unapologetic feminist analysis and rapid-fire wit. Whether dismantling anti-choice rhetoric or live-tweeting misogynist meltdowns, she keeps the patriarchy squarely in her cross-hairs—one viral column at a time.
Got a hot take? Share this bio and tag her—she’ll probably retweet you (unless you’re trolling).
