Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author.

He announced on his final episode that he was retiring, following an accusation that he had made inappropriate comments to a Hardball guest four years earlier.

[14] Subsequently, Matthews served on the staffs of four Democratic Members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie.

In 1974, Matthews mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in which he received about 24% of the vote in the primary.

[17] Matthews has been accused by Media Matters for America[18] of having panels of guests that skew to the right and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments.

Matthews covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, and the Good Friday Peace Talks in Northern Ireland.

He is the author of eight best-selling books: Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero spent 12 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

"Matthews excels in capturing the tribalism of the Irish Catholic culture and experience Kennedy both absorbed and overcame as he made his way ... [and] is at his best in describing political dynamics," The Washington Post said.

[28] "Matthews's stirring biography reveals Kennedy as a 'fighting prince never free from pain, never far from trouble, and never accepting the world he found,'" said Publishers Weekly.

"[30] While discussing proposed healthcare reform on the December 17, 2009, edition of Hardball, Matthews stated, "The Republicans will know they have lost ... Let them keep score and it's easy.

That statement was questioned by Mediaite's Josh Feldman directly afterward, based on Matthews's frequent condemnation of right-wing political figures and his emotional expression of support for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

"[45] In September 2022, Matthews returned to MSNBC as a political analyst making appearances on the network's "Morning Joe" program.

[citation needed] Throughout Matthews's career he has been criticized for making sexist comments about women in politics including Melania Trump, Sarah Palin, and Erin Burnett.

In February 2020, Bassett alleged that prior to that program, Matthews made inappropriate remarks about her makeup, clothing, and dating life.

[56] As members of Sanders's family were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, his comparison was viewed as insensitive and prompted widespread negative reactions on Twitter calling for him to be removed from MSNBC.