Rita Panahi was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States, the child of Iranian parents.

[1] Panahi initially wrote for the daily free commuter newspaper mX, writing a weekly sports gossip column.

[1] Writing for SBS, Margaret Simons observed that Panahi hates homophobia and has argued in favour of women choosing single motherhood, as she has.

[1] In January 2017, Panahi was encouraged by Michael Kroger to stand for Liberal Party pre-selection in the Victorian state electorate of Frankston.

She has described Western feminists who view modesty veils such as burkas, niqābs and hijabs as symbols of diversity or empowerment as an example of such abetment.

[8] News website New Matilda published an open letter by an 18-year old returned expatriate critical of Panahi's article.

[9] In a column in The Australian, Panahi has argued in favour of stopping the boats, and strongly supported Australia's humanitarian intake through regular means.

[citation needed] The offshore detention camps, which have been criticised by human rights organisations,[10] are, she says, an uncomfortable necessity to deter desperate people from attempting the dangerous sea voyage.

[11] However, Panahi has criticised the political statements made by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, arguing they have "trashed" the legacy of Queen Elizabeth.

Prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, Panahi opined that the crown should be passed down to Prince William instead of his father, Charles.