- Née:
- Arianna Stassinopoulos
- Founder:
- HuffPost
- On the Web:
- ABC News - Arianna Huffington on Why You Need More Sleep, and How to Get It (Hint: Sex) (Nov. 04, 2026)
Arianna Huffington
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Who is Arianna Huffington?
Arianna Huffington, born in Athens, Greece, on July 15, 1950, is a Greek-American author and commentator. She is most known for creating The Huffington Post, a well-known liberal website that offers news and commentary. She moved to England at the age of 16 and later earned an economics degree from the University of Cambridge.
Huffington began her political and journalistic career as a Republican, but by the late 1990s, her views had shifted to the left. In 2005, she launched The Huffington Post and served as its cofounder and editor in chief. In 2016, she left the company to launch Thrive Global, a health-and-wellness venture. She has also written a number of political books, as well as biographies and self-help books.
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Where was Arianna Huffington born, and what is her background?
Arianna Huffington, born Arianna Stassinopoulos in Athens, Greece, on July 15, 1950, is a Greek-American author and commentator known for founding The Huffington Post. At 16, she moved to England and later earned an economics degree from the University of Cambridge in 1972, where she became the first foreign-born president of the Cambridge Union debate society. She lived in London before moving to the United States in 1980, eventually settling in California. Huffington began her journalism career as a Republican, but by the late 1990s, her political views shifted to the left.
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What kind of books has Arianna Huffington written?
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and commentator known for founding The Huffington Post. She is also a prolific and best-selling author. Her works include a variety of genres, such as biographies, self-help volumes, and political books. Some of her notable books are The Female Woman (1974), biographies of Maria Callas and Pablo Picasso, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder (2014), The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time (2016), How to Overthrow the Government (2000), Right Is Wrong (2008), and Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream (2010).
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What is The Huffington Post, and how is Arianna Huffington related to it?
HuffPost, previously The Huffington Post, is an American liberal website that provides news and commentary. Arianna Huffington, a Greek American author and commentator, co-founded the site in May 2005 with Kenneth Lerer and Jonah Peretti.
Huffington served as the first editor in chief of The Huffington Post. In 2016, she left to launch Thrive Global, a health-and-wellness company.
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What are some main topics or causes Arianna Huffington is known for promoting?
Arianna Huffington is a Greek-American author and commentator, best known for founding The Huffington Post, a popular liberal website that offers news and commentary.
Initially a Republican proponent of small government, she contributed to the National Review. By the late 1990s, her political views shifted left, beginning with her opposition to U.S. intervention in the Yugoslavian civil wars. She became active in progressive causes, notably combating global warming. In 2003, she ran as an independent in California's gubernatorial race but withdrew her candidacy. In 2016, she left The Huffington Post to start Thrive Global, a health-and-wellness venture.
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How has Arianna Huffington influenced journalism and public discussions in the United States?
Arianna Huffington, a Greek-American author and commentator, significantly impacted journalism and public discourse in the U.S. as the cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post, later known as HuffPost.
Huffington, who began her journalism career as a conservative, launched The Huffington Post in 2005 to provide a liberal counterpoint to the Drudge Report. The site became known for its group blog format, featuring numerous guest contributors and covering news, politics, business, and entertainment. In March 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post, and Huffington became president and editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group. In 2016, she left to start Thrive Global, a health-and-wellness venture.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Arianna Huffington (born July 15, 1950, Athens, Greece) is a Greek American author and commentator, best known for creating The Huffington Post, a popular liberal Web site offering news and commentary.
Stassinopoulos, the daughter of a Greek newspaper owner, moved at age 16 to England, where she later pursued an economics degree at the University of Cambridge (M.A., 1972). While at Cambridge she served as president of the esteemed debate society the Cambridge Union; she was the first foreign-born student to do so. After graduation she lived for a time in London before relocating in 1980 to the United States. She eventually settled in California with Republican politician Michael Huffington, whom she married in 1986 (divorced 1997).
Huffington started her political and journalistic career as a Republican and a proponent of small government and limited welfare. She contributed to the conservative journal National Review, and in 1994 she worked on her husband’s unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat. In her coverage of the 1996 presidential election for the cable network Comedy Central, she was positioned as a conservative foil to lifelong Democrat Al Franken. For a time Huffington also wrote for the TV show Politically Incorrect, which was hosted by Bill Maher. In the late 1990s, however, Huffington’s place on the political spectrum began to shift to the left, starting with her opposition to U.S. intervention in the civil wars in the former Yugoslavia. She subsequently became active in numerous progressive causes, notably efforts to combat global warming. In 2003 she ran in California’s gubernatorial race as an independent, but she eventually withdrew her candidacy.
In 2005 Huffington launched The Huffington Post Web site, serving as its cofounder and editor in chief. It was structured as a group blog, publishing the words of hundreds of guest contributors each week. In addition, it provides news updates and hyperlinks to news sources and columnists. In March 2011 AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million. Huffington became president and editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, a new venture that included all the content from the Web site and AOL. In 2016 she announced that she was leaving the company in order to start Thrive Global, a health-and-wellness venture.
Huffington was a prolific and best-selling author. Her debut work, The Female Woman (1974), was followed by biographies of opera diva Maria Callas and artist Pablo Picasso as well as by several self-help volumes, notably Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder (2014) and The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time (2016). Huffington also wrote a number of political books, including How to Overthrow the Government (2000), Right Is Wrong (2008), and Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream (2010).