Ezra Klein
Born 1984 · Age 41
American political journalist, commentator, podcast host, co-founder of Vox, New York Times columnist and author of Why We're Polarized (2020) and Abundance (2025).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Irvine, California
Ezra Klein was born in Irvine, California to Abel Klein (mathematics professor) and an artist mother; raised in a Jewish household.
Attended Hebrew school / Jewish education as a child
Attended Hebrew school, temple and for a time a Jewish day school during childhood in southern California.
Graduated University High School (Irvine)
Graduated high school in 2002 with a reported 2.2 GPA.
Began active blogging (career start)
Began serious public blogging and political commentary; years active often cited as 2003–present.
Worked on Howard Dean 2004 campaign (Vermont)
Worked on Howard Dean's presidential primary campaign (intern/field worker) in Vermont during 2003.
Early political convention blogging
One of the earliest bloggers (with Markos Moulitsas) to report from a political convention — California State Democratic Party convention — marking early prominence as a blogger.
Interned at Washington Monthly
Internship at Washington Monthly in Washington, D.C. during 2004.
Graduated UCLA BA in Political Science
Transferred from UC Santa Cruz and graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 2005 with a B.A. in political science.
Targeted in Lee Siegel sock-puppet controversy
Named among writers pseudonymously criticized by The New Republic writer Lee Siegel (posting as 'sprezzatura').
Founded JournoList (private forum)
Created the moderated Google Groups forum 'JournoList' for left-leaning reporters, bloggers, academics and policy wonks.
JournoList publicly revealed (first exposure)
Blogger Mickey Kaus publicly revealed the existence of JournoList (July 27, 2007), bringing it into public view.
Moved blog to The American Prospect
On December 10, 2007, Klein moved his blog full-time to The American Prospect and served as an associate editor; his blog had been acquired by the Prospect.
Created and ran Wonkblog at The Washington Post
Developed Wonkblog at WaPo, a branded policy blog that produced high-volume content (at times reported ~20 items/day) and drove large traffic.
Politico article exposes JournoList discussions
A Politico article (March 17, 2009) detailed the membership and nature of JournoList, heightening public scrutiny.
Hired by The Washington Post as first pure politics/economics blogger
Began writing at The Washington Post on May 18, 2009; created and managed 'Wonkblog', a prominent policy blog franchise.
Published controversial WaPo piece on Joe Lieberman and health care
Wrote a December 2009 Washington Post column arguing Joe Lieberman's opposition to health reform could cost lives; used an Urban Institute estimate of 22,000 deaths to make a point. Sparked criticism and debate.
Named Blogger of the Year
Awarded Blogger of the Year by The Week magazine and the Sidney Hillman Foundation (2010).
Public profile expansion and 'Juicebox Mafia' association
By the early 2010s Klein was identified with a cohort of influential young bloggers dubbed the 'Juicebox Mafia' / 'Brat Pack', signaling rising influence in Washington journalism.
Terminated JournoList
Announced closure of JournoList on June 25, 2010 following controversy surrounding Dave Weigel and public exposure of emails.
Recognized by GQ and Time
Named one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C. by GQ (2011) and his blog was listed among Time's 25 best financial blogs (2011).
Married Annie Lowrey
Married journalist Annie Lowrey (2011).
Joined Bloomberg View as columnist
When Bloomberg View launched in May 2011, Klein became one of its columnists while continuing at The Washington Post and on MSNBC.
Won Online News Association & APSA Carey McWilliams awards
Won Online News Association Award for Best Online Commentary and the American Political Science Association's Carey McWilliams Award (2013).
Considered for MSNBC prime-time host
Reported (March 2013) as among journalists considered to host MSNBC's potential 8 p.m. weekday prime-time show (slot ultimately went to Chris Hayes).
Featured in Esquire & T magazine
Appeared as one of 80 men featured in Esquire's 80th anniversary issue and in a feature in T magazine (2013).
Vox staff growth milestone
Vox launched in 2014 with ~20 staff and grew to more than 100 journalists by 2020 — a major organizational milestone for the outlet Klein co-founded.
Proposed explanatory journalism model to The Washington Post
Had earlier proposed an independent explanatory journalism site with >36 staff and ~$10M annual budget to stay at WaPo; when Post didn't counteroffer he left to found Vox.
Left The Washington Post to start new venture
Announced departure from The Washington Post in January 2014 to start an explanatory news site with veteran journalists.
Co-founded Vox (with Matthew Yglesias & Melissa Bell)
Co-founded Vox, an explanatory news site owned by Vox Media; initial staff around 20 and acted as editor-in-chief before later becoming editor-at-large.
Launched The Weeds podcast (Vox)
Co-launched The Weeds, a Vox public-policy podcast, with Sarah Kliff and Matt Yglesias (Oct 2, 2015).
Executive producer — Netflix series Explained
Served as an executive producer for Vox's Netflix series 'Explained', which debuted in 2018.
First child born
Ezra Klein and Annie Lowrey had their first child (reported as 2019).
Launched Impeachment, Explained podcast
Alongside other Vox reporters, launched the short-run podcast 'Impeachment, Explained' in October 2019.
Considered leaving Vox for independent models
Reportedly considered selling his podcast to Spotify or moving to Substack after leaving Vox; reflected on industry economics and tradeoffs.
Published Why We're Polarized
Simon & Schuster (Avid Reader Press) published Klein's book Why We're Polarized (Jan 28, 2020).
Left Vox to join The New York Times
Announced departure from Vox in November 2020 to join The New York Times as columnist and podcast host; effective early 2021 (press release Nov 20, 2020).
Became a New York Times opinion columnist and brought his podcast
Started as an Opinion columnist at The New York Times (joined Times in 2020; columnist role active in 2021) and continued hosting The Ezra Klein Show under the Times umbrella.
Published NYT piece on animal welfare (vegan advocacy)
Wrote a New York Times opinion piece arguing modern industrial animal agriculture will be seen as a moral failing (2021), reflecting his animal welfare advocacy and veganism.
Second child born
Ezra Klein and Annie Lowrey had their second child (reported as 2021).
The Ezra Klein Show — major podcast growth and influence
By mid/late 2024 the podcast saw major growth and cultural influence; reported Apple Podcasts rank No. 8 (summer 2024) and broader influence among Democratic and media elites.
Called on President Biden to drop out of 2024 race
On his podcast and in opinion pieces in Feb 2024, Klein publicly urged Joe Biden to step aside for 2024, advocating for an open/brokered convention; generated major attention and controversy.
Estimated net worth reported (third-party estimate)
Third-party profiles (e.g., some entertainment/biography pages) estimated Klein's net worth in the low millions (commonly $1M–$5M) around 2025; internal estimates here place his likely net worth higher given NYT salary, book royalties and podcast revenue.
Published Abundance (coauthored with Derek Thompson)
Simon & Schuster (Avid Reader Press) published Abundance (March 18, 2025), co-written with Derek Thompson.
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