Mike Gallagher (born April 7, 1960) is an American radio host and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Gallagher Show, a nationally syndicatedradio program that airs throughout the United States on Salem Radio Network and is also a FOX News Channel Contributor and guest host. According to Talkers magazine, Gallagher is the tenth most-listened-to radio talk show host in the United States.[1]
Gallagher at the Young America's Foundation annual event, (August 8, 2008), Washington, D.C.
As a 17-year-old high school senior in Dayton, Ohio, Gallagher talked his way into an on-air shift at WAVI.[2] From there he joined WFBC in Greenville, South Carolina, eventually becoming station manager.[3] He then became an on-air host in Albany, New York, on WGY.[4] Gallagher went on to New York City, where he spent two years as morning drive host on WABC.[5]
In 1998, The Mike Gallagher Show was launched nationally with 12 radio stations. As of early 2011, Gallagher was the sixth most listened-to talk radio host in America with over four million weekly listeners.[6] He is heard daily in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, and Philadelphia as well as in small, medium and major markets all over the country. According to the Benchmark Company, he is the 8th most-recognized talk radio personality in America.[7] Gallagher has also been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Forbes. Talkers Magazine has named Gallagher one of the 100 most influential talk hosts in America for eleven consecutive years.[8]
Gallagher co-hosted a morning news program with Dawn Meadows on Dayton's then-NBC affiliate WKEF in 1983. He is a Fox News Channel contributor and sometimes co-host, making frequent appearances on many Fox News Channel shows.[14]
In the summer of 2005, Gallagher authored Surrounded by Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America, which became a New York Times bestseller (#27 on the extended bestseller list). The Times reviewed the book writing, "You might disagree with the man's politics, but dang, you gotta love a guy who slaughters a steer live on the radio just to annoy the ideologues at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, then gives the meat to the poor. Checkmate. Fans of Gallagher will love the book, and even those liberal loons might enjoy reading it just to play Spot the Inconsistencies."[15]
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said 50 Things Liberals Love to Hate "is smart, funny, and uses satire and wit to take apart the left. If Jon Stewart had writers who were conservative, they'd write a book like this."[16] On September 10, 2012 Gallagher gave a reading of his new book at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.[17]
Honors, awards, distinctions
Gallagher has been honored with a number of awards and distinctions in his broadcast career, including:
Named one of the 100 most influential talk radio hosts in America (the "Heavy Hundred") by Talkers Magazine for multiple years, including a #9 ranking in 2025[18] and for at least eleven consecutive years earlier in his career.
Ranked among the top talk radio hosts by Talkers Magazine in various years, including as the sixth most-listened-to host in 2011 (with over 4 million weekly listeners), the eighth most influential in 2006, and the tenth most-listened-to more recently (with estimates of 3.75 million to 7 million weekly listeners).
Nominated for "Nationally Syndicated Personality of the Year" in the talk radio category by Radio& Records magazine in 2006.[19]
Awarded the New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association "Heroism Award" in April 2015 for his steadfast support of law enforcement.[20]
Ranked as the eighth most-recognized talk radio personality in America by the Benchmark Company.[21]
Honored on the Food for the Poor podcast "Beyond the Plate" in 2025 for his philanthropic efforts, including raising millions of dollars through his show and listeners to combat hunger and support related causes (inspired by his late wife, Denise).[22]
Causes
On May 8, 2006, Gallagher used his show to raise money for the creation of homes in poverty-stricken areas of Jamaica in conjunction with Food for the Poor, during a live broadcast in the Jamaican national capital.[23] Gallagher is also the namesake of his main charity, Gallagher's Army: The Mike Gallagher Show Charitable Foundation, which he founded in 2005 after he began asking his listeners and others to support American military families. In 2008 Gallagher expanded his efforts by founding the Gallagher's Army: Fallen Officer Fund, which gathers funds from his listeners and others to support the families of police officers who have fallen in the line of duty.[24]
Gallagher has made his views on the protesting of American war dead upon their return from theatres of war, using his air time to try to prevent such protests from taking place. On October 6, 2006, Gallagher convinced the controversial Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church to appear on air with an hour of air time in exchange for not picketing a funeral for victims from the West Nickel Mines School shooting near Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Initially, Gallagher offered the organization money not to picket the funeral. With this gesture being accused of being blood money, the syndicated radio host gave the church an hour to appear on air. The Amish funerals went on peacefully after the contract signed with WBC stipulated a $500,000 fine if there were picketers anywhere near the funerals.
Following plans by the Westboro Baptist Church to protest funerals of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre, Gallagher offered the group three hours of airtime in exchange for an agreement not to protest these funerals. The WBC was the in-studio guests of Gallagher's program for its entirety on April 24, 2007. He has made a similar agreement with Westboro concerning possible protests at the funerals of those killed in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011, despite the fact that emergency legislation passed on January 12, 2011, makes such protests illegal in Arizona.
Views
Gallagher's conservative views prioritize personal accountability, limited government intervention, and the rule of law as the key foundations of stable societal structure. He advocates for fiscal conservatism, emphasizing reduced government spending to foster economic growth and individual responsibility. Market-driven incentives outperform centralized planning, according to his views, as illustrated in his discussions of free-market principles with economist Thomas Sowell, who encourages wealth creation through voluntary exchange over redistributive policies.[25]
Personal life
Gallagher was born in Dayton, Ohio. He attended Chaminade-Julienne High School in downtown Dayton (graduating in 1978), where he was active in the school radio and television station, theater (lead roles all four years), the school band, and chorus.[26] Gallagher is of Irish[27] descent.
Gallagher was married to Denise Newlen from July 24, 1993[28] until her death on June 29, 2008,[29] one day shy of her 52nd birthday, from endometrial cancer.[30] They had four sons. Gallagher has described his family as his proudest achievement.
Gallagher resides in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. In September 2025, at age 65, he began a longevity-focused health program aimed at preventive care, energy maintenance, and vitality.
From September 6–11, 2011, Gallagher made a week-long cameo in the Broadway show Memphis, stating it was the culmination of a lifelong dream.[31]
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