Who Is Nicolle Wallace's Husband, Michael Schmidt?
Nicolle Wallace, the political analyst turned MSNBC news anchor and host of "Deadline: White House," exchanged vows with her colleague, journalist Michael S. Schmidt, in 2022. As Page Six reported at the time, Wallace's wedding to Schmidt was an intimate affair, attended by close friends and family, which took place about two years into the power couple's relationship.
In 2023, Wallace shared that she and her husband had welcomed a baby girl, their first child together but her second overall, whom they named Isabella Sloan Schmidt. The anchor announced the news on her show, "Deadline: White House," via telephone, gushing, "Mike and Liam and I are all smitten with her," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). Liam Wallace is Nicolle's first child, whom she shares with her ex-husband, American diplomat and lawyer Mark Wallace.
She continued, "We were able to keep it a secret, obviously, because I wasn't pregnant." Nicolle was 51, while Schmidt was 40, at the time of Isabella's birth, which was via surrogate. Despite the couple's 11-year age gap, they seem to have hit it off without missing a beat. Page Six notes the couple started dating in 2019 amid Nicolle's divorce proceedings after initially meeting on the set of "Deadline: White House," where Michael frequently appears as a contributor.
Schmidt won two Pulitzers for his work with The New York Times
Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative journalist with The New York Times, boasts an impressive career marked by two Pulitzer Prize wins. Specializing in covering Washington-based federal investigations of national interest, according to his NYT profile, Schmidt joined the outlet in 2005, starting out as a desk journalist. Over the years, he ascended the ranks to tackle prominent assignments, including the war in Iraq, the infamous Hillary Clinton emails controversy, both of Donald Trump's impeachment cases, and the devastating 2021 Capitol insurrection.
A Lafayette College graduate, as indicated on his LinkedIn profile, Schmidt embarked on his career with The New York Times shortly after graduating. In 2017, he tackled the Bill O'Reilly sexual harassment allegations story, reporting that the Fox News host had settled multiple cases with his accusers, with the largest payout amounting to $32 million. Schmidt's comprehensive reporting on the matter earned him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2018.
Notably, the O'Reilly scandal, coupled with simultaneous exposés on Harvey Weinstein's similar misconduct, played a pivotal role in igniting the "Me Too" movement. In the same year, Schmidt secured his second Pulitzer, this time for national reporting. His investigative work centered on Trump's connections to the Russian government and its interference in the 2016 presidential election, prompting a more extensive inquiry into the Trump administration.
Schmidt co-created a Netflix show on conspiracy theories
In addition to his role at The New York Times, Michael S. Schmidt serves as a national security correspondent for MSNBC, which is where he first crossed paths with Nicolle Wallace. Schmidt is frequently featured on political programs such as "Deadline: White House" and "NBC News." According to his Times biography, before delving into federal investigations, Schmidt focused on sports stories for the outlet, notably breaking the news of the Major League Baseball doping scandal from 2007 to 2009.
In 2020, Schmidt authored the book "Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President," swiftly claiming a spot on The New York Times best-seller list. Drawing on his exclusive behind-the-scenes access and extensive journalistic expertise, Schmidt crafted a comprehensive profile of Trump's presidency. The book followed Schmidt's spontaneous interview with the former POTUS from 2017, a conversation that materialized unexpectedly after a suggestion from Trump's friend during a Mar-a-Lago lunch, as the journalist shared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
He explained, "I crouched down next to [Trump] like a catcher because I wanted his undivided attention." Beyond his journalistic achievements, Schmidt co-created the political thriller series "Zero Day," featuring Robert De Niro and Lizzy Caplan, per Netflix. Additionally, he served as an executive producer for the show, collaborating with Netflix's Eric Newman, known for "Narcos," and Noah Oppenheim, the producer of "The Maze Runner," on the project.