Michael Stephen Steele is an American attorney, political commentator, and former politician best known for serving as Maryland’s lieutenant governor and chairing the Republican National Committee. His wife is Andrea Derritt Steele, and the couple has two sons. This guide covers what reliable public records say about his marriage, children, career, and finances, and flags what remains unconfirmed.
Who Is Michael Steele?
Steele was the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland, serving from 2003 to 2007, and the first African American chairman of the Republican National Committee, serving from 2009 to 2011. Today he is a political analyst and co-anchor at MS NOW, the network formerly known as MSNBC.
Michael Steele Wiki/Bio
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Michael Stephen Steele |
| Born | October 19, 1958, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland |
| Age | 68 (as of October 2026) |
| Profession | Attorney, commentator, author, former politician |
| Education | Johns Hopkins University (1981), Georgetown Law (1991) |
| Spouse | Andrea Derritt Steele (married 1985) |
| Children | Two sons, Michael II and Drew |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Early Life and Background
Steele was born in Prince George’s County, Maryland. William and Maebell Steele adopted him as an infant. His father died in 1962, and his mother worked as a laundress rather than apply for public assistance. She later married John Turner, a truck driver. Steele grew up in Washington, D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood with his sister, Monica Turner. At Archbishop Carroll High School, he sang in the glee club, joined the National Honor Society, acted in school plays, and served as student council president his senior year.
Education and Academic Journey
Steele entered Johns Hopkins University on a partial scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations in 1981. He then studied for the priesthood with the Augustinian Friars at Villanova University, roughly three years by most accounts, and left before ordination. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991.
Michael Steele Family
Steele’s family story begins with his adoptive parents, William and Maebell Steele, and his stepfather, John Turner. His sister, Monica Turner, is a pediatrician according to published profiles. She was married to boxer Mike Tyson from 1997 until their 2003 divorce, and Tyson publicly backed Steele’s 2006 Senate run. At home, Steele is a husband to Andrea and a father to two sons.
Personal Life and Relationships
Steele married Andrea Derritt in 1985, years before his political rise, and no credible reporting suggests a separation. Andrea has long stayed out of the spotlight. A 2010 Washingtonian profile described the family as active in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Landover Hills, with Andrea involved in Catholic charities.
Who Is Andrea Derritt Steele?
Andrea Derritt Steele was a Johns Hopkins classmate of Steele’s. She earned a graduate business degree from the Wharton School and became a vice president at Riggs Bank before leaving banking to raise their sons. When she spoke at a 2006 “Women of Steele” event in Annapolis during his Senate bid, The Baltimore Sun noted she had stayed largely out of public view.
How Michael Steele Met His Wife
The Washingtonian describes Andrea as a Hopkins classmate, which points to a college connection. Beyond that, reliable reporting doesn’t document their courtship. Stories about meeting on a campaign or through friends come from low-quality sites and lack support.
Michael Steele’s Children
Michael and Andrea Steele have two sons, Michael II and Drew. Both are adults who have stayed out of politics and the press. Some websites claim a third child or a daughter, but reputable profiles name only the two sons.
Family Life and Values
Faith, education, and self-reliance run through the public record. Steele has pointed to his mother’s refusal to seek public assistance and the Petworth neighbors who rallied around her as lasting influences. The Steeles are active Catholics. Claims about specific traditions, such as Sunday dinners or annual vacations, aren’t backed by verified sources.
Balancing Career and Family
Steele built his career across law, state politics, and television while raising two sons, and Andrea’s choice to step back from banking was central to that. During his 2006 Senate bid, she told supporters he could balance family life with public service. Details about childcare or scheduling haven’t been made public.
Career and Achievement
Steele spent 1991 to 1997 as a corporate securities associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in Washington, D.C. He then founded The Steele Group, a business and legal consulting firm. In Republican politics, he chaired the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee, earned Maryland Republican Man of the Year honors in 1995, and became chairman of the Maryland Republican Party in December 2000.
Career Timeline
- 1981: Earns his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins
- 1991: Graduates from Georgetown Law and joins Cleary Gottlieb
- 1994: Becomes chair of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee
- 2000: Elected Maryland Republican Party chairman
- 2003 to 2007: Serves as lieutenant governor
- 2006: Loses the U.S. Senate race to Ben Cardin
- 2009 to 2011: Chairs the RNC
- 2011: Joins MSNBC as a political analyst
- 2024 and 2025: Co-hosts The Weekend, then The Weeknight
Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
Governor Bob Ehrlich picked Steele as his running mate in 2002, and the Republican ticket beat Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, 51 percent to 48 percent. Steele served as Maryland’s seventh lieutenant governor from January 2003 to January 2007. He led reform of the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program, chaired a commission on education quality, and championed Maryland’s charter school law.
Steele’s statewide breakthrough came in an era when other Republican figures covered on this site, among them Kristi Noem, were also building statewide profiles.
RNC Chairmanship
RNC members elected Steele chairman on January 30, 2009, after six rounds of voting. In 2010, Republicans won 63 House seats and retook the chamber, while the committee raised a record sum reported at more than $198 million. His tenure also drew criticism, including backlash over July 2010 remarks about the Afghanistan war. He lost his bid for a second term to Reince Priebus in January 2011.
Media Career and Political Commentary
MSNBC hired Steele as a political analyst in May 2011, and he also wrote a column for The Root. He co-hosted the daily radio program Steele & Ungar on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel. Steele has publicly opposed Donald Trump since the 2016 campaign, endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, and joined the Lincoln Project.
His commentary career sits within the same Washington media world as Fox News correspondent Kevin Corke, another broadcaster profiled on this site.
Books and Authorship
Steele wrote Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, published by Regnery in January 2010 while he chaired the RNC. It argues that Republicans should return to conservative principles. He has also written commentary, including a 2019 Politico Magazine essay on the national popular vote. No other books are confirmed.
What Is Michael Steele Doing Now?
As of October 2026, Steele co-anchors The Weeknight on MS NOW, weekdays at 7 p.m. ET, with Symone Sanders Townsend and Luke Russert. He is also CEO of The Steele Group, a board member listed by the Bipartisan Policy Center, and has been associated with Brown University’s Watson Institute since 2018.
Co-Host of The Weekend on MSNBC
MSNBC announced The Weekend in November 2023, and it premiered in January 2024 with Steele, Alicia Menendez, and Symone Sanders-Townsend on weekend mornings. In May 2025, the trio moved to weeknights with The Weeknight, and the network became MS NOW that November. Russert replaced Menendez in June 2026.
The Michael Steele Podcast
Steele hosted a weekly podcast under his own name for several years, but its archive says the show ended in June 2025 as he moved to The Weeknight. Download totals and episode counts circulating online aren’t confirmed.
Height, Weight, and Physical Stats
No official height is published for Steele. A 2006 news report described him as 6 foot 4, while some sites list shorter figures without sources. His weight, eye color, and hair details aren’t reliably documented, so none are stated here.
Net Worth Overview
Steele’s net worth is not publicly disclosed, and no audited figure exists. Third-party sites estimate roughly $2 million to $5 million, with a few unsourced outliers far higher. Treat all of it as estimates, not fact.
Major Sources of Income
His earnings have come from several streams: legal work, salaries as lieutenant governor and RNC chairman, consulting through The Steele Group, speaking engagements, book royalties, and television commentary. His MS NOW contract terms aren’t public.
Michael Steele’s Luxurious Lifestyle
Reliable reporting doesn’t show an extravagant lifestyle. No credible source documents mansions, private jets, or luxury car collections, and online claims along those lines are unsupported. His public life centers on work, church, and family.
Hobbies and Fun Facts
Little is documented about Steele’s hobbies, but the record offers a few details:
- He sang in his high school glee club and acted in school plays.
- He briefly took up fencing at Johns Hopkins.
- He started college as a pre-med major.
- He is credited with coining “Drill, Baby, Drill” at the 2008 Republican convention.
- His former brother-in-law, Mike Tyson, backed his 2006 Senate bid.
Achievements and Recognition
Steele was the first African American elected statewide in Maryland and the first to chair the RNC. Honors include an honorary doctor of laws degree from Morgan State University in 2003, the National Black Chamber of Commerce’s Parren J. Mitchell Award in 2004, and a 2005 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellowship.
Controversies and Challenges
Steele’s career has drawn both criticism and hardship. Maryland’s Senate president at the time, Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., labeled him an “Uncle Tom” in 2001, according to news reports. After a 2002 debate at Morgan State University, Steele said Oreo cookies were at his feet, an account others disputed. He lost the 2006 Senate race 54 percent to 44 percent. As RNC chairman, he apologized to Rush Limbaugh in March 2009 and faced resignation calls over his 2010 Afghanistan comments. He also failed the Maryland bar exam but passed Pennsylvania’s.
Future Prospects
Steele hasn’t announced plans beyond his MS NOW role. He explored a run for Maryland governor in 2021 and decided against it in January 2022, so his near-term path appears tied to broadcasting, commentary, and speaking.
Impact on Social Media
Public profiles of Steele center on his political and media work rather than family life.
Social Media Handles and Followers
Follower counts change constantly and no reliable source tracks them, so none are listed here. To avoid fan accounts, confirm his official profiles through his MS NOW biography page.
What’s Next
Michael Steele’s story pairs a long marriage with a climb from Petworth to national politics. He and Andrea Derritt Steele have been married since 1985, raised two sons, Michael II and Drew, and kept family life largely private. His own milestones are well documented, while claims about daughters, courtship, finances, and height deserve caution.
Conclusion
Michael Steele’s public career runs from Washington, D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood to Maryland’s lieutenant governor’s office, the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, and a weeknight co-anchor chair at MS NOW. At the center of his private life is his marriage to Andrea Derritt Steele, which began in 1985 and has lasted about 41 years, and their two sons, Michael II and Drew, who have stayed out of the spotlight. Reliable reporting documents his firsts as the first African American elected statewide in Maryland and the first to chair the RNC, while his height and net worth remain undisclosed and surrounded by unverified estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is Michael Steele’s wife?
Andrea Derritt Steele, a Johns Hopkins classmate with a Wharton graduate business degree and a former Riggs Bank vice president.
Is Michael Steele still married?
Yes, as far as public records show. No credible report of a divorce exists, and the marriage dates to 1985.
When did Michael Steele marry Andrea Derritt?
In 1985. Some sites list other years, but reliable biographies give 1985.
How long have Michael Steele and his wife been married?
About 41 years as of 2026.
Does Michael Steele have children?
Yes, two sons.
What are Michael Steele’s sons’ names?
Michael II and Drew.
Who are Michael Steele’s parents?
William and Maebell Steele adopted him as an infant. William died in 1962, and Maebell later married John Turner.
Does Michael Steele have siblings?
Yes, a sister, Monica Turner.
Is Monica Turner related to Michael Steele?
Yes, she is his sister and was Mike Tyson’s wife from 1997 until 2003.
How old is Michael Steele?
He is 68. He was born on October 19, 1958.
What is Michael Steele’s net worth?
It isn’t publicly disclosed. Unverified estimates range from about $2 million to $5 million.
What does Michael Steele do for a living?
He co-anchors The Weeknight on MS NOW, and he is also an attorney, author, and consultant.
Was Michael Steele the chairman of the RNC?
Yes. He chaired the RNC from January 2009 to January 2011, the first African American to do so.
Was Michael Steele a lieutenant governor?
Yes. He was Maryland’s seventh lieutenant governor, serving from 2003 to 2007 under Bob Ehrlich.
Where did Michael Steele go to college?
Johns Hopkins University for his bachelor’s degree and Georgetown University Law Center for his law degree.
Did Michael Steele study to become a priest?
Yes. He studied with the Augustinian Friars at Villanova University and left before ordination.
How tall is Michael Steele?
His height isn’t officially published. One 2006 news report described him as 6 foot 4.
Is Michael Steele’s family active on social media?
No verified family accounts are documented, and his wife and sons keep low public profiles.
How many children does Michael Steele have?
Two, both sons.
Where does Michael Steele live now?
His home address isn’t published. He has long been based in Maryland.
What is Michael Steele doing now?
He co-anchors The Weeknight on MS NOW and leads The Steele Group.
Does Michael Steele’s wife work in politics?
No. Andrea was a banker, though she spoke at a 2006 event supporting his Senate campaign.
Is Michael Steele’s wife white?
Reliable sources don’t document Andrea Steele’s race or ethnicity, so any claim either way is unsupported.
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