Keith Ablow
A psychiatrist turned media personality who built a brand on life advice before his career was derailed by controversy.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American novelist and life coach·Birthday: November 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Keith Ablow's trajectory is a distinctly American story of self-invention and public unraveling. He began as a forensic psychiatrist, a background that lent authority to his early career as a bestselling author of psychological thrillers and a frequent commentator on television news. His pivot into life coaching and self-help positioned him as a direct, sometimes abrasive dispenser of tough-love advice, culminating in a syndicated talk show. This media empire, built on the promise of personal transformation, collapsed following serious allegations of professional misconduct, leading to the surrender of his medical license. His fall from grace became a cautionary tale about the intersection of therapy, media, and celebrity.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Keith was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Keith Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Keith's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored multiple New York Times bestselling novels blending medicine and suspense.
- Served as a contributing editor for Men's Health magazine, shaping its early voice.
- Hosted the nationally syndicated daytime television program 'The Dr. Keith Ablow Show.'
- Was a regular psychiatric analyst for Fox News, appearing on programs like 'The O'Reilly Factor.'
Did You Know?
He testified as an expert witness in the high-profile trial of convicted murderer Jodi Arias.
Ablow is a graduate of Brown University and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
He once wrote a column arguing that President Barack Obama suffered from 'narcissistic personality disorder.'
“The truth is often a story we tell ourselves to survive.”
