Christopher Ruddy
Christopher Ruddy is an American media executive and former journalist who founded NewsmaxNewsmaxNewsmax is an American conservative news media company that Christopher Ruddy started as a website in 1998 and later built into a cable news channel and streaming services; its holding company, Newsmax Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2025, and it has settled defamation suits brought by Dominion and Smartmatic over its 2020 election coverage.Open the full entry in 1998 and is chief executive officer and chairman of the board of its holding company, Newsmax Inc., in which he holds a majority of the voting power through Class A shares.
Contents17 sections
Key facts
1987Graduates from St. John’s
Ruddy grew up in a modest household on Long Island, the 12th of 14 children of a Nassau County police lieutenant and a homemaker. He attended Chaminade High School, entered the Honors Program at St. John’s University and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history in 1987.[1]
1991Enters Journalism
He briefly taught high school in the South Bronx, joined a conservative monthly in 1991 and then moved to the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is a daily newspaper in New York City, published by New York Post Media Group, a News Corp company.Open the full entry.[2]
1994–1997Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Vincent Foster Book
In 1994 Ruddy joined the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as a reporter. In 1997 he published The Strange Death of Vincent Foster: An Investigation, arguing that the death of Vincent Foster, officially ruled a suicide, deserved further investigation.[3]
1998Founds Newsmax
In 1998 Ruddy founded Newsmax with a $25,000 investment from the family of William J. Casey.[1]
1999–2005Meets Donald Trump
Ruddy met Donald Trump in 1999, after Trump bought Mar-a-Lago, and was invited to join the club in 2005 after sponsoring a Red Cross ball there. He recalled that Trump “would call me all the time and we would chat about Bill Clinton.”[2]
March 3, 2025Remarks on the Public Offering
When Newsmax closed its $225 million preferred placement, Ruddy said: “A public offering will allow tens of thousands of Americans to directly partner with us.”[4]
March 31, 2025Newsmax Goes Public
When Newsmax listed on the New York Stock Exchange on March 31, 2025, Ruddy sold no shares in the IPO; through a revocable trust he held 39.2 million Class A shares, giving him 81% of the company’s votes.[5]
April 7, 2025Remarks on the Equity Facility
When Newsmax signed its standby equity purchase agreement of up to $1.2 billion with Yorkville, Ruddy said it gave the company flexibility to raise additional capital when needed.[6]
August 18, 2025Comments on the Dominion Settlement
When Newsmax announced its settlement with Dominion, Ruddy said the Delaware court had “effectively enforced a confiscation of our property” because the company’s reporting was not always sympathetic to Joe Biden.[7]
October 16, 2025Remarks on the Crypto Reserve
When Newsmax announced plans to buy bitcoin and Trump Coin, Ruddy said “Bitcoin is fast becoming the gold standard of cryptocurrency” and that the coin’s value should track the success of the Trump presidency.[8]
October 23, 2025Keynote at Maxim Group Summit
On October 23, 2025, Ruddy delivered the keynote address at Maxim Group’s 2025 Growth Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City.[9]
April 2026Letter to Shareholders
In April 2026 Ruddy, as chief executive officer and chairman of the board, published a letter to shareholders describing 2025 as the company’s first year as a public company, in which it completed its IPO and resolved a significant legal matter, and saying he expected 2026 to be a year of accelerated growth.[10]
July 28, 2026Remarks on the Meta Partnership
When Newsmax entered its AI content partnership with MetaMetaMeta (Meta Platforms, Inc.) is a publicly listed American technology company, renamed from Facebook in 2021, that operates social communication, digital advertising, virtual reality, smart glasses and artificial intelligence businesses.Open the full entry, Ruddy said: “We are pleased to work with Meta to help ensure users have access to timely, high-quality journalism.”[11]
August 13, 2026Remarks on Overseas Expansion
When Newsmax announced its first profitable quarter as a public company, Ruddy said the company would use its overseas relationships to license the Newsmax brand and launch local channels in foreign markets.[12]
As of October 2026: Other Roles
Ruddy served on the Knight Foundation’s Commission on Trust, Media and American Democracy and has been a media fellow at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityStanford University is a research university in California founded by Leland and Jane Stanford in 1885 and opened in 1891.Open the full entry’s Hoover Institution.[13]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Newsmax Media: Official website: https://www.newsmax.com/ (opens in a new window)[14]
Newsmax Inc.: Official website: https://ir.newsmax.com/ (opens in a new window)[14]
Sources
- Chris Ruddy '87C | St. John's University (opens in a new window)
- Meet Chris Ruddy, the conservative media owner who wants to steer Trump to the center (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax | Business and Management | Research Starters | EBSCOhost (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax Closes $225 Million Preferred Offering, Public Offering Preparation Continues | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax founder and ex-NY Post journalist Christopher Ruddy is now a billionaire (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax Enters into Standby Equity Purchase Agreement of Up to $1.2 Billion With Yorkville Advisors | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax Announces Settlement with Dominion Voting Systems | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax Announces Crypto Plan for Asset Reserve | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy to Deliver Keynote Address at Maxim Group's 2025 Growth Summit | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Letter from Chris Ruddy to Shareholders (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax and Meta Enter AI Content Partnership | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- Newsmax Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)
- SCHEDULE 14A (opens in a new window)
- Investor Relations | Newsmax Media, Inc. (opens in a new window)