Matthews has pundits and elected officials as guests and doesn't hesitate to interrupt them or to disagree.
Before getting his show, Matthews worked as a presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Carter and a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas P. 'Tip' O'Neill.
Matthews may have since changed to a more conservative viewpoint. "I'm more conservative than people think," and "I've voted Republican many times, (including) George W. Bush in 2000", Matthews said during an October 3, 2003 broadcast of "Hardball."
Matthews is the author of Hardball (1988), Kennedy & Nixon (1996), Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (2001), and American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions (2002).