While Rachel Maddow is a household name in political journalism, her partner Susan Mikula has remained largely behind the scenes. Together for over two decades, Maddow and Mikula’s relationship is one of quiet strength, intellectual connection, and enduring love. But who exactly is the woman who has stood by Maddow’s side all these years?

Here are five surprising and deeply fascinating things about Susan Mikula that many people don’t know.

1. Their Love Story Started With a Job Posting and It Was Love at First Sight

In the late 1990s, Rachel Maddow was finishing her dissertation for her DPhil at Oxford University while juggling various side jobs. One of those gigs turned out to be life-changing. Susan Mikula, an established artist living in Massachusetts, posted a simple ad seeking someone to help with yard work. Maddow answered it — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Maddow has famously described their first meeting as “love at first sight,” recounting it with poetic passion: “Bluebirds and comets and stars. It was absolutely 100 percent clear.” The connection was instant, powerful, and deeply rooted from the beginning.

2. Mikula Is a Self-Taught Fine-Art Photographer Who Doesn’t Use Digital Cameras

While Maddow is known for her razor-sharp commentary on politics, Mikula expresses herself through a very different lens — literally. Susan Mikula is a fine-art photographer who works almost exclusively with vintage and analog photographic equipment. She has a particular fondness for Polaroid cameras and uses them to create haunting, atmospheric images.

What’s most unique? Mikula refuses to go digital. She embraces the imperfections of old technology to produce dreamy, abstract works that evoke nostalgia, ambiguity, and emotion. Her exhibitions have appeared in New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and she continues to challenge what “modern” art can look like by going backward in time.

3. She Helped Shape Maddow’s Emotional and Intellectual Life

Susan Mikula isn’t just Rachel Maddow’s partner — she’s also her anchor, sounding board, and intellectual equal. In interviews, Maddow has spoken about how Mikula helped her navigate the intensity of public life, especially as her career exploded on MSNBC.

In fact, Maddow rarely makes big decisions without consulting Mikula first. Despite their drastically different professions, they find balance in one another. Mikula’s grounded, artistic perspective provides contrast and calm to Maddow’s fast-paced, high-pressure media environment.

Maddow once said, “Susan taught me how to think about things differently, to slow down, and see more.” Their bond is as much philosophical as it is emotional.

4. Mikula Struggled With COVID-19 and It Shook Maddow Deeply

In late 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddow took a brief but highly emotional break from her MSNBC show. When she returned, she revealed that Mikula had tested positive for the virus and had been gravely ill.

Maddow fought tears on air as she described the fear and helplessness she felt while watching the person she loved most battle for her life. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through,” she said. “She is the center of my universe.”

The experience underscored just how private yet profound their relationship is. It also reminded the world that behind every public figure is a deeply human love story.

5. Despite Their Fame, They Live a Quiet, Low-Key Life

You might expect the partner of one of America’s most famous political commentators to be part of a glamorous media circuit. But Susan Mikula and Rachel Maddow have made a conscious decision to live quietly.

The couple split their time between an old farmhouse in Massachusetts and an apartment in Manhattan. They enjoy quiet nights, their dogs, and each other’s company more than flashy red carpets. Mikula loves gardening, and Maddow is reportedly obsessed with fishing and fixing things around the house.

Their relationship thrives on simplicity, mutual respect, and a shared sense of purpose. Perhaps that’s the biggest surprise of all — that behind the spotlight of political media is a love story that’s quiet, steady, and beautifully ordinary.