Mia Farrow's son Ronan officially joins MSNBC but brands Frank Sinatra 'paternity' controversy 'an annoyance'

By James Nye

PUBLISHED: 16:05 EST, 16 October 2013 | UPDATED: 17:44 EST, 16 October 2013

Ronan Farrow, the son of Mia Farrow and former Obama administration foreign policy adviser has been confirmed as the host of his own weekday program on MSNBC today - and called the recent headlines about his paternity 'an annoyance'.

The announcement came this afternoon from MSNBC president Phil Griffin who said the show which will launch in mid-January and confirms months of speculation that the 25-year-old Rhodes Scholar would front a new program aimed at a younger, millennial audience.

Calling the huge attention that followed his mother's admission earlier this month in Vanity Fair that Frank Sinatra could 'possibly' be his father a 'distraction', Farrow tried to play down the rumor saying, 'It's a story that's been out there for a long time.'

Confirmed: Ronan Farrow, 25, is to host his own weekday MSNBC show as it seeks to diversify its image and engage with a Millennial audience

Confirmed: Ronan Farrow, 25, is to host his own weekday MSNBC show as it seeks to diversify its image and engage with a Millennial audience

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Scandal: Ronan's mother Mia Farrow suggested in a Vanity Fair interview the sensational possibility that his father might be Frank Sinatra and not Woody Allen
Future News Host: Ronan Farrow is in line to get his own talk show at MSNBC it was revealed today - the same day his mother, Mia Farrow said his father was 'possibly' Frank Sinatra - not Woody Allen

Claim: Mia Farrow has admitted Frank Sinatra may be the father of her son Ronan, instead of Woody Allen

The new show is expected to be closely allied to his strong activism in the fields of human rights, especially those of young people.

While he has no anchoring experience with a large network, MSNBC is said to understand that there may be teething problems and pointed to their entire prime-time lineup of Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell - none of whom arrived on screens through traditional channels.

However, in his capacities as a foreign policy official in the first Obama administration, the United States' first Special Adviser for Global Youth during the Arab Spring revolutions and a US diplomat focused on the conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Farrow has made repeated appearances on MSNBC and CNN.

 

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He has also written about human rights and foreign policy for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, so is not light on journalistic experience.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Farrow explained that the drive of his new show will be to involve the viewer as never before, breaking free from the staid format of most coverage of Washington D.C.

'I think what people carve is more involvement in the story,' he said.

'There has been a democratization of information. But what they still crave, and what I crave as a TV viewer, is a guide on how people can have agency in the story.

'And this show is all about empowering people to do that. People want a return to real democracy. They want to respond to these events in Washington that there is so much frustration about.'

Talented: Ronan Farrow has served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues (left),
Talented: Ronan Farrow has served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues (left), and has been accepted as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University for this Fall

Talented: Ronan Farrow has served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues (left), and has been accepted as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University for this Fall

Griffin revealed that Farrow has been in talks with MSNBC for months.

'Within 20 minutes I just knew that he had a certain presence and confidence. He knew what he wanted to say,' said Griffin.

'I just had a sense that the guy could do it. Whatever that thing is that enables people to communicate really well, he had it,' explained Griffin to the Hollywood Reporter.

'We're always trying evolve the message here and how to get ideas across. And he was an original thinker. And that's the most important thing.'

Farrow, is the only possible biological son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen and his resume has all the hallmarks of a genius.

He was admitted to Yale Law School at the age of 16 and has also been a prolific journalist and activist for child advocacy issues, especially in Africa.

Special role: Ronan is a former U.S. Global Youth Issues envoy and worked alongside Hillary Clinton

Special role: Ronan is a former U.S. Global Youth Issues envoy and worked alongside Hillary Clinton

Colleagues: If Ronan Farrow joins MSNBC he will join Alec Baldwin (left) who is hosting a new prime-time variety show on Fridays and long-time stalwart Rachel Maddow (right)
Colleagues: If Ronan Farrow joins MSNBC he will join Alec Baldwin (left) who is hosting a new prime-time variety show on Fridays and long-time stalwart Rachel Maddow (right)

Colleagues: If Ronan Farrow joins MSNBC he will join Alec Baldwin (left) who is hosting a new prime-time variety show on Fridays and long-time stalwart Rachel Maddow (right)

A member of the New York Bar, Farrow, like his mother, Mia, has shown a special interest in protecting children caught in armed conflict zones and those suffering with AIDS.

His joining of MSNBC's lineup signals something of a shakeup for the network.

Emmy-award winning actor, Alec Baldwin has begun hosting of a new Friday night prime-time show called 'Up Late with Alec Baldwin', which airs at 10 p.m.

Rumors about the parentage of her son Ronan, 25, have long dogged Mia Farrow, and she finally addressed the issue in an interview with Vanity Fair saying the legendary crooner was 'possibly' his father.

Farrow, now 68, said that Sinatra was the great love of her life, and says, 'We never really split up.'

When Vanity Fair asked Sinatra's daughter about Ronan being treated as if he were a member of her family, Nancy Sinatra Jr told them: 'He is a big part of us, and we are blessed to have him in our lives.'

Farrow married Sinatra in 1966 in Las Vegas when she was 21 and he was 50.

The marriage fell apart 18 months later when she refused to drop her critically-acclaimed performance in Rosemary's Baby to star in a movie with her husband. They divorced in 1968.

In 1980, Farrow started a long-term relationship with Woody Allen, although the two never lived together. Farrow became Allen's muse and starred in 13 of his films, most notable Hannah And Her Sisters in 1986.

Her relationship with Allen ended in 1992 when she discovered he was having an affair with her oldest adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, then 22.

It was believed that the news Allen may not be his father could be welcome to Ronan - the pair had a very public falling out when Allen began his romantic relationship with Previn.

Possible Father: Portrait of singer and actor Frank Sinatra taken in the 1950s as his career experienced a resurgence

Possible Father: Portrait of singer and actor Frank Sinatra taken in the 1950s as his career experienced a resurgence

RonanFarrow/Twitter
RonanFarrow/Twitter

Ronan's Twitter page is full of celeb photos including one with Jemima Khan, right and left with Katy Perry

Old life: Allen is pictured with Farrow and two of their children, Dylan Farrow and Satchel - now Ronan

Old life: Allen is pictured with Farrow and two of their children, Dylan Farrow and Satchel - now Ronan

'He's my father and married to my sister. That makes me his son and his brother-in-law. That is such a moral transgression,' Ronan has said.

'I cannot see him. I cannot have a relationship with my father and be morally consistent... I lived with all these adopted children, so they are my family. To say Soon-Yi was not my sister is an insult to all adopted children,' Ronan said of the relationship.

Following the discovery of naked photos of Soon-Yi in Woody's possession, Farrow launched a messy custody battle over their three children.

And the strained relationship with his father doesn't seem to have held Ronan back; and he has been deemed a child prodigy.

He enrolled in Bard College at the age of 11, graduating at 15, and moving on to the prestigious Yale Law School and graduating by the age of 21- a year younger than most students finish their undergraduate degree.

Since leaving school, Ronan has worked as a special adviser to the State Department, specifically focusing on the youth issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He has lent his face and name to charitable causes for years, serving as a UNICEF spokesperson from 2001 to 2009.

After working under Hillary Clinton in the State Department, Ronan is now moves into the ranks of her husband, former president Bill Clinton, with Monday's Rhodes scholarship nomination.

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Brilliant and gorgeous. But I went on YouTube and watched an Interview with him. BORING! He has the potential to put to sleep an entire Millenial Generation. Hope his "teething" period will involve Personality Infusion.

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Every time I see Ronan now, all I can see is Ol' Blue Eyes. I'll tune in to his show, he's a very clever and funny man no matter who his father is.

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Dooby-dooby-doo,. doo-doo-daa-dii-daa...

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What?! Knock me over with a boring movie? The kid not only looks like he is not Woody Allen's son, he is Frank Sinatra's son? How could Ms Farrow leave that hunk of a man that is Woody alone babysitting her kids and sneak off with Sinatra? Their family tree is looking more like a wreath every day.

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Yes, it makes sense, especially if you look at Frank's son, Frank Sinatra Jr, when he was young - they are definitely half brothers.

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Why is he annoyed? He should be happy that Woody Allen, the guy he hates so much, is not his father. He certainly has an uncanny resemblance to Sinatra.

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the issue of paternity is easily solved - no reason to fret or be annoyed over it. he does look astonishingly like Sinatra and not a bit like allen (thankfully!). ronan is an impressive human being with what appears to be unimpeachable morals - no way he's related to allen.

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I don't see Frank OR Woody in him. Whatever, he's brilliant and funny, and I enjoy following his comments on Twitter.

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Rowan Farrow needed the 'is he, isn't he' controversy to land the job. Pretty boy but not much talent

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MSNBC? Well, I guess he has found a family as dysfunctional as his own. And by the way, it's Rachel Maddow who is Woody Allen's son, not Ronan Farrow.

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LOL!!!!

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