Al Franken (Shattered)

Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American writer, comedian, and politician serving since 2009 as the junior from. He became well known in the 1970s and 1980s as a writer and performer on the television comedy show . After decades as a comedic actor and writer, he became a prominent liberal political activist. Franken was first elected to the United States Senate in 2008 in a razor-thin victory over incumbent Republican Senator, and then easily won re-election in over Republican challenger. Franken is a member of the (DFL), an affiliate of the Democratic Party.

Born in, Franken moved to Minnesota when he was four. With his writing partner, with whom he had developed an interest in improvisational theater at the prestigious college preparatory school , he was hired as a writer for SNL at its inception in 1975. He worked on the show as a writer and performer until 1980, and returned from 1985 to 1995. After leaving SNL, he wrote and acted in movies and television shows. He also hosted a nationally syndicated political radio talk show, , and wrote seven books, four of which are political satires critical of conservative politics. His latest book, , about his time in the Senate, was a.

On November 16, 2017, Franken was accused of sexual harassment by news anchor. Franken apologized for the incident and announced that he would resign his post effective November 17, 2017.