Michael Hainey is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir After Visiting Friends and a highly respected journalist, writer, editor, creative director, and cultural commentator. His wide-ranging expertise and thoughtful leadership have been central to the success of some of the world's most respected and influential media properties. In storytelling, he is widely admired for his mastery of narrative, voice, and style.
Hainey began his career in New York City as an intern at SPY magazine and was quickly brought on staff as a reporter and writer. For nearly two decades he served as the Deputy Editor of GQ magazine, where he was instrumental in transforming the title into a must-read cultural juggernaut and guiding the publication to sixty-four National Magazine Award nominations, including wins for General Excellence, as well as feature writing, reporting, and criticism. During his tenure, Hainey was also named the first Editorial Director of GQ.com, where he was responsible for leading and managing GQ's successful expansion into digital, social, and video. Later, he became the magazine's first-ever Editor-at-Large, where he focused on profiling individuals shaping the culture.
After leaving GQ in 2016, Hainey joined Esquire as Executive Director of Editorial before joining Graydon Carter as a member of the launch team of his digital weekly Air Mail, where he served as Deputy Editor from 2019 to 2026.
Hainey is widely recognized for his singular profiles of cultural icons and the uniquely revealing conversations he has created with his numerous subjects, from Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio to Bruce Springsteen and Clint Eastwood.
He is known as a trusted, perceptive collaborator and is sought out by individuals as well as institutions for his innate ability to help them find, sharpen, and tell their narrative in a voice that's original, distinctive, and unforgettable. Currently, he is working on the memoir of an Oscar-winning Hollywood director.
Hainey's journalism has been published in The Wall Street Journal, WSJ Magazine, Esquire, GQ, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, W, Architectural Digest, Wired, Departures, and other publications.
In addition, he is a poet and painter. His poems have been published in Tin House, A Magazine Curated By, and Bald Ego. His paintings were the subject of a one-man show curated and presented by the fashion designer Thom Browne.
Hainey has been a frequent contributor to the "Morning Joe" show and been featured on "The Today Show," NPR's "Weekend Edition," as well as CNN and FOX News. While he was at Air Mail, he was the co-host and co-creator of "Morning Meeting," the publication's popular weekly podcast. During his time at GQ he created and co-hosted "GQ Rules," the highly influential video franchise in which Hainey, a widely recognized authority on men's style, shares his knowledge and how-to advice.
Hainey also creates editorial and narrative for some of the world's most influential brands. His clients include Apple, Ralph Lauren, Drake's, Mytheresa, The Tribeca Film Festival, Jeremiah Brent Design, and CORE: Club.
Born in Chicago, Hainey lives in Manhattan with his wife Brooke.