Nancy Grace was born in Macon, Georgia, the youngest of three children, to factory worker Elizabeth Grace and Mac Grace, a freight agent for Southern Railway. Her older siblings are brother Mac Jr. and sister Ginny. The Graces are longtime members of Macon's Liberty United Methodist Church, where Elizabeth plays the organ and Mac Sr. was once a Sunday School teacher. Grace graduated from Macon's Windsor Academy in 1977.

In a 2011 New York Times article, David Carr wrote, "Since her show began in 2005, the presumption of innocence has found a willful enemy in the former prosecutor turned broadcast judge-and-jury". He criticized her handling of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the Duke lacrosse case, the Melinda Duckett interview and suicide, and the Caylee Anthony case. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told Carr that Grace, as an attorney and reporter, "has managed to demean both professions with her hype, rabid persona, and sensational analysis. Some part of the public takes her seriously, and her show erodes the respect for basic rights."  In January 2014, she again ignited controversy for her wildly negative depiction of recreational marijuana users. Grace made statements such as users were "fat and lazy" and that anyone who disagreed with her was "lethargic, sitting on the sofa, eating chips" to CNN's news correspondent Brooke Baldwin during a segment covering legalization in Colorado on January 6, 2014.  On October 11, 2016, The Jim Norton and Sam Roberts Show had Grace as a guest, on which they accused her of capitalizing on other's tragedy, for her personal gain. They also addressed her handling of The Ultimate Warrior's death, and the Duke lacrosse case. Norton said during the interview that he has disliked her for some time, and she has previously blocked him on Twitter. Grace, in defending herself, stated that she was a crime victim herself, and stating that they didn't ask her one decent question. The next day on The View, Grace addressed the interview, calling Norton and Roberts Beavis and Butt-Head. Grace said she had to hold back tears during the interview and stated, "I don't really know what it was, but it was hell for me." Answer this question using a quote from the following article:

What tragedy ?
The Ultimate Warrior's death, and the Duke lacrosse case.