Quivers was born on August 8, 1952, in Pikesville, Maryland, to Lula Louise Quivers, a homemaker and housekeeper, and Charles Quivers Sr., a steelworker at Bethlehem Steel. She has a brother, Charles Jr., and two adopted brothers, Harry and Howard. Both parents were educated only to the seventh grade.

In 1974, Quivers graduated from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Her first position was at the Maryland Shock Trauma facility of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System, where she described her role as that of “a shock-trauma, intensive care kind of nurse, so I saw unpleasantness all the time”. Knowing she could use her degree, Quivers joined the United States Air Force in July 1975, where she was commissioned as a second lieutenant. She entered active duty on January 11, 1976, before she was promoted to first lieutenant after six months of service. By June 1978, she had acquired the rank of captain. Quivers was discharged a month later.

In 1979, Quivers returned to Baltimore, where she studied at the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland and worked in a hospital. She landed her first job in the radio industry with a newscasting position at WIOO in Carlisle, Pennsylvania followed by WCMB in nearby Harrisburg. She then moved back to Baltimore for a consumer reporter role at WJZ (AM), where she also read newscasts with morning disc jockey Johnny Walker.

In March 1981, radio personality Howard Stern started his new morning program at WWDC (FM) in Washington, DC. He wanted an on-air newscaster to riff with him in the studio on the news and current affairs. Station program director Denise Oliver played Quivers a tape of Stern interviewing a prostitute on the air.

In 1990, she underwent breast reduction surgery. In June 2007, Quivers began a strict vegan diet, which she says helped to increase her energy and helped her to lose 60 pounds (27 kilograms) over a six-month period. Quivers was set to release a book about her experiences as a vegan in March 2013, but it was pushed back to October.

Quivers resides in Manhattan, New York City. From the mid-1990s until April 2007, her long-time boyfriend Tony was mysteriously referred to on the radio show as “Mr. X”. On April 23, 2007, Quivers called in to the Bubba the Love Sponge Show on Howard 101, announcing their separation.

In August 2007, comedian Jim Florentine asked Quivers on the air to go on a date with him. Due to the attention this garnered, Quivers became tight-lipped about the topic. On July 28, 2008, Quivers announced on The Howard Stern show she and Florentine had ended their relationship. She stated that the breakup was amicable, that Florentine was “genuine and honest”, and that he was the one who initiated the breakup.

Quivers has had many different hobbies, including race car driving, painting, rock climbing and other physical activities. She claimed she would be a successful racer and challenged radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, an experienced driver, to a future race. Quivers competed in the 2007 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, finishing in fourteenth place out of seventeen racers.

Quivers announced in May 2012 that she needed to have surgery to remove a tumor from her bladder. Shortly afterward, she continued to provide commentary for the show from her New York home via an ISDN line, though this was hidden from listeners. Stern stated that Quivers was such an instrumental part of the show that he would quit radio if he ever lost her as a partner. On September 9, 2013, Quivers announced that her cancer was in complete remission after successful surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. After seventeen months, Quivers returned to the studio on October 2, 2013. Quivers’ official diagnosis was stage 3C endometrial cancer.

At the 45th NAACP Image Awards in February 2014, Quivers won for Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional, for her book The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life.