Don Imus
Don Imus was a prominent American radio personality, born on July 23, 1940, in Riverside, California. He gained fame in the 1970s and 1980s for his controversial "shock jock" style on his morning show, "Imus in the Morning," which combined comedy and celebrity interviews. While his humor often offended guests and listeners alike, it resonated with a wide audience, leading to a successful career that included national syndication and a stint on MSNBC. However, his career faced a significant setback in 2007 when he made racially insensitive remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, resulting in his firing from CBS Radio and MSNBC.
Despite this incident, Imus made a return to radio in late 2007 and continued his show until 2018, often reflecting on his past mistakes. Off the air, he was known for his charitable efforts, particularly through the Imus Ranch, which supported children with cancer. Imus battled personal challenges, including substance abuse and health issues, but maintained a public persona that sparked both admiration and controversy until his death on December 27, 2019. His legacy remains complex, intertwining his contributions to radio with the impact of his controversial remarks.
Don Imus
Radio show host
- Born: July 23, 1940
- Birthplace: Riverside, California
- Died: December 27, 2019
- Place of death: College Station, Texas
Significance: Don Imus was an American radio show host best known for hosting Imus in the Morning. Imus faced many controversies throughout this career, and remarks he made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team in April 2007 led to his firing. Imus's show eventually returned to the airwaves on a new station later that year, and he continued broadcasting until early 2018.
Background
Don Imus was born on July 23, 1940, in Riverside, California. He and his brother, Fred, grew up on a cattle ranch called the Willows near Kingman, Arizona. Imus's father was an alcoholic, and his parents eventually divorced. As a teenager, he got into some trouble. He was arrested after a fight at school and later was impeached as class president. His mother urged him to join the Marines to straighten out his life, so he obliged and signed up in 1957.
Imus left the Marines after two years and then held various jobs. He worked as a railroad brakeman, but an engine derailment left him with a back injury. He also worked in a mine, where an accident caused him to break both legs. He and his brother also formed a rhythm and blues band.
In 1968, Imus landed a job as a morning host on the radio station KUTY-AM in Palmdale, California. He had several radio jobs after this time, and in 1970, he began work at WGAR-FM in Cleveland, Ohio. He quickly became known for his crude and tasteless humor that shocked and offended many listeners and guests. Imus was not afraid to speak his mind. He ridiculed guests and callers, and he became known as a "shock jock" for his brand of radio personality.
The following year, Imus moved to the WNBC station in New York City, where he had a morning show called Imus in the Morning. His show was popular, but his behavior became increasingly erratic. He had developed a drug and alcohol problem and missed more than one hundred days of work in one year. This among other issues led to his firing from WNBC in 1977.
In 1978, Imus returned to WGAR-FM for a short time. He eventually moved back to New York City and convinced WNBC to give him another chance. Imus in the Morning was back on the air by 1979.
Life's Work
Into the 1980s, Imus continued his shock-jock style on his radio show. He changed the format of his show to include not only comedy segments but also interviews with celebrities. Some of the celebrity guests he interviewed over the years included musicians, politicians, journalists, and athletes. Most times, he unapologetically offended his guests.
In 1982, radio host Howard Stern joined WNBC with his own show, The Howard Stern Show. Similarities between the two emerged as Stern quickly became known for his own brand of shock-jock entertainment. Stern became popular and gained many listeners; he even pushed Imus out as the top national morning show host. The two men soon developed a feud over which one was the best at offending listeners and guests. Stern eventually parted ways with WNBC, and his show continued on other radio channels throughout the years.
In 1988, WFAN-AM, the all-sports radio station from Astoria, Queens, New York, took over WNBC's old spot of 660 AM. It kept Imus in the Morning as part of its lineup. The show was its only non-sports program at the time. In the years that followed, the show became nationally syndicated, and other radio stations started airing it. In 1996, the cable television network MSNBC began simulcasting the show.
Imus remained popular throughout the 2000s, until one remark upended his career. In early April 2007, he was discussing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's basketball championship game between Rutgers University and the University of Tennessee. He called the women from Rutgers "nappy-headed hos," a racial slur about their appearance. Afterward, his comments created a firestorm in the media, and many people called for his firing. Advertisers threatened to pull their ads from the networks that continued to broadcast Imus in the Morning. On April 12, CBS Radio, owner of WFAN, fired Imus, ending his show on more than seventy stations and MSNBC.
That same evening, he met with the Rutgers women's basketball team to apologize for his remarks. He said later that he realized the severity of what he had said and that the team had done nothing to deserve his comments about their appearance. He agreed that he should have been fired.
Imus had just signed a contract with CBS before his firing, and he and the company settled to avoid litigation. In late 2007, Imus returned to the airwaves on WABC, which was owned by Citadel Broadcasting. Imus again apologized on air for the Rutgers incident. He continued his original show format in the years that followed. Cumulus Media, the new owner of WABC, renewed Imus in the Morning in 2016 as part of a multiple-year deal. Though he had initially planned to retire at the end of 2018, Imus ended up bringing his show to an end earlier that year due to Cumulus undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. In his final show, he once again apologized for the remarks that he had made in 2007 and thanked his listeners for their support over the years. Imus died in College Station, Texas, on December 27, 2019, at the age of seventy-nine.
Impact
Despite his crude on-air persona, off the air, Imus became known for his charitable giving. Imus, his wife, and his brother began the Imus Ranch, a nonprofit charity for children with cancer and other illnesses, in New Mexico. The Imuses raised the money to build and run the ranch, which operated from 1999 to 2014. In early 2018, the ranch was sold. Imus continued to raise money for other charities over the years.
Personal Life
Imus divorced his first wife, Harriet, in 1979. They had four daughters. A voracious reader, Imus wrote a novel, God's Other Son, in 1981, and became known for advertising books on his radio show. He abused drugs and alcohol for many years, eventually gaining sobriety in the 1990s after several stints in rehab. He chose to follow a vegan lifestyle after this time. In 1994, Imus married Deirdre Coleman. They had one son, Frederic Wyatt, who was born in 1998. His wife also guest starred on his radio show. In 2009, Imus was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He said that this factored into his decision to shutter the Imus Ranch.
Bibliography
"About Don Imus." Imus in the Morning, www.imus.com/about. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
Celizic, Mike. "Imus Blazed the Trail for Shock Jocks to Follow." Today, 9 Apr. 2007, www.today.com/news/imus-blazed-trail-shock-jocks-follow-1C9015421. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
"Controversy Has Often Dogged Don Imus." Today, 13 Apr. 2007, www.today.com/id/18081950. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
"Don Imus on the Scandal That Changed His Career." Fox News, 16 Jan. 2009, www.foxnews.com/transcript/2009/01/16/don-imus-on-scandal-that-changed-his-career.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
Edel, Raymond A. "WABC-AM's (770) Don Imus Signs Multi-Year Renewal with Cumulus Media." Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2016, www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/2016/10/18/wabcams-770-don-imus-signs-multiyear-renewal-with-cumulus-media/93052718. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
McFadden, Robert D. "Don Imus, Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries, Dies at 79." The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/arts/don-imus-dead.html. Accessed 14 Feb. 2020.
Morgan, Richard. "Don Imus' Ranch in New Mexico Headed for the Auction Block." New York Post, 2 May 2017, nypost.com/2017/05/02/don-imus-ranch-for-kids-with-cancer-headed-for-auction-block. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
Sandomir, Richard. "In the Studio With: Don Imus; It's a Hideous Life, and You Get to Hear All about It." New York Times, 29 Sept. 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/09/29/garden/in-the-studio-with-don-imus-it-s-a-hideous-life-and-you-get-to-hear-all-about-it.html?pagewanted=all. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
Steinberg, Jacques. "A Chastened Imus Returns to Radio." New York Times, 3 Dec. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/business/media/03cnd-imus.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.