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Wikipedia

Don Imus

January 26, 2023

John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, Imus in the Morning, was aired on various stations and digital platforms nationwide until 2018.

Don Imus
Imus, c. mid-1980s
Born
John Donald Imus Jr.

(1940-07-23)July 23, 1940
Riverside, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 2019(2019-12-27) (aged 79)
College Station, Texas, U.S.[1]
Occupation(s)Radio and television talk show host, writer, humorist
Years active1964–2018
Spouse(s)
Harriet Showalter
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1979)​

​
(m. 1994)​
Children6
AwardsNAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, 4 NAB Marconi Radio Awards

In 1968, he began his first radio job, at KUTY in Palmdale, California. Three years later, he landed the morning broadcast position at WNBC in New York City. Imus was fired from WNBC in 1977, and following a one-year stint at WHK in Cleveland was rehired by WNBC in 1979. Imus remained at the station until it left the air in 1988, at which time his show moved to WFAN, which took over WNBC's former frequency of 660 kHz. Following Howard Stern's success with national syndication, Imus in the Morning adopted the same model in 1993.

Throughout his later career, Imus was labeled a "shock jock".[2] He was fired by CBS Radio in April 2007 after describing the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos".

In January 2018, Cumulus Media, in bankruptcy reorganization, told Imus the company was going to stop paying him. His final show aired on March 29, 2018.[3] He died the following year of complications from lung disease.[4]

Early life

Imus was born in Riverside, California, to a wealthy family,[5] the son of John Donald Imus Sr. and Frances E. Imus (née Moore) who ran a 35,000-acre (140 km2) ranch named The Willows near Kingman, Arizona.[6] He was said to have Welsh, English, and Polish roots. Imus claimed at one time to practice Judaism then later recanted, calling himself, "spiritual."[7][8][9][10] He had a younger brother, Fred Imus (1942–2011). Imus disliked school, moving "from one hideous private school to another" and described himself as a "horrible adolescent". When he was 15, his parents divorced. His father died when Imus was 20.[7]

In 1957, while living in Prescott, Arizona, Imus dropped out of high school and joined the United States Marine Corps at Base Camp Pendleton where he was stationed in an artillery unit before transferring to the Drum and Bugle Corps.[7][11] He left the Marines with an honorable discharge, and secured work as a window dresser in San Bernardino, before he was fired for performing strip teases on the mannequins for passersby.[7] Imus then moved to Hollywood with his brother in an attempt to find success as musicians and songwriters, but they struggled to get radio DJs to play their songs on the air. This left Imus homeless, resorting to sleeping in a laundry and hitchhiking back to Arizona.[7] After dropping out of the University of the Pacific,[10] Imus worked as a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad and in a uranium mine in Arizona.[12] He suffered a mining accident that broke both of his legs.[11]

Career

Main article: Imus in the Morning

Early career

In 1966, Imus enrolled at the Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences, in Hollywood, after seeing a newspaper advertisement; he was thrown out for being "uncooperative", but studied enough to obtain a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[7][11] Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's night club, he worked as a singer-songwriter, with Otis serving as his manager.[13] After hearing a morning radio DJ at KUTY, in Palmdale, California, Imus went to the station and successfully persuaded the owner to hire him. He signed on the air on June 2, 1968.[14][15] While at KUTY, Imus debuted his on-air character Billy Sol Hargis,[7] a radio evangelist inspired by and named for preacher Billy James Hargis and businessman Billie Sol Estes. Imus was an instant success at the station; in two months, he had become number one in ratings for his time slot, and earned a Billboard Award for Air Personality of the Year in a medium-sized market.[7][11]

Imus then had a brief tenure at KJOY in Stockton, California, from which he was fired due to an incident that some sources attributed to his Eldridge Cleaver look-a-like contest[7][9] in which the winner would be incarcerated for a year.[14] Other sources suggest the firing was because of his saying "hell"[16] and multiple raunchy jokes on-air.[17] Imus moved to KXOA in Sacramento, California, whose management team—including general manager Jack G. Thayer and program director John Lund—both left for identical positions at Cleveland station WGAR and took Imus with them.[18] Thayer and Lund were hired by WGAR to revamp the station's old-line middle of the road (MOR) format, and had Imus as the centerpiece for their new adult contemporary format[19] that had been developed at KXOA.[20] Imus's tenure at WGAR lasted for less than 15 months but immediately showed success. The October/November 1970 Arbitron ratings listed Imus at number one in the 18–49 demo, ahead of WKYC's Jim Runyon and WJW's Ed Fisher; WGAR as a whole topped both the 25–34 and 25–49 demos.[14] Imus was honored by Billboard as the number one radio personality for 1971, an honor he shared with KMPC's Gary Owens.[21][11]

Imus in the Morning was controversial and satirical, with Imus's existing characters and comedy skits garnering immediate attention. One of his earliest on-air jokes involved promoting the 1958 Bobby Darin single Queen of the Hop as "a WGAR exclusive" and talking over it in the mode of a Top 40 deejay.[22] Imus also became infamous for his series of prank calls, even dialing Ohio Attorney General William J. Brown's publicly listed phone number and inviting him to "join the swinging world of show biz".[23] He once contacted an Ohio Bell phone operator to ask if she was married and if "you mess around", prompting the phone company's lawyers to contact the station.[20] His most infamous prank call was to a McDonald's restaurant claiming to be an Ohio National Guard official and ordered 4,000 hamburgers[23] as lunch for the troops.[24] While the phone call was entirely scripted by Imus and Lund (with Lund voicing the McDonald's worker)[25] the segment influenced a later FCC ruling that required all radio DJs to identify themselves when they make phone calls on the air.[11] Imus also devoted one show to help a Yugoslavian immigrant find a bride in order to prevent his deportation after it was discovered he entered the country illegally.[26] Meanwhile, Imus, Jack Thayer, and WGAR were hit with a defamation lawsuit by television meteorologist Robert Zames after Imus repeatedly questioned Zames's sobriety and joked about it on-air.[27]

1971–1979: WNBC and WHK

On December 2, 1971, less than three years into his radio career, Imus started his morning show at WNBC in New York City,[28] with a $100,000 per year salary[10] which was said to have been double his WGAR salary.[24] On his second day, he overslept and missed the show.[7][9] Imus was involved in various projects during his time at WNBC. In March 1973, he began a stand-up comedy and stage act called Imus in the Evening; his first shows were held at The Bitter End in New York City.[29] By the early 1980s, he was earning as much as $10,000 a performance.[30] Imus retired his stand-up in December 1985.[31] He released three albums containing radio segments and songs: 1200 Hamburgers to Go (1972),[24] One Sacred Chicken to Go (1973), and This Honky's Nuts (1974). The latter features material from his stand-up comedy at Jimmy's Club in Manhattan.[citation needed]

Imus started to drink heavily during this period, which soon affected his working life. He started to miss work and became increasingly unmanageable. He missed 100 days of work in 1973.[7] In August 1977, WNBC decided to reformat the station and let go of their on-air staff.[7] Imus described himself as "awful" and "a jerk" during this time, and struggled to find a suitable job in New York City that satisfied his salary demands.[30] He returned to Cleveland and began an afternoon drive show on WHK in 1978. He found the experience humiliating, but took the job in order to earn money and "get my act together".[7] During this time, Imus recorded episodes of IMUS, plus..., a late-night talk show on WNEW-TV in New York.[citation needed]

1979–1988: WNBC

On September 3, 1979, Imus returned to the air in mornings at WNBC from 5:30 am.[32] By this time, Imus had started to use cocaine; he quit in 1983. He continued to drink, and his on- and off-air behavior became erratic; he turned up for work without shoes and slept on park benches with large amounts of money in his pocket.[11] By 1981, Imus and Charles McCord secured a deal with Paramount Pictures that involved the development of three screenplays, including work on Joy of Sex.[30][33] In April 1981, Imus renewed his contract with WNBC with a five-year deal worth $500,000 a year with bonuses if he surpassed ratings targets.[34] Following the addition of Howard Stern in afternoons in 1982, Imus and Stern began a longtime feud though both were paired on WNBC print and television advertisements.[35]

In July 1981, Imus released his first book, God's Other Son, a novel about the life of his on-air character Billy Sol Hargis that he wrote with McCord.[30] It was republished in 1994 and spent seven weeks on The New York Times best seller list.[36] By October 1981, Imus was the most popular radio DJ in the US, reaching 220,000 regular listeners and number one in 12 of 13 demographic categories.[37] Other regular Imus characters included the supposed general manager "Geraldo Santana Banana" (played by doo-wop singer Larry Chance), and "Moby Worm", a monstrous creature who devoured local schools (which was reported on the show's "breaking news updates").[citation needed]

Imus was also the utility announcer for Geraldo Rivera's monthly TV series Good Night America, which aired as a recurring segment of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment program (1973–1976), and he was one of the inaugural video jockeys (VJ) for the launch of VH-1, sister cable channel to MTV, in 1985.[38]

1988–2007: WFAN and national syndication

On October 7, 1988, after WNBC was sold to Emmis Broadcasting, the station permanently signed off the air to have WFAN, an all-sports station, move to the station's signal. The entire station staff was let go except Imus and his radio show team, who stayed to become WFAN's morning show.[citation needed]

In 1989, Imus signed a five-year deal to continue his show on WFAN.[39] In April 1989, Imus was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.[40] Later in 1989, Imus accepted an invitation to become an honorary assistant coach for a basketball game between the Fordham Rams and La Salle Explorers the following January.[41]

The show began syndication in June 1993 when it was simulcast on WEEI in Boston,[42] followed by four other stations around the country.[43] They began simulcasting on MSNBC in 1996.[citation needed]

Imus was instrumental in raising over $60 million for the Center for the Intrepid, a Texas rehabilitation facility for soldiers wounded in the Iraq War.[44] The largest technological center of its kind in the country, it is designed to treat disabled veterans and help them with their transition back into the community. Imus also took on the cause of the living conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, visiting wounded veterans at the hospital to boost morale. Imus's reporting preceded Army resignations, including that of Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, then Army Surgeon General. Imus had earlier criticized Kiley's personal fitness for military duty and dedication to wounded soldiers.[citation needed]

2007–2018: WABC and retirement

The program was heard on WABC starting on December 3, 2007.[45][46] In 2018, Cumulus Media informed Imus that the company was going to stop paying him because of the bankruptcy reorganization that Cumulus was undergoing.[3][47][48] The show aired its final episode on March 29, 2018.[49]

Controversies

Rutgers women's basketball team

Imus characterized the Rutgers University women's basketball team, a team that included nine African-American players, including the five starters, as "rough girls" on April 4, 2007. It occurred during a discussion about the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship where he was commenting on the players' tattoos. His executive producer Bernard McGuirk responded by referring to them as "hardcore hos". The discussion continued with Imus describing the women as "nappy-headed hos"[50][51] and McGuirk remarking that the two teams looked like the "jigaboos versus the wannabes" as mentioned in Spike Lee's film School Daze, apparently referring to the two teams' differing appearances.[52][53]

In the immediate aftermath of the remarks, public outrage was directed at Imus and WFAN. Howard Stern discussed how he had heard Imus make racist comments which were directed at a black female co-worker while the two were working at WNBC. Management was aware of the comments at the time but had done nothing. Stern's co-host Robin Quivers confirmed that assertion and added that she had once been the target of Imus's racist remarks herself.[54] Imus dismissed the controversy at first, calling the incident "some idiot comment meant to be amusing".[55] He also stated that "nappy-headed hos" is a term which rap artists use to refer to black women.[56] He said:

That phrase didn't originate in the White community. That phrase originated in the Black community. Young Black women all through that society are demeaned and disparaged and disrespected by their own Black men, and they are called that name in Black hip hop.[57]

In response to mounting public censure, Imus issued a statement of apology:

I want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team, which lost to Tennessee in the NCAA championship game on Tuesday. It was completely inappropriate and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry.

On April 9, Imus appeared on Al Sharpton's syndicated radio talk show Keepin' It Real with Al Sharpton to address the controversy. Sharpton called the comments "abominable", "racist", and "sexist", and repeated his earlier demand that Imus be fired. Imus said, "Our agenda is to be funny and sometimes we go too far. And this time we went way too far. Here's what I've learned: that you can't make fun of everybody, because some people don't deserve it."[58]

Imus was suspended soon after. Media commentators were divided on the suspension. On MSNBC's Scarborough Country on April 10,[59] Pat Buchanan said that Imus is "a good guy" who "made a bad mistake and apologized for it" and that the show should stay on the air. Comedian Bill Maher said that if a comedian apologizes for stepping over a line, that should suffice. MSNBC media analyst Steve Adubato disagreed, saying that this incident was "not isolated". Joe Klein made the same charge, referring to Imus's comment about The New York Times reporter Gwen Ifill 14 years before as evidence of a pattern of offensive comments. On The View, Rosie O'Donnell spoke out in support of keeping Imus on the air on free speech grounds.[60] Emil Steiner of The Washington Post argued that Sharpton used the issue to further divide America along racial lines.[61]

The Rutgers basketball team held a news conference at which coach C. Vivian Stringer stated that the team would meet with Imus to discuss his comments. Several of the players expressed their outrage over his remarks. Team captain Essence Carson said that Imus's remarks had "stolen a moment of pure grace from us".[62][63]

Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page had confronted Imus about his characterization of certain black athletes and got him to take a pledge to stop. After the Rutgers team incident, Page said that he would not appear on the show again and said of the original two-week suspension:

I know other stations… some shock jock who lost his job for less than this, or been at least suspended for a month or two. Why does Don, a repeat offender, keep getting away with it? I want to know.[64]

CBS board member and former NAACP president Bruce S. Gordon said that Imus should not be allowed to come back even after the suspension, claiming that his remarks "crossed the line, a very bright line that divides our country."[65] President of NBC News Steve Capus announced on April 11, 2007, that MSNBC would no longer simulcast Imus in the Morning.[citation needed] The decision came on the same day that a few advertisers left Imus, and the network also said that employee concerns played a role.

Capus said:

These comments were deeply hurtful to many, many people. And we've had any number of employee conversations, discussions, emails, phone calls. And when you listen to the passion and the people who come to the conclusion that there should not be any room for this sort of conversation and dialogue on our air, it was the only decision we could reach.[66]

CBS Radio canceled Imus in the Morning the next day.[67] CBS President and chief executive officer Leslie Moonves stated:

From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air about the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship with such class, energy and talent. There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society. That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision.[68][69]

The day before, CBS chairman Sumner Redstone said that he trusted that Moonves would "do the right thing," but he didn't elaborate. Moonves had met with Sharpton and Jesse Jackson shortly before the announcement was made.[70] Moonves said in an internal memo that employee concerns were a factor in the decision to cancel Imus's show, but he also said that the decision was "about a lot more than Imus." Moonves said that CBS had to take Imus off the air in order to change "a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people."[71]

General Motors (Imus's biggest advertiser), Staples Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Sprint Nextel, PetMeds, American Express, and Procter & Gamble either pulled their ads outright or suspended advertising on Imus's show to protest his remarks.[72] Bigelow Tea Company expressed uncertainty about renewing their ads with Imus's show.[73]

Just hours after the announcement of his firing, Imus met with Stringer and her team at Drumthwacket, the New Jersey governor's mansion. The three-hour meeting was arranged by Buster Soaries, the former New Jersey Secretary of State and Stringer's pastor. New Jersey governor Jon Corzine planned to attend the meeting but was injured in a car accident on the way.[74] Imus left without commenting, but Stringer said that the meeting went well. She later commented that they had accepted Imus's apology because he came to the meeting "in spite of the fact that he lost his job. So let's give him credit for that." She also emphasized that the basketball team had not called for Imus to be fired.[72][75]

Senator John Kerry criticized CBS for being too harsh. He said that a "long suspension" would be "appropriate to pay a price on the airwaves but I'm not sure that it was appropriate to say you're off forever."[76]

Subsequent litigation

Imus hired prominent attorney Martin Garbus by May 2, 2007, to pursue a wrongful termination lawsuit against CBS for the remaining $40 million on his five-year contract. The contract contained a clause indicating that CBS hired and supported Imus to produce "irreverent" and "controversial" programming.[77] CBS announced a settlement with Imus on his $40 million contract on August 14.[78] Rutgers basketball player Kia Vaughn filed a suit that same day against Imus, NBC Universal, CBS Corporation, MSNBC, CBS Radio, Viacom, Westwood One Radio, and Bernard McGuirk, citing slander, libel, and defamation of character. She was the only player to pursue legal damages.[79] Vaughn dropped the lawsuit on September 11, 2007, citing her desire to concentrate on her studies and basketball training.[80][81]

Return to radio and television

On July 8, 2007, the Drudge Report indicated that Imus would return to the air before the 2008 presidential election.[82] The New York Post reported on July 16, 2007, that Imus was in search of a black comedian to join the show upon its return to help cushion racially insensitive comments that he might say on the air.[83] The same paper reported on July 27, 2007, that CBS was close to a buyout of Imus's contract. The report also said that Imus's representatives had contacted Buckley Broadcasting, Citadel Broadcasting, and Clear Channel Communications.[84] Imus reached a settlement with CBS Radio over his contract on August 14, leaving him free to pursue other media opportunities.[78]

On November 1, Citadel announced that they had agreed to a multi-year syndication contract with Imus. The new Imus in the Morning program would be distributed nationally by Citadel Media and would be based at Citadel-owned WABC in New York City beginning in December.[85] The New York Times reported on November 14 that Imus had agreed to terms with cable network RFD-TV to air a video simulcast of the new radio program.[86] Charles McCord and Bernard McGuirk joined him in the new version of the show,[87] and he returned to the airwaves on ABC Radio and RFD-TV on December 3. Sharpton said in an interview, "We'll monitor him; I'm not saying I'm going to throw a banquet for him and say welcome home. He has the right to make a living, but because he has such a consistent pattern with this we are going to monitor him to make sure he doesn't do it again."[88] Jesse Jackson appeared on Imus in the Morning on April 4, 2008, to discuss the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a booking that would have seemed impossible nearly a year before, when Jackson joined 50 demonstrators in Chicago demanding that "Imus must go", and many media commentators declared Imus's "rehabilitation" complete.[89]

In September 2008, Imus signed a multi-year deal with Fox Business Network to simulcast his radio show Imus in the Morning.[90]

Adam "Pacman" Jones controversy

Controversy once again surrounded Imus when he made the following statements regarding the suspension of Cowboys' cornerback Adam Jones.

Warner Wolf: Defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys, here's a guy suspended all of 2007, following a shooting in a Vegas nightclub.

Don Imus: Well, stuff happens. You're in a nightclub, for God's sake. What do you think is gonna happen in a nightclub? People are drinking, and doing drugs. There are women there and people have guns. So there, go ahead.

Warner Wolf: Also, he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.

Don Imus: What color is he?

Warner Wolf: He's African American.

Don Imus: Well there you go, now we know.[91]

In response, Jones said, "I'm truly upset about the comments. Obviously Mr. Imus has problems with blacks. I'm upset, and I hope the station he works for handles it accordingly. I will pray for him."[92] Imus said that his comments were misinterpreted.[93] "I meant that he was being picked on because he's black."[93] WABC vice president Phil Boyce said that it was unlikely that disciplinary action would be pursued against Imus, and none was.[93]

Joe Barton

For two weeks in fall 2006, Imus delivered ongoing "rants" against Texas Congressman Joe Barton, describing him as "a lying fat little skunk from Texas", a "pipsqueak" and a "coward and a crybaby". Imus also called Barton a "congressional dirtbag", because Barton used his position as a committee chair to prevent passage of the Combating Autism Act, which would authorize funds for autism research. In the weeks before Congress recessed on September 29, 2006, Barton used his chairmanship to prevent the legislative proposal from coming to a vote in the House, rousing the ire of Imus and his wife, staunch supporters of autism research. The bill already had been passed unanimously by the Senate, but Barton opposed the Senate bill's stipulation that Centers of Excellence in Environmental Health and Autism investigate "a broad array of environmental factors that may have a possible role in autism spectrum disorders."[94]

Lawsuits

Nichole Mallette sued Imus on November 29, 2004, for wrongful termination and defamation after a Thanksgiving 2003 incident in which she was allegedly fired from her position as nanny and escorted off his property at 4:15 am. Don and Deirdre Imus were allegedly upset over Mallette's possession of a cap-gun and pocket knife on ranch property.[95]

One of the doctors who worked at the Imus Ranch, Dr. Howard Allen Pearson, sued Imus for slander and civil assault on July 8, 2005. Dr. Pearson accused Imus of threatening him during a July 13, 2004, confrontation at the ranch, after a disagreement over how to care for one of the children at the ranch. Imus subsequently referred to Pearson several times on the air as "an arrogant fucking doctor who doesn't mind letting a child suffer." Pearson was a world-famous pediatric cancer specialist who was the former chairman of the pediatrics department of the Yale Medical School as well as a co-founder (with Paul Newman) of another facility for ill children, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.[96] In late 2005, Imus expressed his grievances about the case on the record to journalist Buzz Bissinger, for a Vanity Fair article which was published in the February 2006 issue.[11]

Longtime sports commentator Warner Wolf was fired in 2016, after ten years on the show, and Wolf subsequently sued Imus and various other parties in New York for age discrimination. Wolf was in his late 70s at the time. The suit was dismissed in 2019 on a technicality: when he was fired, Wolf was a Florida resident who had been doing his segments from a home studio. The Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that the State of New York had no jurisdiction over this matter, and an appellate court agreed.[97]

Defamatory speech

Imus and his crew made offensive remarks both on and off the air. Some examples include:

  • Imus said in 1984 concerning Howard Stern: "yes, Howard's a slut too, Lloyd. Plus a Jew bastard, and should be castrated, put in an oven." Stern played a clip of this interview in the news section of his November 5, 2007 show.[98]
  • Imus referred to black sports columnist Bill Rhoden as a "New York Times quota hire".[99]
  • In the course of a 1998 interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, Imus told a producer off-camera that McGuirk was hired to perform "nigger jokes".[100]
  • Robin Quivers recounted that he called her a "nigger" to her face when she worked with him at WNBC and also called her a "spearchucker" on the air.[101] Both Howard Stern and Quivers recalled when Imus called a black female co-worker, a secretary named Brenda, a "nigger" during their time at WNBC.[102]
  • Imus repeatedly referred to Arabs as "ragheads".[103]
  • The show's routines sometimes contained derogatory epithets for homosexuals, including "faggot" and various terms describing homosexuality.[104]
  • Imus referred to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as "disgusting" and a "fat repulsive pig".[105]

Business interests

Don Imus was also a part owner of Autobody Express stores with his late brother, Fred (who was a frequent caller to the radio show, commenting on NASCAR races, the NFL and related pop culture matters). The Autobody Express stores were located in Santa Fe, and inside the Mohegan Sun Native American Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. In 2003, the company failed and both stores closed.[citation needed]

Imus owned a small coffee and pastry store also located in the Mohegan Sun casino. The Autobody Express became Imus Ranch Foods, which offered its signature chips and salsa via online sales and in Northeastern stores, prior to the discontinuation of the Imus Ranch Foods line in 2014.

Honors

Imus won four Marconi Awards, three for Major Market Personality of the Year (1990,[106] 1992[107] and 1997[108]) and one for Network Syndicated Personality (1994).[109]

He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.[110]

Personal life

Family

Imus was married twice. Around 1969, he married his first wife Harriet Showalter, who had two daughters from a previous marriage, Nadine and Toni; Don Imus legally adopted Showalter's daughters.[10] The couple had two daughters of their own, Ashley and Elizabeth. They divorced in 1979. Imus married Deirdre Coleman on December 17, 1994, and they stayed together until Imus's death in 2019.[111] Their son Frederick Wyatt was born in 1998. Imus adopted his sixth child, Zach, in the 2010s.

At the time of his death, Imus resided in Brenham, Texas, at a ranch he acquired in 2013. He moved there full-time in 2015, after ending his Fox Business television simulcast in New York and from there started broadcasting his show solely on radio with the cast members broadcasting from the WABC radio studios. His former waterfront mansion in Westport, Connecticut, was sold that same year for $14.4 million.[112]

According to journalist Robert D. McFadden, Imus was admired for his private charity work.[113] He raised millions for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans of the Iraq war and for children with cancer and siblings of victims of sudden infant death syndrome, who had spent summers since 1999 on his ranch near Ribera, New Mexico.[113]

Imus Ranch

In 1999, Imus and Deirdre founded the Imus Ranch, a working 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) cattle ranch near Ribera, New Mexico, 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Santa Fe, for children with cancer.[114] The ranch was used as a tax deduction by Imus, and eventually, due to the personal use of the ranch by the Imus family, saw its property tax exemption reduced to 55%.[115] The ranch was also criticized for the relatively high ratio of cost to each child served, which was over $25,000.[115] The summer program serving children ended in 2014, following a rib injury Imus suffered in a fall from a horse.[115]

In the three years from 2014 onward, the ranch reported losses on its Form 990, totaling nearly $3 million.[115] The board members of the non-profit were Imus, his wife Deirdre, and Imus's agents, Vincent and Robert Andrews.[115]

In October 2014, the ranch was offered for sale with an asking price of $32 million.[116] The ranch failed to sell after repeated efforts to do so, leading Imus to put the property up for auction in May 2017.[117] The ranch was sold to broadcaster Patrick Gottsch in April 2018, for $12.5 million.[118] A spokesperson for Imus stated that the non-profit organization had not been active since 2014.[115]

Health and death

During his early years broadcasting in New York City, Imus battled with alcoholism. In 1983, he was persuaded by Michael Lynne, then his lawyer, to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Imus attended meetings and ceased to drink in public, but continued to drink in private.[7] On July 17, 1987, after a nine-day vodka binge, he attended rehabilitation at a Hanley-Hazelden treatment center in West Palm Beach, Florida, for six weeks[7][11] and remained sober.[119] By 1991, Imus had adopted a vegetarian diet.[7]

In 2000, Imus suffered serious injuries after a fall from a horse at his ranch and broadcast several shows from a hospital. The injuries resulted in chronic breathing problems, especially at higher altitudes, which he spoke about on his program.

In March 2009, Imus was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.[120][121][122] He was advised to have radiation treatments, but said he chose to treat the disease holistically.[113]

Imus was hospitalized at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, on December 24, 2019. He died three days later, on December 27, at the age of 79, of complications from lung disease.[4][123] In reporting his death, David Bauder of the Associated Press said, "the quote that might best serve as Imus's epitaph" was the shock jock's statement to Vanity Fair magazine in 2006: "I talk to millions of people every day. I just like it when they can't talk back."[124]

Discography

Albums
  • 1200 Hamburgers to Go (1972, RCA Records)
  • One Sacred Chicken to Go (1973, RCA Records)
  • This Honky's Nuts (1974, Bang Records)
  • The Imus Ranch Record (2008, New West Records)
  • The Imus Ranch Record II (2010, New West Records)
Singles
  • I'm A Hot Rodder/The Boogala (credited as Jay Jay Imus & Freddy Ford) (1964, Challenge Records) (Freddy Ford is Imus's brother, Fred)
  • From Adam's Rib To Women's Lib/The Ballad Of Rick (1971, RCA Records)
  • 1200 Hamburgers To Go/Reverend Billy Sol Hargis (1972, RCA Records)
  • Son of Checkers (The Watergate Case)/Oh Billy Sol Please Heal Us All (1973, RCA Records)
  • Play That Country Juke Box (1975, RCA Records)
  • Everybody Needs Milk (Just Give Me A Bottle Of Wine) (1975, RCA Records)
  • The Presidential Debate (credited as Road Hog & The Neon Cactus) (1976, RCA Records)

Books

  • Imus, Don (1981). God's Other Son. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-22537-7.
  • Imus, Don; Imus, Fred (1997). Two Guys Four Corners: Great Photographs, Great Times, and a Million Laughs. Villard. ISBN 978-0-679-45307-9.

Notes

  1. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (December 27, 2019). "Radio Legend Don Imus Dies at 79". Variety. from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  2. ^ Spiegelman, Arthur (April 12, 2007). "'Shock jock' Imus finally faces music". Reuters. from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Brown, Ruth (January 22, 2018). "'Imus in the Morning' is going off the air". New York Post. from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019. The company recently declared bankruptcy and told him it was going to stop paying him after March.
  4. ^ a b Bauder, David (December 27, 2019). "DJ Don Imus, Made and Betrayed by His Mouth, Dead at 79". Associated Press. from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  5. ^ "Don Imus Biography". Biography Channel. April 14, 2007. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012.
  6. ^ (PDF). ABC Radio Networks. Citadel Media. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Smith, Dinitia (June 24, 1991). "Morning Mouth: The rise, fall, and rise of Don Imus, New York's funniest radio maniac". New York Magazine. Vol. 24, no. 25. pp. 29–35. ISSN 0028-7369. from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Reed, Jim (1999). Everything Imus: all you ever wanted to know about Don Imus. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 10, 197. ISBN 1-55972-504-4.
  9. ^ a b c Adams, Val (January 2, 1972). "Radio Roundup". New York Daily News. p. 249. from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d Adams, Val (May 28, 1972). "Disc jockey with spurs". New York Daily News. p. 176. from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bissinger, Buzz (April 10, 2007). "Don Imus's Last Stand". Vanity Fair. from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  12. ^ "Imus Focuses on 'New Humor'". Billboard. Vol. 83, no. 2. January 9, 1971. pp. 25–26. ISSN 0006-2510. from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. ^ Reminiscinces upon the death of Johnny Otis, Imus in the Morning, January 20, 2012
  14. ^ a b c "Imus Focuses on 'New Humor'" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 83, no. 2. January 9, 1971. pp. 25, 26. (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ . Imonthe.Net. Archived from the original on August 24, 1999. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  16. ^ . Today.com. Associated Press. April 11, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Anna; Hill, Ian (April 11, 2007). "Stockton airwaves, Imus just didn't mix". The Record. Stockton, California. from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "WGAR 'Promo' Sparks New Play" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 38. September 19, 1970. pp. 24, 27. (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  19. ^ "WGAR Push On Deejay" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 46. November 14, 1970. p. 26. (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  20. ^ a b Hall, Claude (October 24, 1970). "Vox Jox" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 43. p. 34. (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ "Behind The Scenes: No Rock For The Garden". Akron Beacon Journal TV Preview. Akron, Ohio. September 12, 1971. p. 27. from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Don Imus finds fuss with 'Exclusive' disk" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 50. December 12, 1970. p. 34. (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Action Line". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. June 12, 1971. p. A5. from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b c "Behind the Scenes: The Mouth Still Roars". Akron Beacon Journal TV Preview. Akron, Ohio. May 21, 1972. p. 26. from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Ink, Radio (December 27, 2019). "The Industry Responds To The Death of Imus". Radio Ink. from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  26. ^ "Stan's search may be over". Dayton Journal-Herald. United Press International. November 28, 1970. p. 34. from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  27. ^ "TV Weatherman In Storm With DJ". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. December 9, 1970. p. C8. from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Adams, Val (January 2, 1972). "Radio Roundup". New York Daily News. New York, New York. p. 24S. from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "The Calendar". New York Daily News. March 14, 1973. p. 124. from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ a b c d "A humbler Don Imus reflects on his fall and rise". The Courier-News. May 22, 1981. p. C1. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Don Imus closes the curtain on 'Imus in the Evening' act". The Central New Jersey Home News. December 6, 1985. p. 47. from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Warning! WNBC rehires Imus". New York Daily News. August 15, 1979. p. 78. from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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  34. ^ "A 5-yr. stretch for Imus". New York Daily News. April 11, 1981. p. 38. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Kasindorf, Jeanie (November 23, 1992). "Bad Mouth". New York. from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  36. ^ "The York Times Best Seller List-January 8, 1995" (PDF). hawes.com. April 13, 2007. (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
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  38. ^ Grow, Kory (December 28, 2019). "Don Imus, Divisive Radio Shock Jock Pioneer, Dead at 79". Rolling Stone. from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  39. ^ "24 Jun 1989, 38". Newspapers.com. from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
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  41. ^ "21 Dec 1989, 37". Newspapers.com. from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  42. ^ Craig, Jack (June 17, 1993). "Boston won't be first stop for Imus' show". The Boston Globe. p. 87. from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ Bickelhaupt, Susan (July 9, 1993). "Wake up to IMUS". The Boston Globe. p. 21. from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ Beckerman, Jim (January 22, 2018). "Don Imus: 6 reasons to love (or loathe) the shock jock". NorthJersey.com. from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  45. ^ WABC Press Release February 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. November 1, 2007.
  46. ^ "First Broadcast of Imus in the Morning on WABC Radio, New York".
  47. ^ Trakin, Roy (January 23, 2018). "Controversial Radio Host Don Imus Stepping Down". Variety. from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  48. ^ "Don Imus announces date of his radio show's final episode". NY Daily News. from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  49. ^ "Don Imus retires after 50 years of radio, congratulates himself on the way out". New York Daily News. March 29, 2018. from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  50. ^ Hajela, Deepti (April 12, 2007). . Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008.
  51. ^ Payton, Brenda (April 12, 2007). "Imus' remarks demean women of all colors". Inside Bay Area (ANG Newspapers). from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  52. ^ Trotta, Daniel (April 12, 2007). "Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters". Reuters. from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  53. ^ CBS: CBS Fires Don Imus Over Racial Slur. March 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine February 11, 2009.
  54. ^ . Howard Stern. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
  55. ^ Carr, David (April 7, 2007). "Networks Condemn Remarks by Imus". The New York Times. from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
  56. ^ Hill, Simona J. And Dave Ramsaran. Hip Hop and Inequality: Searching for the "Real" Slim Shady June 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Amherst, N.Y.: Cambria Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-60497-651-9, p. 85.
  57. ^ Don Imus quoted in Cultural Codes: Makings of a Black Music Philosophy: An Interpretive History from Spirituals to Hip Hop June 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, William C. Banfield, Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8108-7286-8, p. 41.
  58. ^ . Associated Press. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  59. ^ "Transcript of Scarborough Country April 10, 2007". NBC News. April 10, 2007. from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  60. ^ Spangenthal-Lee, Jonah (April 11, 2007). "In Other Imus News". The Stranger. from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  61. ^ . The Washington Post. April 14, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008.
  62. ^ "Rutgers team to meet with Imus; Stringer calls comments 'deplorable'". The Herald Standard, PA. April 11, 2007. from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  63. ^ Heuschkel, David (April 11, 2007). "Imus' remark Despicable". The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
  64. ^ . NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. PBS. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  65. ^ "MSNBC pulls 'Imus in the Morning'". CNN. April 11, 2007. from the original on April 17, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
  66. ^ "NBC News: 'Only decision we could reach'". NBC News. April 11, 2007. from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
  67. ^ Breaking News From MSNBC – Don Imus Fired From CBS Radio on YouTube[dead link] (From YouTube)
  68. ^ . CNN. April 13, 2007. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  69. ^ "CBS fires Don Imus from radio show". Associated Press. April 13, 2007. from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  70. ^ Carter, Bill; Steinberg, Jacques (April 13, 2007). "Off the Air: The Light Goes Out for Don Imus". The New York Times. from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  71. ^ Bauder, David (April 12, 2007). . The Boston Globe. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  72. ^ a b . CNN. April 13, 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  73. ^ Credeur, Mary Jane; Jeffrey, Don (April 10, 2007). "Staples, P&G Halt Advertising Over Imus's Remarks (Update3)". Bloomberg News. from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  74. ^ Hurdle, Jon (April 13, 2007). "N.J. Gov. Corzine in car accident, leg broken". Reuters. Retrieved April 13, 2007.[dead link]
  75. ^ Nichols, Adam; Siemaszko, Corky (April 13, 2007). . New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  76. ^ "John Kerry Says Don Imus Shouldn't Have Been Fired". NY1 (TV channel). April 18, 2007.
  77. ^ Payne, Ed (May 3, 2007). "Imus hires attorney, will likely sue CBS". CNN. from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.
  78. ^ a b Trotta, Daniel (August 14, 2007). . Reuters. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  79. ^ "ABC News:Rutgers' Player sues Imus, NBC, CBS". ABC News. August 2007. from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  80. ^ "Rutgers' Vaughn withdraws lawsuit against Imus, CBS". USA Today. Associated Press. September 12, 2007. from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  81. ^ Grossberg, Josh (September 12, 2007). . E! Online. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  82. ^ "Imus Plots January Comeback" September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, The Drudge Report, July 8, 2007
  83. ^ Not Done Yet January 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, New York Post, July 16, 2007
  84. ^ Lauria, Peter (July 27, 2007). . New York Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009.
  85. ^ . 77WABC. November 1, 2007. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012.
  86. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (November 14, 2007). "Source: Rural channel will carry Imus show". The New York Times. from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  87. ^ Best, Neil (October 9, 2007). . Newsday. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  88. ^ Interview with Al Sharpton, David Shankbone, Wikinews, December 3, 2007.
  89. ^ "The resurrection of Don Imus has been almost as complete as his crash and burn": David Hinkley, "Year after stirring racism storm & ranch exile, Don Imus back in saddle at WABC," New York Daily News (April 6, 2008).
  90. ^ "Roger Ailes, FOX Business Network Secure Deal With Don Imus". FOX Business. September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 15, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  91. ^ Page, Clarence (September 9, 2014). Culture Worrier: Selected Columns 1984–2014. Agate Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9781572847422. from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  92. ^ Watkins, Calvin. Dallas Cowboys' Adam Jones upset with Imus' comments June 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Dallas Morning News. June 24, 2008.
  93. ^ a b c Gross, Samantha. Imus faces new questions over on-air race remarks June 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Times. June 24, 2008.
  94. ^ Recio, Maria (October 16, 2006). . McClatchy Washington Bureau. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
  95. ^ "Nanny Sues Imus Over Ranch Wrangle". thesmokinggun.com. November 30, 2004. from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
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  101. ^ "Howard Stern talks about racist Imus". April 14, 2007. from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2011 – via YouTube.
  102. ^ "Don Imus Calls a Group of Women 'Nappy Headed'". howardstern.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  103. ^ Fein, Clinton (March 24, 2005). "Imus and the Flies". annoy.com. from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  104. ^ Some have been compiled at Philip Nobile's "Imus Watch". See: . TomPaine.com. May 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007. Samples include:

    Imus: We're poised to support this bogus tennis thing of yours.
    McEnroe: That's hurtful. That's hurtful.
    Imus: The new Hampton Homos or whatever.

    Imus: Hilary Swank's the lesbo in Boys Don't Cry?
    O'Brien: She's getting married to Chad Lowe.

    Imus: We'll hear about two weeks from now the guy suddenly is a fagatation situation.
    Bo Dietl: You don't do that with Russert. You listen to these fagaloons talking to you, 'O Donnie, Donnie, Donnie.'

  105. ^ Lavender, Paige (November 22, 2011). "Don Imus: Newt Gingrich Is 'Disgusting' And 'A Fat Repulsive Pig'". The Huffington Post. from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012. Retrieved on February 9, 2012.
  106. ^ "1990 Marconi Radio Award Winners". Nab.org. from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  107. ^ "1992 Marconi Radio Award Winners". Nab.org. from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  108. ^ "1997 Marconi Radio Award Winners". Nab.org. from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  109. ^ "1994 Marconi Radio Award Winners". Nab.org. from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
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  111. ^ "Getting to the 'meat' of the matter: Is eating meat good for you?". Fox News. May 20, 2013. from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  112. ^ Gosselm, Kenneth R. (April 12, 2013). . Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
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  114. ^ "Don Imus has prostate cancer". Variety. Associated Press. March 16, 2009. from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
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  118. ^ Morgan, Richard (April 13, 2018). "Don Imus finally sells New Mexico ranch". New York Post. from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  119. ^ "Don Imus still sober after 21 years". ABC News. Associated Press. April 14, 2007.
  120. ^ Siemaszko, Corky (March 16, 2009). . Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 20, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  121. ^ Huff, Richard; Siemaszko, Corky (March 16, 2009). . Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on September 19, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  122. ^ Shea, Danny (March 16, 2009). "huffingtonpost.com". Huffington Post. from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  123. ^ "Don Imus, Legendary 'Imus in the Morning' Host, Dies at 79". The Hollywood Reporter. December 27, 2019. from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  124. ^ Bauder, David (December 28, 2019). "Imus, made and betrayed by his mouth, dies at 79". Tampa Bay Times. Associated Press. p. 10A.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Don Imus.
  • Official website  
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Don Imus at IMDb
  • Works by or about Don Imus in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

January 26, 2023
imus, john, donald, imus, july, 1940, december, 2019, also, known, mononymously, imus, american, radio, personality, television, show, host, recording, artist, author, radio, show, imus, morning, aired, various, stations, digital, platforms, nationwide, until,. John Donald Imus Jr July 23 1940 December 27 2019 also known mononymously as Imus was an American radio personality television show host recording artist and author His radio show Imus in the Morning was aired on various stations and digital platforms nationwide until 2018 Don ImusImus c mid 1980sBornJohn Donald Imus Jr 1940 07 23 July 23 1940Riverside California U S DiedDecember 27 2019 2019 12 27 aged 79 College Station Texas U S 1 Occupation s Radio and television talk show host writer humoristYears active1964 2018Spouse s Harriet Showalter m 1969 div 1979 wbr Deirdre Coleman m 1994 wbr Children6AwardsNAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame 4 NAB Marconi Radio AwardsIn 1968 he began his first radio job at KUTY in Palmdale California Three years later he landed the morning broadcast position at WNBC in New York City Imus was fired from WNBC in 1977 and following a one year stint at WHK in Cleveland was rehired by WNBC in 1979 Imus remained at the station until it left the air in 1988 at which time his show moved to WFAN which took over WNBC s former frequency of 660 kHz Following Howard Stern s success with national syndication Imus in the Morning adopted the same model in 1993 Throughout his later career Imus was labeled a shock jock 2 He was fired by CBS Radio in April 2007 after describing the Rutgers University women s basketball team as nappy headed hos In January 2018 Cumulus Media in bankruptcy reorganization told Imus the company was going to stop paying him His final show aired on March 29 2018 3 He died the following year of complications from lung disease 4 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Early career 2 2 1971 1979 WNBC and WHK 2 3 1979 1988 WNBC 2 4 1988 2007 WFAN and national syndication 2 5 2007 2018 WABC and retirement 3 Controversies 3 1 Rutgers women s basketball team 3 1 1 Subsequent litigation 3 1 2 Return to radio and television 3 2 Adam Pacman Jones controversy 3 3 Joe Barton 3 4 Lawsuits 3 5 Defamatory speech 4 Business interests 5 Honors 6 Personal life 6 1 Family 6 2 Imus Ranch 6 3 Health and death 7 Discography 8 Books 9 Notes 10 External linksEarly life EditImus was born in Riverside California to a wealthy family 5 the son of John Donald Imus Sr and Frances E Imus nee Moore who ran a 35 000 acre 140 km2 ranch named The Willows near Kingman Arizona 6 He was said to have Welsh English and Polish roots Imus claimed at one time to practice Judaism then later recanted calling himself spiritual 7 8 9 10 He had a younger brother Fred Imus 1942 2011 Imus disliked school moving from one hideous private school to another and described himself as a horrible adolescent When he was 15 his parents divorced His father died when Imus was 20 7 In 1957 while living in Prescott Arizona Imus dropped out of high school and joined the United States Marine Corps at Base Camp Pendleton where he was stationed in an artillery unit before transferring to the Drum and Bugle Corps 7 11 He left the Marines with an honorable discharge and secured work as a window dresser in San Bernardino before he was fired for performing strip teases on the mannequins for passersby 7 Imus then moved to Hollywood with his brother in an attempt to find success as musicians and songwriters but they struggled to get radio DJs to play their songs on the air This left Imus homeless resorting to sleeping in a laundry and hitchhiking back to Arizona 7 After dropping out of the University of the Pacific 10 Imus worked as a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad and in a uranium mine in Arizona 12 He suffered a mining accident that broke both of his legs 11 Career EditMain article Imus in the Morning Early career Edit In 1966 Imus enrolled at the Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences in Hollywood after seeing a newspaper advertisement he was thrown out for being uncooperative but studied enough to obtain a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission FCC 7 11 Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis s night club he worked as a singer songwriter with Otis serving as his manager 13 After hearing a morning radio DJ at KUTY in Palmdale California Imus went to the station and successfully persuaded the owner to hire him He signed on the air on June 2 1968 14 15 While at KUTY Imus debuted his on air character Billy Sol Hargis 7 a radio evangelist inspired by and named for preacher Billy James Hargis and businessman Billie Sol Estes Imus was an instant success at the station in two months he had become number one in ratings for his time slot and earned a Billboard Award for Air Personality of the Year in a medium sized market 7 11 Imus then had a brief tenure at KJOY in Stockton California from which he was fired due to an incident that some sources attributed to his Eldridge Cleaver look a like contest 7 9 in which the winner would be incarcerated for a year 14 Other sources suggest the firing was because of his saying hell 16 and multiple raunchy jokes on air 17 Imus moved to KXOA in Sacramento California whose management team including general manager Jack G Thayer and program director John Lund both left for identical positions at Cleveland station WGAR and took Imus with them 18 Thayer and Lund were hired by WGAR to revamp the station s old line middle of the road MOR format and had Imus as the centerpiece for their new adult contemporary format 19 that had been developed at KXOA 20 Imus s tenure at WGAR lasted for less than 15 months but immediately showed success The October November 1970 Arbitron ratings listed Imus at number one in the 18 49 demo ahead of WKYC s Jim Runyon and WJW s Ed Fisher WGAR as a whole topped both the 25 34 and 25 49 demos 14 Imus was honored by Billboard as the number one radio personality for 1971 an honor he shared with KMPC s Gary Owens 21 11 Imus in the Morning was controversial and satirical with Imus s existing characters and comedy skits garnering immediate attention One of his earliest on air jokes involved promoting the 1958 Bobby Darin single Queen of the Hop as a WGAR exclusive and talking over it in the mode of a Top 40 deejay 22 Imus also became infamous for his series of prank calls even dialing Ohio Attorney General William J Brown s publicly listed phone number and inviting him to join the swinging world of show biz 23 He once contacted an Ohio Bell phone operator to ask if she was married and if you mess around prompting the phone company s lawyers to contact the station 20 His most infamous prank call was to a McDonald s restaurant claiming to be an Ohio National Guard official and ordered 4 000 hamburgers 23 as lunch for the troops 24 While the phone call was entirely scripted by Imus and Lund with Lund voicing the McDonald s worker 25 the segment influenced a later FCC ruling that required all radio DJs to identify themselves when they make phone calls on the air 11 Imus also devoted one show to help a Yugoslavian immigrant find a bride in order to prevent his deportation after it was discovered he entered the country illegally 26 Meanwhile Imus Jack Thayer and WGAR were hit with a defamation lawsuit by television meteorologist Robert Zames after Imus repeatedly questioned Zames s sobriety and joked about it on air 27 1971 1979 WNBC and WHK Edit On December 2 1971 less than three years into his radio career Imus started his morning show at WNBC in New York City 28 with a 100 000 per year salary 10 which was said to have been double his WGAR salary 24 On his second day he overslept and missed the show 7 9 Imus was involved in various projects during his time at WNBC In March 1973 he began a stand up comedy and stage act called Imus in the Evening his first shows were held at The Bitter End in New York City 29 By the early 1980s he was earning as much as 10 000 a performance 30 Imus retired his stand up in December 1985 31 He released three albums containing radio segments and songs 1200 Hamburgers to Go 1972 24 One Sacred Chicken to Go 1973 and This Honky s Nuts 1974 The latter features material from his stand up comedy at Jimmy s Club in Manhattan citation needed Imus started to drink heavily during this period which soon affected his working life He started to miss work and became increasingly unmanageable He missed 100 days of work in 1973 7 In August 1977 WNBC decided to reformat the station and let go of their on air staff 7 Imus described himself as awful and a jerk during this time and struggled to find a suitable job in New York City that satisfied his salary demands 30 He returned to Cleveland and began an afternoon drive show on WHK in 1978 He found the experience humiliating but took the job in order to earn money and get my act together 7 During this time Imus recorded episodes of IMUS plus a late night talk show on WNEW TV in New York citation needed 1979 1988 WNBC Edit On September 3 1979 Imus returned to the air in mornings at WNBC from 5 30 am 32 By this time Imus had started to use cocaine he quit in 1983 He continued to drink and his on and off air behavior became erratic he turned up for work without shoes and slept on park benches with large amounts of money in his pocket 11 By 1981 Imus and Charles McCord secured a deal with Paramount Pictures that involved the development of three screenplays including work on Joy of Sex 30 33 In April 1981 Imus renewed his contract with WNBC with a five year deal worth 500 000 a year with bonuses if he surpassed ratings targets 34 Following the addition of Howard Stern in afternoons in 1982 Imus and Stern began a longtime feud though both were paired on WNBC print and television advertisements 35 In July 1981 Imus released his first book God s Other Son a novel about the life of his on air character Billy Sol Hargis that he wrote with McCord 30 It was republished in 1994 and spent seven weeks on The New York Times best seller list 36 By October 1981 Imus was the most popular radio DJ in the US reaching 220 000 regular listeners and number one in 12 of 13 demographic categories 37 Other regular Imus characters included the supposed general manager Geraldo Santana Banana played by doo wop singer Larry Chance and Moby Worm a monstrous creature who devoured local schools which was reported on the show s breaking news updates citation needed Imus was also the utility announcer for Geraldo Rivera s monthly TV series Good Night America which aired as a recurring segment of ABC s Wide World of Entertainment program 1973 1976 and he was one of the inaugural video jockeys VJ for the launch of VH 1 sister cable channel to MTV in 1985 38 1988 2007 WFAN and national syndication Edit On October 7 1988 after WNBC was sold to Emmis Broadcasting the station permanently signed off the air to have WFAN an all sports station move to the station s signal The entire station staff was let go except Imus and his radio show team who stayed to become WFAN s morning show citation needed In 1989 Imus signed a five year deal to continue his show on WFAN 39 In April 1989 Imus was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame 40 Later in 1989 Imus accepted an invitation to become an honorary assistant coach for a basketball game between the Fordham Rams and La Salle Explorers the following January 41 The show began syndication in June 1993 when it was simulcast on WEEI in Boston 42 followed by four other stations around the country 43 They began simulcasting on MSNBC in 1996 citation needed Imus was instrumental in raising over 60 million for the Center for the Intrepid a Texas rehabilitation facility for soldiers wounded in the Iraq War 44 The largest technological center of its kind in the country it is designed to treat disabled veterans and help them with their transition back into the community Imus also took on the cause of the living conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center visiting wounded veterans at the hospital to boost morale Imus s reporting preceded Army resignations including that of Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley then Army Surgeon General Imus had earlier criticized Kiley s personal fitness for military duty and dedication to wounded soldiers citation needed 2007 2018 WABC and retirement Edit The program was heard on WABC starting on December 3 2007 45 46 In 2018 Cumulus Media informed Imus that the company was going to stop paying him because of the bankruptcy reorganization that Cumulus was undergoing 3 47 48 The show aired its final episode on March 29 2018 49 Controversies EditThis article s Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article s neutrality by separating out potentially negative information Please integrate the section s contents into the article as a whole or rewrite the material December 2019 Rutgers women s basketball team Edit Imus characterized the Rutgers University women s basketball team a team that included nine African American players including the five starters as rough girls on April 4 2007 It occurred during a discussion about the NCAA Women s Basketball Championship where he was commenting on the players tattoos His executive producer Bernard McGuirk responded by referring to them as hardcore hos The discussion continued with Imus describing the women as nappy headed hos 50 51 and McGuirk remarking that the two teams looked like the jigaboos versus the wannabes as mentioned in Spike Lee s film School Daze apparently referring to the two teams differing appearances 52 53 In the immediate aftermath of the remarks public outrage was directed at Imus and WFAN Howard Stern discussed how he had heard Imus make racist comments which were directed at a black female co worker while the two were working at WNBC Management was aware of the comments at the time but had done nothing Stern s co host Robin Quivers confirmed that assertion and added that she had once been the target of Imus s racist remarks herself 54 Imus dismissed the controversy at first calling the incident some idiot comment meant to be amusing 55 He also stated that nappy headed hos is a term which rap artists use to refer to black women 56 He said That phrase didn t originate in the White community That phrase originated in the Black community Young Black women all through that society are demeaned and disparaged and disrespected by their own Black men and they are called that name in Black hip hop 57 In response to mounting public censure Imus issued a statement of apology I want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill conceived remark we made the other morning regarding the Rutgers women s basketball team which lost to Tennessee in the NCAA championship game on Tuesday It was completely inappropriate and we can understand why people were offended Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid and we are sorry On April 9 Imus appeared on Al Sharpton s syndicated radio talk show Keepin It Real with Al Sharpton to address the controversy Sharpton called the comments abominable racist and sexist and repeated his earlier demand that Imus be fired Imus said Our agenda is to be funny and sometimes we go too far And this time we went way too far Here s what I ve learned that you can t make fun of everybody because some people don t deserve it 58 Imus was suspended soon after Media commentators were divided on the suspension On MSNBC s Scarborough Country on April 10 59 Pat Buchanan said that Imus is a good guy who made a bad mistake and apologized for it and that the show should stay on the air Comedian Bill Maher said that if a comedian apologizes for stepping over a line that should suffice MSNBC media analyst Steve Adubato disagreed saying that this incident was not isolated Joe Klein made the same charge referring to Imus s comment about The New York Times reporter Gwen Ifill 14 years before as evidence of a pattern of offensive comments On The View Rosie O Donnell spoke out in support of keeping Imus on the air on free speech grounds 60 Emil Steiner of The Washington Post argued that Sharpton used the issue to further divide America along racial lines 61 The Rutgers basketball team held a news conference at which coach C Vivian Stringer stated that the team would meet with Imus to discuss his comments Several of the players expressed their outrage over his remarks Team captain Essence Carson said that Imus s remarks had stolen a moment of pure grace from us 62 63 Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page had confronted Imus about his characterization of certain black athletes and got him to take a pledge to stop After the Rutgers team incident Page said that he would not appear on the show again and said of the original two week suspension I know other stations some shock jock who lost his job for less than this or been at least suspended for a month or two Why does Don a repeat offender keep getting away with it I want to know 64 CBS board member and former NAACP president Bruce S Gordon said that Imus should not be allowed to come back even after the suspension claiming that his remarks crossed the line a very bright line that divides our country 65 President of NBC News Steve Capus announced on April 11 2007 that MSNBC would no longer simulcast Imus in the Morning citation needed The decision came on the same day that a few advertisers left Imus and the network also said that employee concerns played a role Capus said These comments were deeply hurtful to many many people And we ve had any number of employee conversations discussions emails phone calls And when you listen to the passion and the people who come to the conclusion that there should not be any room for this sort of conversation and dialogue on our air it was the only decision we could reach 66 CBS Radio canceled Imus in the Morning the next day 67 CBS President and chief executive officer Leslie Moonves stated From the outset I believe all of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air about the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women s Basketball Championship with such class energy and talent There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision 68 69 The day before CBS chairman Sumner Redstone said that he trusted that Moonves would do the right thing but he didn t elaborate Moonves had met with Sharpton and Jesse Jackson shortly before the announcement was made 70 Moonves said in an internal memo that employee concerns were a factor in the decision to cancel Imus s show but he also said that the decision was about a lot more than Imus Moonves said that CBS had to take Imus off the air in order to change a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people 71 General Motors Imus s biggest advertiser Staples Inc GlaxoSmithKline Sprint Nextel PetMeds American Express and Procter amp Gamble either pulled their ads outright or suspended advertising on Imus s show to protest his remarks 72 Bigelow Tea Company expressed uncertainty about renewing their ads with Imus s show 73 Just hours after the announcement of his firing Imus met with Stringer and her team at Drumthwacket the New Jersey governor s mansion The three hour meeting was arranged by Buster Soaries the former New Jersey Secretary of State and Stringer s pastor New Jersey governor Jon Corzine planned to attend the meeting but was injured in a car accident on the way 74 Imus left without commenting but Stringer said that the meeting went well She later commented that they had accepted Imus s apology because he came to the meeting in spite of the fact that he lost his job So let s give him credit for that She also emphasized that the basketball team had not called for Imus to be fired 72 75 Senator John Kerry criticized CBS for being too harsh He said that a long suspension would be appropriate to pay a price on the airwaves but I m not sure that it was appropriate to say you re off forever 76 Subsequent litigation Edit Imus hired prominent attorney Martin Garbus by May 2 2007 to pursue a wrongful termination lawsuit against CBS for the remaining 40 million on his five year contract The contract contained a clause indicating that CBS hired and supported Imus to produce irreverent and controversial programming 77 CBS announced a settlement with Imus on his 40 million contract on August 14 78 Rutgers basketball player Kia Vaughn filed a suit that same day against Imus NBC Universal CBS Corporation MSNBC CBS Radio Viacom Westwood One Radio and Bernard McGuirk citing slander libel and defamation of character She was the only player to pursue legal damages 79 Vaughn dropped the lawsuit on September 11 2007 citing her desire to concentrate on her studies and basketball training 80 81 Return to radio and television Edit On July 8 2007 the Drudge Report indicated that Imus would return to the air before the 2008 presidential election 82 The New York Post reported on July 16 2007 that Imus was in search of a black comedian to join the show upon its return to help cushion racially insensitive comments that he might say on the air 83 The same paper reported on July 27 2007 that CBS was close to a buyout of Imus s contract The report also said that Imus s representatives had contacted Buckley Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications 84 Imus reached a settlement with CBS Radio over his contract on August 14 leaving him free to pursue other media opportunities 78 On November 1 Citadel announced that they had agreed to a multi year syndication contract with Imus The new Imus in the Morning program would be distributed nationally by Citadel Media and would be based at Citadel owned WABC in New York City beginning in December 85 The New York Times reported on November 14 that Imus had agreed to terms with cable network RFD TV to air a video simulcast of the new radio program 86 Charles McCord and Bernard McGuirk joined him in the new version of the show 87 and he returned to the airwaves on ABC Radio and RFD TV on December 3 Sharpton said in an interview We ll monitor him I m not saying I m going to throw a banquet for him and say welcome home He has the right to make a living but because he has such a consistent pattern with this we are going to monitor him to make sure he doesn t do it again 88 Jesse Jackson appeared on Imus in the Morning on April 4 2008 to discuss the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr a booking that would have seemed impossible nearly a year before when Jackson joined 50 demonstrators in Chicago demanding that Imus must go and many media commentators declared Imus s rehabilitation complete 89 In September 2008 Imus signed a multi year deal with Fox Business Network to simulcast his radio show Imus in the Morning 90 Adam Pacman Jones controversy Edit Controversy once again surrounded Imus when he made the following statements regarding the suspension of Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones Warner Wolf Defensive back Adam Pacman Jones recently signed by the Cowboys here s a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas nightclub Don Imus Well stuff happens You re in a nightclub for God s sake What do you think is gonna happen in a nightclub People are drinking and doing drugs There are women there and people have guns So there go ahead Warner Wolf Also he s been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005 Don Imus What color is he Warner Wolf He s African American Don Imus Well there you go now we know 91 In response Jones said I m truly upset about the comments Obviously Mr Imus has problems with blacks I m upset and I hope the station he works for handles it accordingly I will pray for him 92 Imus said that his comments were misinterpreted 93 I meant that he was being picked on because he s black 93 WABC vice president Phil Boyce said that it was unlikely that disciplinary action would be pursued against Imus and none was 93 Joe Barton Edit For two weeks in fall 2006 Imus delivered ongoing rants against Texas Congressman Joe Barton describing him as a lying fat little skunk from Texas a pipsqueak and a coward and a crybaby Imus also called Barton a congressional dirtbag because Barton used his position as a committee chair to prevent passage of the Combating Autism Act which would authorize funds for autism research In the weeks before Congress recessed on September 29 2006 Barton used his chairmanship to prevent the legislative proposal from coming to a vote in the House rousing the ire of Imus and his wife staunch supporters of autism research The bill already had been passed unanimously by the Senate but Barton opposed the Senate bill s stipulation that Centers of Excellence in Environmental Health and Autism investigate a broad array of environmental factors that may have a possible role in autism spectrum disorders 94 Lawsuits Edit Nichole Mallette sued Imus on November 29 2004 for wrongful termination and defamation after a Thanksgiving 2003 incident in which she was allegedly fired from her position as nanny and escorted off his property at 4 15 am Don and Deirdre Imus were allegedly upset over Mallette s possession of a cap gun and pocket knife on ranch property 95 One of the doctors who worked at the Imus Ranch Dr Howard Allen Pearson sued Imus for slander and civil assault on July 8 2005 Dr Pearson accused Imus of threatening him during a July 13 2004 confrontation at the ranch after a disagreement over how to care for one of the children at the ranch Imus subsequently referred to Pearson several times on the air as an arrogant fucking doctor who doesn t mind letting a child suffer Pearson was a world famous pediatric cancer specialist who was the former chairman of the pediatrics department of the Yale Medical School as well as a co founder with Paul Newman of another facility for ill children the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp 96 In late 2005 Imus expressed his grievances about the case on the record to journalist Buzz Bissinger for a Vanity Fair article which was published in the February 2006 issue 11 Longtime sports commentator Warner Wolf was fired in 2016 after ten years on the show and Wolf subsequently sued Imus and various other parties in New York for age discrimination Wolf was in his late 70s at the time The suit was dismissed in 2019 on a technicality when he was fired Wolf was a Florida resident who had been doing his segments from a home studio The Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that the State of New York had no jurisdiction over this matter and an appellate court agreed 97 Defamatory speech Edit Imus and his crew made offensive remarks both on and off the air Some examples include Imus said in 1984 concerning Howard Stern yes Howard s a slut too Lloyd Plus a Jew bastard and should be castrated put in an oven Stern played a clip of this interview in the news section of his November 5 2007 show 98 Imus referred to black sports columnist Bill Rhoden as a New York Times quota hire 99 In the course of a 1998 interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes Imus told a producer off camera that McGuirk was hired to perform nigger jokes 100 Robin Quivers recounted that he called her a nigger to her face when she worked with him at WNBC and also called her a spearchucker on the air 101 Both Howard Stern and Quivers recalled when Imus called a black female co worker a secretary named Brenda a nigger during their time at WNBC 102 Imus repeatedly referred to Arabs as ragheads 103 The show s routines sometimes contained derogatory epithets for homosexuals including faggot and various terms describing homosexuality 104 Imus referred to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as disgusting and a fat repulsive pig 105 Business interests EditDon Imus was also a part owner of Autobody Express stores with his late brother Fred who was a frequent caller to the radio show commenting on NASCAR races the NFL and related pop culture matters The Autobody Express stores were located in Santa Fe and inside the Mohegan Sun Native American Casino in Uncasville Connecticut In 2003 the company failed and both stores closed citation needed Imus owned a small coffee and pastry store also located in the Mohegan Sun casino The Autobody Express became Imus Ranch Foods which offered its signature chips and salsa via online sales and in Northeastern stores prior to the discontinuation of the Imus Ranch Foods line in 2014 Honors EditImus won four Marconi Awards three for Major Market Personality of the Year 1990 106 1992 107 and 1997 108 and one for Network Syndicated Personality 1994 109 He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989 110 Personal life EditFamily Edit Imus was married twice Around 1969 he married his first wife Harriet Showalter who had two daughters from a previous marriage Nadine and Toni Don Imus legally adopted Showalter s daughters 10 The couple had two daughters of their own Ashley and Elizabeth They divorced in 1979 Imus married Deirdre Coleman on December 17 1994 and they stayed together until Imus s death in 2019 111 Their son Frederick Wyatt was born in 1998 Imus adopted his sixth child Zach in the 2010s At the time of his death Imus resided in Brenham Texas at a ranch he acquired in 2013 He moved there full time in 2015 after ending his Fox Business television simulcast in New York and from there started broadcasting his show solely on radio with the cast members broadcasting from the WABC radio studios His former waterfront mansion in Westport Connecticut was sold that same year for 14 4 million 112 According to journalist Robert D McFadden Imus was admired for his private charity work 113 He raised millions for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans of the Iraq war and for children with cancer and siblings of victims of sudden infant death syndrome who had spent summers since 1999 on his ranch near Ribera New Mexico 113 Imus Ranch Edit In 1999 Imus and Deirdre founded the Imus Ranch a working 4 000 acre 1 600 ha cattle ranch near Ribera New Mexico 50 miles 80 km southeast of Santa Fe for children with cancer 114 The ranch was used as a tax deduction by Imus and eventually due to the personal use of the ranch by the Imus family saw its property tax exemption reduced to 55 115 The ranch was also criticized for the relatively high ratio of cost to each child served which was over 25 000 115 The summer program serving children ended in 2014 following a rib injury Imus suffered in a fall from a horse 115 In the three years from 2014 onward the ranch reported losses on its Form 990 totaling nearly 3 million 115 The board members of the non profit were Imus his wife Deirdre and Imus s agents Vincent and Robert Andrews 115 In October 2014 the ranch was offered for sale with an asking price of 32 million 116 The ranch failed to sell after repeated efforts to do so leading Imus to put the property up for auction in May 2017 117 The ranch was sold to broadcaster Patrick Gottsch in April 2018 for 12 5 million 118 A spokesperson for Imus stated that the non profit organization had not been active since 2014 115 Health and death Edit During his early years broadcasting in New York City Imus battled with alcoholism In 1983 he was persuaded by Michael Lynne then his lawyer to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings Imus attended meetings and ceased to drink in public but continued to drink in private 7 On July 17 1987 after a nine day vodka binge he attended rehabilitation at a Hanley Hazelden treatment center in West Palm Beach Florida for six weeks 7 11 and remained sober 119 By 1991 Imus had adopted a vegetarian diet 7 In 2000 Imus suffered serious injuries after a fall from a horse at his ranch and broadcast several shows from a hospital The injuries resulted in chronic breathing problems especially at higher altitudes which he spoke about on his program In March 2009 Imus was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer 120 121 122 He was advised to have radiation treatments but said he chose to treat the disease holistically 113 Imus was hospitalized at Baylor Scott amp White Medical Center in College Station Texas on December 24 2019 He died three days later on December 27 at the age of 79 of complications from lung disease 4 123 In reporting his death David Bauder of the Associated Press said the quote that might best serve as Imus s epitaph was the shock jock s statement to Vanity Fair magazine in 2006 I talk to millions of people every day I just like it when they can t talk back 124 Discography EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Albums1200 Hamburgers to Go 1972 RCA Records One Sacred Chicken to Go 1973 RCA Records This Honky s Nuts 1974 Bang Records The Imus Ranch Record 2008 New West Records The Imus Ranch Record II 2010 New West Records SinglesI m A Hot Rodder The Boogala credited as Jay Jay Imus amp Freddy Ford 1964 Challenge Records Freddy Ford is Imus s brother Fred From Adam s Rib To Women s Lib The Ballad Of Rick 1971 RCA Records 1200 Hamburgers To Go Reverend Billy Sol Hargis 1972 RCA Records Son of Checkers The Watergate Case Oh Billy Sol Please Heal Us All 1973 RCA Records Play That Country Juke Box 1975 RCA Records Everybody Needs Milk Just Give Me A Bottle Of Wine 1975 RCA Records The Presidential Debate credited as Road Hog amp The Neon Cactus 1976 RCA Records Books EditImus Don 1981 God s Other Son Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 671 22537 7 Imus Don Imus Fred 1997 Two Guys Four Corners Great Photographs Great Times and a Million Laughs Villard ISBN 978 0 679 45307 9 Notes Edit Littleton Cynthia December 27 2019 Radio Legend Don Imus Dies at 79 Variety Archived from the original on December 28 2019 Retrieved December 28 2019 Spiegelman Arthur April 12 2007 Shock jock Imus finally faces music Reuters Archived from the original on March 24 2018 Retrieved March 23 2018 a b Brown Ruth January 22 2018 Imus in the Morning is going off the air New York Post Archived from the original on December 28 2019 Retrieved December 29 2019 The company recently declared bankruptcy and told him it was going to stop paying him after March a b Bauder David December 27 2019 DJ Don Imus Made and Betrayed by His Mouth Dead at 79 Associated Press Archived from the original on December 28 2019 Retrieved December 29 2019 Don Imus Biography Biography Channel April 14 2007 Archived from the original on July 28 2012 Don Imus Bio PDF ABC Radio Networks Citadel Media November 26 2007 Archived from the original PDF on February 1 2014 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Smith Dinitia June 24 1991 Morning Mouth The rise fall and rise of Don Imus New York s funniest radio maniac New York Magazine Vol 24 no 25 pp 29 35 ISSN 0028 7369 Archived from the original on March 29 2022 Retrieved March 19 2019 Reed Jim 1999 Everything Imus all you ever wanted to know about Don Imus Carol Publishing Group pp 10 197 ISBN 1 55972 504 4 a b c Adams Val January 2 1972 Radio Roundup New York Daily News p 249 Archived from the original on March 23 2019 Retrieved March 21 2019 via Newspapers com a b c d Adams Val May 28 1972 Disc jockey with spurs New York Daily News p 176 Archived from the original on August 12 2022 Retrieved March 21 2019 via Newspapers com a b c d e f g h i Bissinger Buzz April 10 2007 Don Imus s Last Stand Vanity Fair Archived from the original on September 26 2020 Retrieved March 19 2019 Imus Focuses on New Humor Billboard Vol 83 no 2 January 9 1971 pp 25 26 ISSN 0006 2510 Archived from the original on March 29 2022 Retrieved March 19 2019 Reminiscinces upon the death of Johnny Otis Imus in the Morning January 20 2012 a b c Imus Focuses on New Humor PDF Billboard Vol 83 no 2 January 9 1971 pp 25 26 Archived PDF from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 17 2021 via World Radio History IMUS In The Morning Frequently Asked Questions Version 2 3 Imonthe Net Archived from the original on August 24 1999 Retrieved November 8 2011 Controversy has often dogged Don Imus Today com Associated Press April 11 2007 Archived from the original on March 19 2018 Retrieved March 18 2018 Kaplan Anna Hill Ian April 11 2007 Stockton airwaves Imus just didn t mix The Record Stockton California Archived from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved December 28 2020 WGAR Promo Sparks New Play PDF Billboard Vol 82 no 38 September 19 1970 pp 24 27 Archived PDF from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 17 2021 via World Radio History WGAR Push On Deejay PDF Billboard Vol 82 no 46 November 14 1970 p 26 Archived PDF from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 via World Radio History a b Hall Claude October 24 1970 Vox Jox PDF Billboard Vol 82 no 43 p 34 Archived PDF from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 via World Radio History Behind The Scenes No Rock For The Garden Akron Beacon Journal TV Preview Akron Ohio September 12 1971 p 27 Archived from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 via Newspapers com Don Imus finds fuss with Exclusive disk PDF Billboard Vol 82 no 50 December 12 1970 p 34 Archived PDF from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 a b Action Line Akron Beacon Journal Akron Ohio June 12 1971 p A5 Archived from the original on August 12 2022 Retrieved August 18 2021 via Newspapers com a b c Behind the Scenes The Mouth Still Roars Akron Beacon Journal TV Preview Akron Ohio May 21 1972 p 26 Archived from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 17 2021 via Newspapers com Ink Radio December 27 2019 The Industry Responds To The Death of Imus Radio Ink Archived from the original on February 9 2022 Retrieved February 9 2022 Stan s search may be over Dayton Journal Herald United Press International November 28 1970 p 34 Archived from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 TV Weatherman In Storm With DJ Akron Beacon Journal Akron Ohio December 9 1970 p C8 Archived from the original on August 18 2021 Retrieved August 18 2021 via Newspapers com Adams Val January 2 1972 Radio Roundup New York Daily News New York New York p 24S Archived from the original on August 27 2021 Retrieved August 27 2021 via Newspapers com The Calendar New York Daily News March 14 1973 p 124 Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com a b c d A humbler Don Imus reflects on his fall and rise The Courier News May 22 1981 p C1 Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com Don Imus closes the curtain on Imus in the Evening act The Central New Jersey Home News December 6 1985 p 47 Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com Warning WNBC rehires Imus New York Daily News August 15 1979 p 78 Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com Don Imus NBC asked me and I said yes Asbury Park Press March 8 1981 p 140 Archived from the original on March 26 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com A 5 yr stretch for Imus New York Daily News April 11 1981 p 38 Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com Kasindorf Jeanie November 23 1992 Bad Mouth New York Archived from the original on August 1 2020 Retrieved September 4 2018 The York Times Best Seller List January 8 1995 PDF hawes com April 13 2007 Archived PDF from the original on June 5 2007 Retrieved April 13 2007 WNBC rocks ratings with Imus reprise The Record October 27 1981 p 24 Archived from the original on August 12 2022 Retrieved March 23 2019 via Newspapers com Grow Kory December 28 2019 Don Imus Divisive Radio Shock Jock Pioneer Dead at 79 Rolling Stone Archived from the original on December 28 2019 Retrieved December 28 2019 24 Jun 1989 38 Newspapers com Archived from the original on July 29 2020 Retrieved December 27 2019 23 Apr 1989 Page 142 Asbury Park Press at Newspapers com Newspapers com Archived from the original on July 30 2020 Retrieved December 27 2019 21 Dec 1989 37 Newspapers com Archived from the original on July 30 2020 Retrieved December 27 2019 Craig Jack June 17 1993 Boston won t be first stop for Imus show The Boston Globe p 87 Archived from the original on October 29 2019 Retrieved October 29 2019 via Newspapers com Bickelhaupt Susan July 9 1993 Wake up to IMUS The Boston Globe p 21 Archived from the original on October 29 2019 Retrieved October 29 2019 via Newspapers com Beckerman Jim January 22 2018 Don Imus 6 reasons to love or loathe the shock jock NorthJersey com Archived from the original on February 26 2020 Retrieved December 28 2019 WABC Press Release Archived February 8 2012 at the Wayback Machine November 1 2007 First Broadcast of Imus in the Morning on WABC Radio New York Trakin Roy January 23 2018 Controversial Radio Host Don Imus Stepping Down Variety Archived from the original on January 23 2018 Retrieved January 24 2018 Don Imus announces date of his radio show s final episode NY Daily News Archived from the original on January 23 2018 Retrieved January 24 2018 Don Imus retires after 50 years of radio congratulates himself on the way out New York Daily News March 29 2018 Archived from the original on March 29 2018 Retrieved March 30 2018 Hajela Deepti April 12 2007 Don Imus nappy remark has long hurtful history in describing black people s hair Associated Press Archived from the original on October 10 2008 Payton Brenda April 12 2007 Imus remarks demean women of all colors Inside Bay Area ANG Newspapers Archived from the original on April 19 2007 Retrieved April 12 2007 Trotta Daniel April 12 2007 Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters Reuters Archived from the original on April 19 2007 Retrieved April 12 2007 CBS CBS Fires Don Imus Over Racial Slur Archived March 19 2013 at the Wayback Machine February 11 2009 Don Imus Calls a Group of Women Nappy Headed Howard Stern Archived from the original on October 21 2018 Carr David April 7 2007 Networks Condemn Remarks by Imus The New York Times Archived from the original on May 10 2013 Retrieved April 8 2007 Hill Simona J And Dave Ramsaran Hip Hop and Inequality Searching for the Real Slim Shady Archived June 17 2013 at the Wayback Machine Amherst N Y Cambria Press 2009 ISBN 978 1 60497 651 9 p 85 Don Imus quoted in Cultural Codes Makings of a Black Music Philosophy An Interpretive History from Spirituals to Hip Hop Archived June 16 2013 at the Wayback Machine William C Banfield Lanham Scarecrow Press 2010 ISBN 978 0 8108 7286 8 p 41 Imus takes his lumps on Sharpton s show Associated Press April 9 2007 Archived from the original on July 30 2020 Retrieved April 9 2007 Transcript of Scarborough Country April 10 2007 NBC News April 10 2007 Archived from the original on September 23 2020 Retrieved November 17 2019 Spangenthal Lee Jonah April 11 2007 In Other Imus News The Stranger Archived from the original on August 17 2014 Retrieved April 17 2014 Al Sharpton Don Imus amp A Distracted Nation The Washington Post April 14 2007 Archived from the original on July 23 2008 Rutgers team to meet with Imus Stringer calls comments deplorable The Herald Standard PA April 11 2007 Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Retrieved April 14 2007 Heuschkel David April 11 2007 Imus remark Despicable The Hartford Courant Archived from the original on January 20 2013 Columnists React to Don Imus Remarks About Rutgers Players NewsHour with Jim Lehrer PBS April 9 2007 Archived from the original on December 4 2011 Retrieved November 8 2011 MSNBC pulls Imus in the Morning CNN April 11 2007 Archived from the original on April 17 2007 Retrieved April 11 2007 NBC News Only decision we could reach NBC News April 11 2007 Archived from the original on June 25 2013 Retrieved April 11 2007 Breaking News From MSNBC Don Imus Fired From CBS Radio on YouTube dead link From YouTube Newly fired Imus meets with Rutgers players CNN April 13 2007 Archived from the original on April 16 2007 Retrieved April 13 2007 CBS fires Don Imus from radio show Associated Press April 13 2007 Archived from the original on July 18 2017 Retrieved April 13 2007 Carter Bill Steinberg Jacques April 13 2007 Off the Air The Light Goes Out for Don Imus The New York Times Archived from the original on March 24 2017 Retrieved February 7 2017 Bauder David April 12 2007 Racist remarks cost Imus CBS radio job The Boston Globe Associated Press Archived from the original on April 16 2007 Retrieved April 12 2007 a b Rutgers coach says Imus apology accepted CNN April 13 2007 Archived from the original on April 17 2007 Retrieved April 13 2007 Credeur Mary Jane Jeffrey Don April 10 2007 Staples P amp G Halt Advertising Over Imus s Remarks Update3 Bloomberg News Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved March 6 2017 Hurdle Jon April 13 2007 N J Gov Corzine in car accident leg broken Reuters Retrieved April 13 2007 dead link Nichols Adam Siemaszko Corky April 13 2007 Host meets with players he insulted but it s not enough to save program New York Daily News Archived from the original on May 15 2007 Retrieved April 13 2007 John Kerry Says Don Imus Shouldn t Have Been Fired NY1 TV channel April 18 2007 Payne Ed May 3 2007 Imus hires attorney will likely sue CBS CNN Archived from the original on May 5 2007 Retrieved May 3 2007 a b Trotta Daniel August 14 2007 CBS says settles with fired shock jock Don Imus Reuters Archived from the original on October 17 2007 Retrieved September 12 2007 ABC News Rutgers Player sues Imus NBC CBS ABC News August 2007 Archived from the original on August 16 2007 Retrieved August 14 2007 Rutgers Vaughn withdraws lawsuit against Imus CBS USA Today Associated Press September 12 2007 Archived from the original on June 23 2011 Retrieved September 12 2007 Grossberg Josh September 12 2007 Rutgers Player Drops Imus Suit E Online Archived from the original on December 17 2007 Retrieved September 14 2007 Imus Plots January Comeback Archived September 27 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Drudge Report July 8 2007 Not Done Yet Archived January 11 2009 at the Wayback Machine New York Post July 16 2007 Lauria Peter July 27 2007 Talk Show Settlement Sources say Imus CBS are Close to Contract buyout New York Post Archived from the original on January 11 2009 The Biggest News Talk Radio Station in America Just Got Bigger 77WABC November 1 2007 Archived from the original on February 8 2012 Steinberg Jacques November 14 2007 Source Rural channel will carry Imus show The New York Times Archived from the original on July 25 2018 Retrieved February 7 2017 Best Neil October 9 2007 Source Imus back on air in early December Newsday Archived from the original on October 12 2007 Retrieved October 10 2007 Interview with Al Sharpton David Shankbone Wikinews December 3 2007 The resurrection of Don Imus has been almost as complete as his crash and burn David Hinkley Year after stirring racism storm amp ranch exile Don Imus back in saddle at WABC New York Daily News April 6 2008 Roger Ailes FOX Business Network Secure Deal With Don Imus FOX Business September 3 2009 Archived from the original on October 15 2009 Retrieved November 8 2011 Page Clarence September 9 2014 Culture Worrier Selected Columns 1984 2014 Agate Publishing p 40 ISBN 9781572847422 Archived from the original on August 1 2020 Retrieved January 10 2020 Watkins Calvin Dallas Cowboys Adam Jones upset with Imus comments Archived June 27 2008 at the Wayback Machine Dallas Morning News June 24 2008 a b c Gross Samantha Imus faces new questions over on air race remarks Archived June 29 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Times June 24 2008 Recio Maria October 16 2006 Talk show host Imus levels blasts at Texas congressman McClatchy Washington Bureau Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Retrieved July 28 2007 Nanny Sues Imus Over Ranch Wrangle thesmokinggun com November 30 2004 Archived from the original on April 11 2007 Retrieved April 10 2007 Doctor Files Lawsuit Against Don Imus KATV July 11 2005 Archived from the original on October 17 2007 Retrieved April 10 2007 Jacobson Adam March 22 2019 Imus 2 Wolf 0 Veteran Sportscaster Loses Ageism Appeal Radio amp Television Business Report Archived from the original on July 30 2020 Retrieved December 28 2019 Mintzer R 2010 Howard Stern A Biography Greenwood Publishing Group Incorporated p 14 ISBN 9780313380327 Archived from the original on August 1 2020 Retrieved October 15 2014 Carr David April 9 2007 With Imus They Keep Coming Back The New York Times Archived from the original on November 24 2021 Retrieved November 24 2021 Herbert Bob April 12 2007 Paying the Price The New York Times Archived from the original on July 21 2012 Retrieved April 12 2007 Howard Stern talks about racist Imus April 14 2007 Archived from the original on July 20 2013 Retrieved November 8 2011 via YouTube Don Imus Calls a Group of Women Nappy Headed howardstern com Retrieved January 2 2020 Fein Clinton March 24 2005 Imus and the Flies annoy com Archived from the original on August 23 2006 Retrieved August 21 2006 Some have been compiled at Philip Nobile s Imus Watch See Imus Watch I TomPaine com May 16 2000 Archived from the original on May 23 2007 Retrieved April 12 2007 Samples include Imus We re poised to support this bogus tennis thing of yours McEnroe That s hurtful That s hurtful Imus The new Hampton Homos or whatever Imus Hilary Swank s the lesbo in Boys Don t Cry O Brien She s getting married to Chad Lowe Imus We ll hear about two weeks from now the guy suddenly is a fagatation situation Bo Dietl You don t do that with Russert You listen to these fagaloons talking to you O Donnie Donnie Donnie Lavender Paige November 22 2011 Don Imus Newt Gingrich Is Disgusting And A Fat Repulsive Pig The Huffington Post Archived from the original on February 5 2012 Retrieved February 9 2012 Retrieved on February 9 2012 1990 Marconi Radio Award Winners Nab org Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved November 8 2011 1992 Marconi Radio Award Winners Nab org Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved November 8 2011 1997 Marconi Radio Award Winners Nab org Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved November 8 2011 1994 Marconi Radio Award Winners Nab org Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved November 8 2011 Don Imus Radio Hall Of Fame Archived from the original on March 29 2022 Retrieved March 27 2022 Getting to the meat of the matter Is eating meat good for you Fox News May 20 2013 Archived from the original on October 25 2015 Retrieved May 20 2013 Gosselm Kenneth R April 12 2013 Don Imus s Westport Home Sells For 14 4 Million Hartford Courant Archived from the original on September 11 2014 Retrieved September 9 2014 a b c Don Imus Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries Dies at 79 MSN Archived from the original on December 28 2019 Retrieved December 28 2019 Don Imus has prostate cancer Variety Associated Press March 16 2009 Archived from the original on May 15 2015 Retrieved March 25 2009 a b c d e f Closed Imus Ranch Sells For 12 5M The NonProfit Times April 27 2018 Archived from the original on March 6 2020 Retrieved December 30 2019 Gerew Gary October 21 2014 Imus Ranch for sale with 32 M price tag Albuquerque Business First Archived from the original on August 12 2022 Retrieved November 3 2014 Morgan Richard May 2 2017 Don Imus ranch in New Mexico headed for the auction block New York Post Archived from the original on December 4 2017 Retrieved December 14 2017 Morgan Richard April 13 2018 Don Imus finally sells New Mexico ranch New York Post Archived from the original on April 30 2021 Retrieved June 9 2019 Don Imus still sober after 21 years ABC News Associated Press April 14 2007 Siemaszko Corky March 16 2009 Imus cancer diagnosis Daily News New York Archived from the original on March 20 2009 Retrieved November 29 2010 Huff Richard Siemaszko Corky March 16 2009 Radio host Don Imus announces on morning show he has stage 2 prostate cancer Daily News New York Archived from the original on September 19 2009 Retrieved November 29 2010 Shea Danny March 16 2009 huffingtonpost com Huffington Post Archived from the original on June 17 2012 Retrieved November 29 2010 Don Imus Legendary Imus in the Morning Host Dies at 79 The Hollywood Reporter December 27 2019 Archived from the original on January 1 2020 Retrieved December 27 2019 Bauder David December 28 2019 Imus made and betrayed by his mouth dies at 79 Tampa Bay Times Associated Press p 10A External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Don Imus Official website Appearances on C SPAN Don Imus at IMDb Works by or about Don Imus in libraries WorldCat catalog Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don Imus amp oldid 1133956466, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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