One of the most controversial shock jocks of our time is being forced into retirement. Don Imus announced Monday that his contract with Cumulus Media had not been renewed, bringing an end to “Imus in the Morning.”
The radio show has existed for decades. Imus has been repeatedly lampooned as a racist, a sexist, a buffoon, but he weathered the accusations and carved a space for himself in American culture.
The Observer reports: “His first Big Apple job was at WNBC, where he often tangled with fellow station personality Howard Stern. After WNBC was sold in 1988, Imus moved to sports station WFAN, where he remained for almost 20 years… Imus’ time at WFAN came to an end in 2007, when he was fired after jokingly referring to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hoes.”
The comment would have derailed a lesser man’s career. Imus, however, was back on the airwaves within months. He continued to attract high-profile guests.
His retirement isn’t coming out of left-field. Interest in radio broadcasts is dwindling and Imus is now 77. Even he recognizes that he had a good run.
“They have a responsibility, as far as the bankruptcy, to try to cut costs, to save money and figure out a way to make the thing work,” Imus told listeners.
“The agreement they had me sign was full of language about, ‘He can’t disparage the company.’ Well, I wasn’t going to do that… I don’t feel like that.”
The controversies of Imus’ career are more well known than its triumphs. According to the Observer: “Outside of his radio work, Imus is a Marine Corps veteran, cancer survivor and recovering alcoholic. For 15 years, he and his wife Deirdre also owned a cattle ranch where they ran free camps for children with cancer.”
(Source: New York Daily News, Observer)