Don Imus
American media personality (1940–2019)
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Key Takeaways
- John Donald Imus Jr.
- His radio show Imus in the Morning was aired on various stations and digital platforms nationwide until 2018.
- Three years later, he landed the morning broadcast position at WNBC in New York City.
- He remained at WNBC 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.
- Imus was labeled a "shock jock" in his later career.
John Donald Imus Jr. ( EYE-məs; July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known 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.
Imus began his first radio job at KUTY in Palmdale, California in 1968. Three years later, he landed the morning broadcast position at WNBC in New York City. He was fired from WNBC in 1977, worked for a year at WHK in Cleveland, and was rehired by WNBC in 1979. He remained at WNBC 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. Howard Stern's success with national syndication led Imus in the Morning to adopt the same model in 1993.
Imus was labeled a "shock jock" in his later career. 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 told Imus that the company was going to stop paying him, and his final show aired on March 29, 2018. He died the following year of complications from lung disease.
Early life
Imus was born in Riverside, California, to a wealthy family, 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. Imus claimed at one time to practice Judaism then later recanted, calling himself, "spiritual." 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.
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