Was fired in April 2007 after making racially offensive remarks on the air
Born July 23, 1940, John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is a radio and television personality known for his monotone, irreverent comedic styling and "politically incorrect" reportage of daily news on his radio program, Imus in the Morning, which was syndicated throughout the U.S. by Westwood One, a radio network managed by CBS Radio. The program aired from 1979 until April 12, 2007, when it was canceled following a firestorm of outrage over some controversial on-air remarks Imus made regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team, the Scarlet Knights.
Following a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and a job as a brakeman for Southern Pacific Railroad, in 1968 Imus launched his broadcasting career at a radio station in Palmdale, California. While there, he played an on-air practical joke in which he ordered 1,200 hamburgers from a local restaurant. This prank inspired a new Federal Communications Commission ruling that required DJs to identify themselves when making telephone calls on the air.
Imus moved to New York City in 1971, and for the next sixteen years he battled an addiction to alcohol and cocaine, for which he eventually sought treatment in 1987. Upon returning to work after a stint in rehabilitation, Imus revamped his show, removing the music and instituting an all-talk format in which he relayed news stories and discussed current events with notable guests.
In 1996 Imus was invited to speak at the Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., where he told a number of jokes about Bill and Hillary Clinton, both of whom were in attendance. Specifically, the jokes involved the Whitewater scandal and President Clinton's marital infidelities, and caused the Clintons to leave the dinner early in apparent disgust.
In 1999 Imus founded the Imus Ranch, a working cattle ranch in New Mexico that serves as a charity for children with cancer and for the siblings of children who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In 2005 the charity was investigated by the Attorneys General of New Mexico and New York for possible accounting fraud, but no charges were filed.
The incident that led directly to the end of Imus' career with CBS occurred on April 4, 2007. During his broadcast that morning, Imus referred to the black members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed ho's" [slang for "whores"]. Such comments had become commonplace on Imus in the Morning, and Imus and his on-air team had repeatedly faced allegations of racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism for their irreverent radio commentary.
On April 6 Imus publicly apologized for his remarks, calling them "insensitive," "ill-conceived," and "stupid." Three days after that, he appeared on Al Sharpton's radio talk show to address the controversy. "Our agenda is to be funny and sometimes we go too far," Imus said. "And this time we went way too far." Notwithstanding the apology, Sharpton continued to call for Imus' firing, characterizing the comments as "racist" and "abominable."
On April 12, CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves announced that the company was firing Don Imus and canceling Imus in the Morning. The decision followed Moonves' meeting with Jesse Jackson, who was organizing protests across the U.S. calling for radio listeners to boycott stations that carried the show. According to Jackson, Imus' comments added to a "climate of degradation" and could be attributed to what Jackson perceived as a dearth of black program hosts on radio.
The organization behind the initial public outcry against Imus' statement was Media Matters for America, whose researcher Ryan Chiachiere was monitoring Imus' program when he heard the comment, posted the clip on the group's weblog, and sent a news release to several hundred reporters.
Over his many years in broadcasting, Imus had made many similar comments in the spirit of irreverent humor. For example, he had referred to the publishers Simon & Schuster as "thieving Jews"; to homosexuals as "faggots"; and to Arabs as "ragheads." He had also made many outrageous comments about his conservative radio and television counterparts, calling Rush Limbaugh "a fat, pill-popping loser," and Tucker Carlson "a bowtie-wearing pussy."
On October 15, 2007, Imus signed an eight-figure, multiyear contract with WABC Radio's parent company, Citadel Broadcasting. The deal returned him to the airwaves on December 3, 2007.
Imus is married and has one son with his current wife, and four daughters from his first marriage.
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