Tony Kornheiser
Anthony Irwin Kornheiser[1] (/ˈkɔːrnhaɪzər/; born July 13, 1948)[2] is an American television sports talk show host and former sportswriter and columnist. Kornheiser is best known for his endeavors in three forms of media: as a writer for The Washington Post from 1979 to 2008, as a co-host of ESPN's Emmy Award-winning sports debate show Pardon the Interruption since 2001, and as the host of The Tony Kornheiser Show, a radio show and podcast. Longtime ESPN executive John Walsh once declared that "in the history of sports media, [Kornheiser] is the most multitalented person ever."[3]
Tony Kornheiser
July 13, 1948
- Sports columnist
- radio and podcast host
- television host
- color commentator
1970–present
Karril Kornheiser
2
Early life[edit]
Kornheiser was born in New York City and raised in nearby Lynbrook.[2][4] He was the only child of Estelle (née Rosenthal; 1915–1978) and Ira Kornheiser (1910–2000).[5][6] His father was a dress cutter.[3] During his youth, Kornheiser spent his summers at Camp Keeyumah in Pennsylvania. One of his counselors was future NCAA and NBA basketball coach Larry Brown.[7][8] Kornheiser attended George W. Hewlett High School, where he was the sports editor of the school newspaper.[3][9] He graduated in 1965.
After high school, Kornheiser went to Harpur College (now Binghamton University), where he majored in English literature and began his journalism career at the Colonial News (now called Pipe Dream).[10][11] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1970.[12] Kornheiser has frequently spoken positively of his college years.[10][13][14] For a brief period of time after college, he worked with children with disabilities.[15]
Print career[edit]
Early writing career[edit]
Kornheiser began his career in New York City, where he wrote for Newsday between 1970 and 1976.[16] His first work at Newsday consisted of covering high school sports.[17] Kornheiser then moved to The New York Times, where he wrote between 1976 and 1979.[16]
In 1979, George Solomon recruited Kornheiser to join The Washington Post as a general assignment reporter in Style and Sports.[16][18] In 1980, Kornheiser also authored a profile of Nolan Ryan that served as the cover story for the charter issue of Inside Sports.[19] He became a full-time sports columnist at the Post in 1984.[12][18] He also began writing columns for the Post's Style Section on November 12, 1989.[18]
In the 1990s, Kornheiser usually wrote three columns per week, which were a Tuesday column and a Thursday column in the Sports Section and a Sunday column (written for a more general audience) in the Style Section. He also started working for ESPN Radio in 1997 and kept his column at the Post.[12] As part of his ESPN Radio contract, Kornheiser wrote columns called "Parting Shots" for ESPN The Magazine between 1998 and 2000.[20]
Writing style[edit]
Kornheiser's columns were usually sarcastic with touches of humor.[21][22] The most distinct style of his columns was that he often used an alter ego in italics to question his points of views for self-deprecation, like "Excuse me, Tony..."[5][23] At times, he would also use exaggeration for the sake of humor.[24] According to Stephanie Mansfield of Sports Illustrated, Kornheiser was regarded by many as "the wittiest columnist" in American newspapers.[25] Robert Weintraub of the Columbia Journalism Review praised him, in retrospect, for his "blend of beauty and precision."[26] Kornheiser was also capable of being "deadly serious" when need be.[27]
The Bandwagon columns[edit]
In 1991, Kornheiser created a string of now-famous Bandwagon columns to describe the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl run that year.[22][28] He first came up with the idea when the Redskins trounced the Detroit Lions, 45–0, in the opening game of the season.[29] He officially unveiled the first "Bandwagon" column when the team had an undefeated 4–0 record.[28] From then on, the Bandwagon column appeared every Tuesday, celebrating "the fun and hilarity of sports."[29][30] As the season progressed and the team's performances improved, a growing number of fans read the Bandwagon column in earnest.[26][29]
When the Redskins advanced to Super Bowl XXVI, Kornheiser and his Post colleagues Jeanne McManus and Norman Chad drove in a 38-foot recreational vehicle decorated as the Bandwagon for a 1,200-mile journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota.[31][32] Kornheiser later described the Bandwagon columns as "the most fun I ever had as a writer."[29]
Late writing career[edit]
In the early 2000s – because of his work on both radio and Pardon the Interruption – Kornheiser stopped writing Style Section columns and only wrote one column a week. His last Style Section column was published on September 30, 2001.[33] Three of his books – Pumping Irony, Bald as I Wanna Be, and I'm Back for More Cash – are compilations of his Style Section columns.[12]
In 2005, Kornheiser started to write short columns called A Few Choice Words with his photo in the Post's Sports Section. These short, sports-related columns appeared on the second page of the Post's Sports section and were much shorter than the full-length columns Kornheiser used to write for the paper. This was the first time that the Post displayed a columnist's photo beside his column. He called these short columns "columnettes,"[34][35] writing three per week unless he had other duties. He did not write columns between April 26, 2006, and August 7, 2006, to prepare as an analyst of ESPN's Monday Night Football.[3] Starting August 8, 2006, he wrote columns called Monday Night Diary to describe his adventures on Monday Night Football.[36] His short-column space was later replaced by Dan Steinberg's D.C. Sports Bog.[37]
On May 14, 2008, it was announced that Kornheiser had accepted a buyout from the Post.[38] "I love the paper. They were great to me every day that I was there," he told Reuters. "But I don't do much for the paper anymore."[39] Kornheiser had not written a regular column for the paper's print edition since 2006.[39] However, Kornheiser and Wilbon continued to tape a "Talking Points" mini online TV feature for the Washington Post until June 2, 2009, when an installment termed the final one was posted on the Post's site. In it Wilbon says he thinks there will be further installments while Kornheiser seems certain it is a permanent decision management has made.[40]
On May 20, 2010, Kornheiser said on his radio show that in fact he was fired by the Washington Post, saying "they fired me in a despicable way." On September 11, 2013, Kornheiser repeated his account: "Raju Narisetti fired me from the Washington Post and I hate his guts."[41]
Entertainment[edit]
The 2004–2005 sitcom Listen Up, which aired on CBS, was loosely based on Kornheiser's life. It featured Jason Alexander as Tony Kleinman.[90][91] The sitcom's material mostly came from Kornheiser's columns (collected in I'm Back for More Cash) that he contributed to the "Style" section of the Washington Post, which took a humorous view of his family life.[92][93]
Kornheiser had a cameo appearance as a bar patron in a 2015 episode of The Americans.[94]
In June 2016, Kornheiser participated in the roast of political commentator and strategist James Carville.[95]
Restaurant[edit]
In January 2017, it was announced that Kornheiser was part of a new ownership group for Chad's (formerly Chadwick's),[96] a bar and restaurant located in the Friendship Heights area of Washington, D.C.[97] The group also included former Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams, TV host Maury Povich, and D.C. businessman and socialite Alan Bubes.[97] Kornheiser is quoted as saying: "Did I always want to be part of a restaurant? No. But now with a podcast and trying to own my own content, the ability to put it on during the mornings or during the day and to have other people use it, that would be fun for me."[98]
In April 2017, Kornheiser announced that Chad's would be renamed Chatter.[99] The new owners made several improvements, including remodeling the interior and adding a podcast studio.[63][100] Kornheiser began recording episodes of The Tony Kornheiser Show at Chatter on May 1, 2017.[101] Many fans of the show visited the restaurant to listen live.[63][67]
On June 28, 2019, Kornheiser announced that the podcast would move to a new location after the summer break due to the closure of Chatter.
Personal life[edit]
Kornheiser currently resides in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Washington, D.C., as well as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife Karril.[102][103] They have two children, Michael and Elizabeth.[3][104] Kornheiser is Jewish.[105][106]
Kornheiser was a member of the Young Democrats club while in high school.[9] As of 1990, Kornheiser was a registered Republican, although he did so because his wife was a registered Democrat and the couple wanted to "receive mailings from both sides."[107] Later, he referred to the decision to register as a Republican as a "mistake."[107] Kornheiser voted for Barack Obama during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.[108] During a podcast episode released on January 31, 2017, Kornheiser stated: "I land on the liberal side of the fence almost all the time, certainly on social issues."[109]
Kornheiser has a pronounced fear of flying.[21][25] He regularly goes to bed early.[21][110] He can name all fifty U.S. states and their capitals in alphabetical order.[111]
In 2006, Kornheiser revealed that he had skin cancer and had received treatment.[112]
Criticism[edit]
General[edit]
While earning a name as a critic of many people and organizations, he has appeared sensitive to criticism directed toward his own work.[113][114]
Stephen Rodrick wrote for Slate that Kornheiser was allowed by ESPN to argue aimlessly on television and that his Washington Post column was being used to plug side projects rather than gather news from cited sources.[115] Kornheiser called on Slate, owned by the Post's parent company, to fire Rodrick.[116]
After Kornheiser's first game on Monday Night Football, Paul Farhi wrote in The Washington Post that Kornheiser had emphasized the obvious, played third fiddle, and was reminiscent of Dennis Miller "in a bad way."[117] Kornheiser responded during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on August 15, 2006, saying that Farhi was a "two-bit weasel slug" and his own newspaper had back-stabbed him. His response generated more criticism from media outlets, including the Post.[118] Other criticism came from Toronto Argonauts play-by-play commentator Mike Hogan, who said, "The thing that really bothers me is that Kornheiser doesn't seem to know his place. If you're there for comic relief, that's one thing. But for God's sake, leave the football analysis to guys who actually played the game."[119] Former NFL offensive lineman Mike Schad also criticized Kornheiser, saying that "when people watch a game, they want to learn something. I don't need a guy who's sarcastic or trying to be funny. I love listening to Ron Jaworski on Monday Nights. He played the game and has lots of good insight and Kornheiser just gets in his way."[119]
Mike Golic – an ESPN colleague of Kornheiser's who had expressed skepticism regarding the latter's prospects as an on-air analyst because he was never an athlete[120] – said that Kornheiser's performance on MNF was "fine."[121] Kornheiser's response was, "I just want to wring Golic's neck and hang him up over the back of a shower rod like a duck."[121]
Controversial remarks[edit]
During a Monday Night Football telecast on September 15, 2008, Kornheiser made a comment about a clip of the ESPN Deportes crew's call of a Felix Jones touchdown, saying, “I took high-school Spanish, and that either means ‘nobody is going to touch him’ or ‘could you pick up my dry cleaning in the morning.’” Later in the broadcast, Kornheiser apologized on-air for the remark.[122]
On February 23, 2010, it emerged that ESPN had suspended Kornheiser for two weeks for comments he made on his radio show about fellow high-profile ESPN personality Hannah Storm's wardrobe that day.[123]
In March 2010, Kornheiser commented: "The last time I looked, the roads were made for automobiles...We're going to be dominated as if this was Beijing by hundreds of thousands of bicyclists... They all wear... my God... with the little water bottle in the back and the stupid hats and their shiny shorts. They are the same disgusting poseurs that in the middle of a snowstorm come out with cross-country skiing on your block. Run 'em down... Let them use the right, I’m okay with that. I don’t take my car and ride on the sidewalk because I understand that’s not for my car... Why do these people think that these roads were built for bicycles?... They dare you to run them down."[125] Cyclist Lance Armstrong replied. "Disgusting, ignorant, foolish. What a complete f-ing idiot."[125] Kornheiser later apologized to Armstrong on-air and offered to go on a bike ride with him.[126]
In June 2010, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers criticized Kornheiser's performance on Monday Night Football, saying: "He's terrible... I don’t think he’s funny. I don’t think he’s insightful. I don’t think he knows, really, anything about sports."[127] Rodgers also criticized ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski and other ESPN employees during the interview. Kornheiser responded in an interview by saying: "If he thinks I'm no good, he wouldn't be the first. Or the last," and "I tried to establish some rapport with that. I guess that rapport didn't exist."[128] The two have since reconciled. Kornheiser and Rodgers even played a round of golf together with Barack Obama and Mark Kelly in April 2016.[129]
In October 2015, Kornheiser was interviewing Huffington Post editor Howard Fineman about the conservative movement in Congress when he asked if Tea Party members are "like ISIS trying to establish a caliphate here," which Fineman called a "good analogy" but without the violence.[130]
Honors[edit]
Kornheiser was a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.[131]
In 2008, Kornheiser was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[132]
In 2012, Kornheiser was ranked No. 8 in the list of the 100 most important sports talk radio hosts in America compiled by Talkers Magazine.[133] In 2016, the Tony Kornheiser Show was ranked No. 1 as America's Top 20 Local Sports Midday Shows for 2015 by Barrett Sports Media.[134]
In May 2017, Binghamton University – Kornheiser's alma mater – awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.[135]
On July 9, 2017, Kornheiser was inducted into the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame alongside such notable names as Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.[136]
On October 4, 2017, Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon shared the National Press Club's 2017 Fourth Estate Award, which "recognizes journalists who have made significant contributions to the field."[137]