Don Imus has had a rough history. He admitted to using the n-word in the past (Robin Quivers of the Howard Stern Show said she heard him use it often at WNBC, at corporate HQ, years ago). He has admitted to cocaine addiction. He projects a pathetic "tough guy," cowboy persona that reeks of existential insecurity. We quite frankly wouldn't want to walk a mile in his worn, leather moccasins. He also ran what can only be properly construed as a racist show on WFAN, for which he was thrown off the airwaves.
He has reformed. Evolved. It's true. On air, his new show -- on WABC -- has two African-Americans featured prominently and he was sympathetic to Obama's campaign for President (but he voted McCain). He has also remarried a health-conscious wife, whom we met, briefly, at a Hearst breakfast a year ago when we covered media at FishbowlNY. The health-consciousness, evidently, came late in countervailing the cumulative effects of a life unhealthily lived. While we have had problems with Imus, we do not wish his next battle on anyone. From Marksfriggin (on today's Howard Stern show):
"Howard said that he had a story about Don Imus announcing that he has stage 2 prostate cancer. Howard said he knows he's had his problems with Imus but it's still sad to read about that. Howard didn't know what the ''stage 2'' meant exactly though.
"Artie said that a lot of guys have been able to get rid of that if they catch it soon enough. Howard said it has to be uncomfortable to get the operation. Robin read that stage 2 means that it's detectable with a digital rectal exam. Howard read that Imus was thinking that the cancer came from stress. Howard said that it could also be his years of bad living. Howard said that Imus is 68 years old."
Curious that Imus and Stern, who both exploded as national personalities at WNBC, went such different directions (Stern as favorite of Hollywood,Imus the parlor favorite of DC elites) ..
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