Bobby Bones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bobby Bones
Bones at the iHeartRadio Theater in NYC, for Brad Paisley's album release party.
Born	Bobby Estell (1980-04-02) April 2, 1980 (age 45) Mountain Pine, Arkansas, U.S.
Alma mater	Henderson State University
Occupation	Radio personality, television personality, author, comedian, musician
Height	6 ft (183 cm)
Spouse(s)	Caitlin Parker ​ (m. 2021)​
Musical career
Genres	Country
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Black River

Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell on April 2, 1980) is a famous American radio and TV star. He's best known for hosting The Bobby Bones Show, which is heard by millions across the country. Bobby also works as a full-time mentor on the popular TV show American Idol. In 2018, he won season 27 of Dancing with the Stars with his dance partner Sharna Burgess. He has also written two books that became New York Times bestsellers and released several country music albums.

Early Life and Education

Bobby Bones was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 2, 1980. He grew up in a small town called Mountain Pine, Arkansas. Bobby was raised by his mother and grandmother. He started dreaming of a career in radio when he was only about five years old.

He grew up without much money, and radio felt like a way to have a better future. Bobby began his radio journey at age 17. He worked at his college radio station, KSWH-FM "The Pulse," at Henderson State University. He earned a degree in Radio/Television from Henderson in 2002.

His Radio Journey

While still in college, Bobby started working at a radio station called KLAZ in Hot Springs. He quickly got on the air. A manager gave him the choice of being called Bobby Z or Bobby Bones, and he picked Bobby Bones. His first full-time radio job paid him $17,000.

In 2002, Bobby moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, to work at Q100/KQAR. Later, he hosted The Bobby Bones Show on KHFI-FM in Austin, Texas. People say Bobby is different from typical radio DJs because he doesn't have a deep, booming radio voice. He doesn't even call himself a DJ!

Austin Days

Bobby first worked the evening shift at KHFI-FM. Soon, he moved to the morning show. In Austin, he met two of his future co-hosts, Lunchbox and Amy. He believed in Amy and put her on the air right away. His executive producer, Alayna Messer, started as an intern on the show.

For over ten years, the show became very popular in Austin. It was even heard in some other nearby areas. Bobby was offered other jobs, but he chose to stay with Clear Channel, which is now called iHeart Media.

Moving to Nashville

In 2012, Clear Channel moved Bobby and his show to Nashville. The show changed from playing pop music to playing country music. The Bobby Bones Show then started being heard all over the country. Bobby took over the spot of a famous DJ named Gerry House.

He now broadcasts from the WSIX-FM studios in Nashville. The show airs weekday mornings. His co-host is Amy, and other team members include Producer Eddie, Lunchbox, Raymundo, Morgan Number 2, Mike D., Abby, and Scuba Steve. Many top country music stars, and even other celebrities, visit the show for interviews. Stars like Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, and Ed Sheeran have been guests.

Reaching More Listeners

In February 2013, The Bobby Bones Show became available nationwide. It was syndicated through Premiere Networks, owned by iHeart Media. You can also listen online through iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio app. The show is now heard on over 150 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.

The Bobby Bones Show has about 9.2 million listeners every week! Bobby also hosts a weekly show called “Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones.” This show is heard on over 100 radio stations. Bobby often hosts or performs at big music events. These include the iHeartRadio Country Festival and the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Emergency Alert System Incident

In October 2014, Bobby accidentally set off the Emergency Alert System (EAS). He was talking on air about a test that interrupted a baseball game. He played EAS tones, which are special sounds used for emergencies. Because his show was broadcast nationwide, the signal spread. This caused some TV boxes across the country to freeze with the test message.

In May 2015, Bobby's employer, iHeartMedia, had to pay a $1 million fine because of this. They also removed all EAS sounds from their sound library. This was to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

Other Media Projects

Bobby Bones has appeared in movies and TV shows. He was in the 2009 movie Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens. He also appeared on the TV drama Nashville. He has even been a guest host with Kelly Ripa on Live! with Regis and Kelly.

In 2012, Bobby hosted a sports talk show called Roddick and Bones. He hosted it with tennis star Andy Roddick. Bobby also hosts a podcast called “The Bobbycast.” On this podcast, he interviews singers and songwriters. He has also started his own group of podcasts called the Nashville Podcast Network.

In May 2016, he released his first book, Bare Bones, I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book.

Bobby became a guest mentor for season sixteen of American Idol in 2018. He helped the top 24 contestants. In November 2018, it was announced that he would become a full-time mentor for the show. He even filled in as guest host once when Ryan Seacrest was sick.

In June 2019, Bobby filmed an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls in Norway. He was also a judge on the show Who Will Rock You.

In 2021, a show called Breaking Bobby Bones started airing on the National Geographic Channel. In each episode, Bobby tries out a "real" job or sport. He learns how to do it and gets feedback on his skills. At the end, he does something special to help the person he worked with.

On New Year's Eve 2021, Bobby co-hosted New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash on CBS. In 2022, he hosted the USA Network competition series Snake in the Grass.

Dancing with the Stars

In September 2018, Bobby Bones joined the 27th season of Dancing with the Stars. His professional dance partner was Sharna Burgess. Even though they often had lower scores from the judges, the audience voted for them. They made it to the finals and ended up winning the entire competition!

Personal Life

On September 28, 2013, Bobby and his team helped set a Guinness World Record. They packaged the "Most hunger relief meals packaged in one hour (team)."

In 2015, Bobby made headlines for a unique reason. He applied for a trademark for the phrase "Make America Great Again." This phrase was being used by Donald Trump for his presidential campaign. Trump had registered it for political groups, but not for things like hats or T-shirts. Bobby then had the rights to use it on those items.

Bobby tweeted to Donald Trump, offering to give the trademark back. He asked Trump to donate $100,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Later, Bobby tweeted a picture of a check from The Trump Organization. He confirmed the money would go to St. Jude, and Trump could have his slogan back.

In July 2021, Bobby Bones married Caitlin Parker.

Awards and Honors

Bobby Bones has won many awards for his radio work.

• From 2004 to 2008, he was named Best Radio Personality by the Austin Music Awards.
• The Bobby Bones Show also won Best Radio Program in 2007–2008.
• On April 6, 2014, Bobby, Amy, and Lunchbox won their first Academy of Country Music Award. They won for National On-Air Personality of the Year. This was only nine months after Bobby started in country music.
• On November 2, 2017, Bobby became the youngest person ever to be added to the National Radio Hall of Fame. This happened at a ceremony in Chicago.
• The University of Arkansas gave Bobby an honorary doctorate degree in Spring 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Bobby Bones para niños