Gregg Hughes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gregg Hughes
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Hughes in 2007
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| Born | May 23, 1963 New York City, U.S.
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| Other names | Opie |
| Alma mater | State University of New York at Geneseo |
| Spouse(s) |
Lynsi Smigo
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| Previous show(s) | Opie and Anthony (1995–2014) Opie with Jim Norton (2014–2016) The Opie Radio Show (2016–2017) |
Gregg Hughes (born May 23, 1963), known by his radio name Opie, is an American radio personality and podcast host. He is famous for co-hosting the Opie and Anthony radio show from 1995 to 2014 with Anthony Cumia. Comedian Jim Norton joined them in 2001.
After Cumia left SiriusXM in July 2014, Hughes and Norton continued as co-hosts of Opie with Jim Norton. In October 2016, Hughes started his own show, The Opie Radio Show. This show ran until July 7, 2017, when he was fired after a controversial incident involving a colleague.
On May 8, 2018, Hughes launched his new podcast, The Opie Radio Podcast. It was part of the Westwood One network. In June 2019, Westwood One ended their partnership. The podcast has continued without a sponsor since then.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hughes was born in New York City. He grew up in Centerport, New York, on Long Island, in an Irish-American family. He got the nickname "Opie" because he looked like Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show when he was a child. Opie Taylor was played by Ron Howard.
In 1981, Hughes finished high school at Harborfields High School. He was interested in basketball, hockey, skiing, and movies. He wanted to work in radio. He studied communications at the State University of New York at Geneseo. While in college, he worked at the university's radio station.
Career Beginnings
After college, Hughes got a job at WCMF in Rochester, New York. He worked in the promotions department. Soon, he moved to the station's morning show. He learned a lot about being on air from the host, Brother Wease.
Hughes then worked at WUFX in Buffalo, New York. He hosted the midnight to 6:00 a.m. shift. Since he was unsupervised, he tried out different and bold ideas. He even broadcast from the station's roof.
His next job was at WBAB on Long Island. He hosted The Nighttime Attitude, a rock music show. In 1994, he held a song parody contest. One participant was from a band called Rotgut. The band's lead singer was Anthony Cumia. Cumia and his brother performed a song for the contest. The song became popular on Hughes's show. Cumia appeared on the show several times. In early 1995, Hughes and Cumia decided to become a radio team.
Opie and Anthony Radio Show
Hughes and Cumia sent their show ideas to radio stations. They accepted an offer from WAAF in Boston. Their show, Opie and Anthony, started on March 13, 1995. They worked in Boston until April 1998. They were fired after an April Fool's Day prank. The prank involved the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino.
In June 1998, Hughes and Cumia moved to WNEW-FM in New York. By 2000, their afternoon show was very popular. In 1999, Hughes thought about leaving the show. Anthony convinced him to stay. They brought Jim Norton on full-time.
In 2001, Opie and Anthony signed a deal. Their show was broadcast on 22 stations across the country. This included WBCN in Boston.
On August 15, 2002, their show was suspended. This happened after a controversial event during a live broadcast. The show was canceled by Infinity.
Opie and Anthony returned to the air on October 4, 2004. It was only available on XM Satellite Radio.
On April 24, 2006, Opie and Anthony signed a deal with CBS Radio. The first three hours of their show were broadcast on nine CBS rock stations. The first official show aired on April 26.
On May 15, 2007, XM suspended Opie and Anthony for 30 days. This was due to a broadcast featuring a homeless man. Later that year, Opie was involved in another controversial stunt.
On March 9, 2009, Opie and Anthony was heard on FM radio for the last time. They then became exclusively available on Sirius XM. This continued until Anthony Cumia was fired in July 2014.
Opie with Jim Norton
On July 3, 2014, Anthony Cumia was fired by SiriusXM. This happened after he made controversial comments on social media. SiriusXM called his comments "hate-filled."
SiriusXM did not say what would happen to Hughes. Cumia said it was okay for the show to continue without him. He knew Hughes and Norton had a contract. The new show, Opie with Jim Norton Show, started on July 14, 2014. Hughes and Norton talked about the incident. The Opie and Anthony Channel was renamed Sirius XM Talk.
In October 2014, Hughes and Norton signed a new contract. The channel was rebranded to Opie Radio. This name was used until January 2017.
The Opie Radio Show
On October 3, 2016, Hughes announced his new weekday afternoon show. It was on the Opie Radio channel. The Opie Radio Show launched on October 4, 2016.
The last broadcast of The Opie Radio Show was on June 29, 2017. Hughes had an argument with a producer during the show. On July 6, 2017, Hughes was fired. This was due to an incident that had been reported to Human Resources. On July 7, Hughes confirmed his firing in a video.
Podcast Work
On March 19, 2018, Hughes announced a contract with Westwood One. He would develop a podcast and a radio show for them. On May 2, it was announced that the podcast, Opie Radio, would start the next week. The first episode aired on May 9. In June 2019, Hughes said his partnership with Westwood One had ended. However, the podcast continued on its own.
Other Projects
XFL Gameday
In February 2001, Hughes and Cumia hosted XFL Gameday. This was a half-hour pre-game show for Vince McMahon's football league, XFL. It aired on Saturday nights on some NBC stations. The show was filmed in Times Square. It featured sports analysis and some humorous segments.
Demented World
In November 1997, Opie and Anthony released a CD. It was called Demented World. It included popular segments from their show on WAAF.
Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus
The Traveling Virus was a comedy tour. Hughes and Cumia headlined it. Friends of the show also performed. The tour visited different cities in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Search and Destroy
On March 26, 2008, Hughes and Cumia said they had filmed a pilot for Comedy Central. The show was called Search & Destroy. It featured teams of comedians doing tasks in New York City. Comedy Central did not pick up the show.
Personal Life
In 2004, Hughes started dating Lynsi Smigo. They met at an event in Philadelphia. On September 5, 2007, they announced their engagement. They got married on November 22, 2008. They have two children. The family lives in New York City.
