Terry Gross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Terry Gross
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Gross in 2016
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| Born | February 14, 1951 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University at Buffalo (BA, M.Ed) |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
| Spouse(s) |
Unknown
(m. 1970, divorced)Francis Davis
(m. 1994; died 2025) |
| Career | |
| Show | Fresh Air |
| Station(s) | WHYY-FM, NPR |
| Country | United States |
Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is a famous American journalist. She is best known as the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air. This is a popular interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia. It is heard all over the country through NPR. Since she joined NPR in 1975, Terry Gross has talked to thousands of interesting guests.
People often praise Terry Gross for her calm and friendly interview style. She is also known for asking thoughtful questions. She always does a lot of research on her guests. She often surprises them with questions about their early careers.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Terry Gross was born in Brooklyn, New York City. She grew up in the Sheepshead Bay area. She was the second child of Anne and Irving Gross. Her mother was a stenographer, and her father worked in a family business selling fabric for hats.
Terry grew up in a Jewish family. All of her grandparents were immigrants. Her father's parents came from Poland, and her mother's from the Russian Empire. She graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School in 1968.
College Years
Terry Gross earned two degrees from the University at Buffalo. She got a bachelor's degree in English. She also earned a master's degree in communications. While in college, she took a year off to travel across the country.
In 1972, Gross started teaching 8th grade in Buffalo, New York. She found it hard to manage the classroom. She was fired after only six weeks.
Her Radio Career
Terry Gross began her radio journey in 1973 at WBFO. This was a college radio station in Buffalo, New York. She started as a volunteer on a show called Woman Power. Later, she co-hosted This is Radio. These shows often discussed women's rights and public topics.
Starting Fresh Air
In 1975, she moved to WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, she became the host and producer of Fresh Air. At first, it was a local interview program. In 1985, Fresh Air with Terry Gross began to be heard nationally on NPR. It became a daily show two years later.
Terry Gross usually does her interviews from the WHYY-FM studios in Philadelphia. Her guests are often in other cities. They connect by phone or satellite. This means she often talks to people without seeing them face-to-face. Her show is an hour long and usually has two interviews. It is sent to over 190 NPR stations. Millions of people listen to her show every day. Many of the people who work on her show have been with her for a very long time.
Her Interview Style
The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper once wrote that Terry Gross's interviews are "a remarkable blend of empathy, warmth, genuine curiosity, and sharp intelligence." Terry Gross is very proud of how much she prepares. Before talking to guests, she reads their books, watches their movies, or listens to their music.
A newspaper called the Boston Phoenix said that Terry Gross is "almost certainly the best cultural interviewer in America." They noted that her smart questions often lead guests to talk about new things. Her interviews often reveal things that others do not. Terry Gross has worked to make her voice calm and deeper over the years. Many people have written about her voice and how carefully she uses words.
Challenging Interviews
Sometimes, interviews do not go as planned. Terry Gross has had a few guests who ended their interviews early. These included people like Lou Reed, Faye Dunaway, and Adam Driver.
One well-known example happened on February 4, 2002. She interviewed Kiss singer Gene Simmons. The interview started with a disagreement about how she said his name. Later, Simmons made a comment that Terry Gross found offensive. Unlike most guests, Simmons did not allow this interview to be put on the NPR website. However, it is now available in the Fresh Air online archive.
Another example was on October 8, 2003, with TV host Bill O'Reilly. He left the interview because he felt her questions were unfair. This caused a lot of discussion in the media.
On February 9, 2005, Terry Gross interviewed Lynne Cheney. She is an author and the wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The interview started about Cheney's history book. Gross then asked about Cheney's views on certain political topics. Cheney chose not to discuss these matters further.
Other Appearances
Terry Gross has also appeared in other media. In 1988, she played a radio host in a remake of the famous The War of the Worlds radio broadcast. This version was produced by WGBH in Boston.
She has also lent her voice to animated shows. She was a guest voice on The Simpsons in two episodes. In 2017, she appeared as Debra Copper, a radio host, on the TV show Clarence. She is also the voice of Pam in the HBO Max animated series The Fungies!.
In 2012, Terry Gross was in a short comedy film by Mike Birbiglia. In 2015, she was a guest on the radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. She played a game called "Not My Job." In January 2020, she appeared on the PBS show Finding Your Roots. On this show, she learned more about her family history.
Personal Life
Terry Gross was married for about a year in college. She later divorced. In 1994, she married Francis Davis, a jazz critic. They had been together since 1978. Francis Davis passed away in 2025. They lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They both loved music. They did not have any children.
Awards and Recognition
Terry Gross has received many awards for her work. These awards recognize her skill as an interviewer and journalist.
- 1981: Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award for Best Live Radio Program
- 1987: Ohio State Award
- 1994: Peabody Award
- 1999: The Foundation of American Women In Radio and Television's Gracie Allen Award
- 2003: Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award
- 2007: Literarian Award, for her lifetime work in literature
- 2012: Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame
- 2015: National Humanities Medal
- 2022: Peabody Award
Works and Publications
Terry Gross has also published books and audio collections of her interviews.
Books
- Gross, Terry. All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists. New York: Hyperion, 2004.
Audio Collections
- Gross, Terry. Fresh Air on Stage and Screen. National Public Radio, 1998.
- Gross, Terry. Fresh Air on Stage and Screen. Vol. 2. National Public Radio, 2000.
- Gross, Terry. Laughs: Fresh Air with Terry Gross [Terry Gross Interviews 21 Stars of Comedy]. Philadelphia, PA: WHYY, 2003.
- Gross, Terry, et al. Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Terry Gross Interviews 11 Stars of Stage & Screen. HighBridge, 2007.
- Gross, Terry. Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Faith, Reason & Doubt. Highbridge Co., 2008.
- Gross, Terry. Fresh Air with Terry Gross Funny People: More Interviews with Stars of Comedy. Highbridge, 2010.
Video
- 2012: Birbiglia, Mike. Fresh Air 2: 2 Fresh 2 Furious (short film).
