Leonard Lopate, a longtime public radio host at WNYC in New York, has died.
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His brother, Phillip Lopate, told the New York Times that he passed away Tuesday from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 84.
The Leonard Lopate Show was a popular New York radio program known for its in-depth discussions on politics, culture, science, and the arts. Leonard Lopate’s calm tone and curiosity earned him a loyal audience and awards like the Peabody. For over 30 years, he brought thoughtful and accessible conversations to public radio.
In 2017, at the onset of the #MeToo movement, WNYC dismissed Leonard Lopate over allegations of inappropriate behavior toward female staff members. Jonathan Schwartz, a colleague known for his long-running music show, was also let go.
In a 2017 article by WNYC’s news division, several anonymous female producers shared that certain remarks made by Lopate left them feeling uncomfortable. One producer recounted an instance where he claimed that the word “avocado” originated from the Aztec term for “testicle.”
Leonard Lopate Maintained His 2017 Firing was Due to a “Smear Campaign”
In a 2021 interview for his New York Times obituary, he maintained that he had been the target of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by certain colleagues.
“The stuff they came up with was so farcical,” he told the paper. He believed that his age—77 at the time—and his comparatively high salary had counted against him.
Seven months after his dismissal, he made his return to the airwaves, this time on WBAI—a progressive New York station where he had worked many years before.
Lopate’s second stint at WBAI failed to match the influence he once wielded at WNYC, where he earned a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for broadcast excellence in 2012. At WBAI, his show was reduced to just an hour, half the length of his WNYC program. He harbored resentment over the accusations against him, which cost him prominent interviewing opportunities at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y and Brooklyn College.
He is survived by his brother, his sisters Betty Ann Lopate, a nurse, and Joan Lopate, a teacher, as well as his son, Stephen, from his second marriage.