Anthony Cumia
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP | Anthony Cumia | |
|---|---|
 Cumia in 2007 | |
| Born | (1961-04-26) April 26, 1961 Flushing, New York City, US |
| Alma mater | Elwood-John H. Glenn High School (did not graduate) |
| Show | The Anthony Cumia Show |
| Network | Compound Media |
| Country | United States |
| Previous show(s) | Opie and Anthony The Artie and Anthony Show |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer Cumia (m. 1990; div. 2002) |
| Website | anthonycumia.com |
Anthony Cumia (born April 26, 1961) is an American radio personality and broadcaster who is best known as the co-host of the Opie and Anthony radio show with Gregg "Opie" Hughes that aired from 1995 to 2014, alongside comedian Jim Norton from 2001.
In 2014, Cumia was fired by SiriusXM Radio after posting a series of tweets that they deemed to be "racially-charged and hate-filled".[1][2][3] He started his own video podcast soon after named The Anthony Cumia Show, which aired until September 2017, when he started The Artie and Anthony Show with comedian and actor Artie Lange. In May 2018, Artie left the show and was replaced by Dave Landau; the show was renamed back to The Anthony Cumia Show.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Radio career
2.1 Opie and Anthony (1994–2014)
2.2 Live from the Compound (2012–2014)
2.3 The Anthony Cumia Show (2014–2017)
2.4 The Artie and Anthony Show (2017–2018)
2.5 The Anthony Cumia Show with Dave Landau (2018–present)
3 Other ventures
3.1 XFL Gameday
3.2 Demented World
3.3 Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus
3.4 Search and Destroy
4 Personal life
5 References
6 External links
Early life
Cumia was born in Flushing, Queens in New York City,[4] in 1961,[5] into an Italian American family. He has an elder brother, Joe, and a younger sister, Dawn.[6] The family lived in various locations on Long Island including Elwood and East Islip.[4][7] Cumia attended Timber Point Elementary School in East Islip,[8] followed by Elwood-John H. Glenn High School in Elwood, but did not graduate. After his parents separated, Cumia spent his early teenage years living with his father in San Juan Capistrano, California.[9]
Before he started his radio career, Cumia took up manual work installing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.[7] He wanted to get into radio, and was influenced by popular New York City personalities Howard Stern and Don Imus.[10]
Radio career
Opie and Anthony (1994–2014)
Cumia at the XM studio in 2005
Cumia first met radio personality Gregg "Opie" Hughes when the latter held an O. J. Simpson song parody contest on his Nighttime Attitude show on Long Island radio station WBAB. He and Joe decided to enter the contest, and recorded an entry as Rotgut titled "Gonna Electric Shock OJ" to the tune of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding.[11] The song was a hit with Hughes, who played it several times on his show and, in September 1994, invited the Cumias to the studio to perform the song live.[12] Cumia began to contribute and produce comedy bits for Hughes and the station's morning show soon after, while working his installation job. By early 1995, Hughes and Cumia decided to become the hosts of their own radio show, and Hughes produced an air check and sent it to several stations.
Hughes and Cumia accepted an offer to host afternoons at WAAF in Boston, Massachusetts and launched Opie and Anthony in March 1995.[13] Cumia originally thought that by getting into radio he would make very good money, but later said his salary at WAAF was barely higher than doing manual labour.[14] The pair were fired in April 1998 for an April Fool's Day prank that had listeners believe Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was killed in a car accident while transporting a young female Haitian prostitute.[15] Cumia referred to their days on WAAF as the most cringe-inducing moments of his career.[16]
In June 1998, Opie and Anthony began at WNEW in New York City in afternoons, becoming a top 10 afternoon drive show in two years.[17] Around 2000, Hughes considered leaving the show but Cumia convinced him to stay as Infinity Broadcasting promised them a more lucrative contract and have the show nationally syndicated. The show developed further when comedian Jim Norton joined the show as their co-host in 2001, as a go between for their off air troubles.[18] By mid-2002, Opie and Anthony was syndicated on 17 stations nationwide.[19] On August 22, 2002, Opie and Anthony was cancelled over their "Sex for Sam 3" segment five days earlier that involved a Virginia couple having simulated sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Infinity kept Hughes and Cumia from being hired for the duration of their contract which expired in mid-2004.[19]
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—Cumia on his relationship with Hughes after his firing, 2015.[16]
On October 4, 2004, the show returned to the air on XM Satellite Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service. From April 2006 to March 2009, part of the show was simulcast on nine terrestrial radio stations owned by CBS Radio that was compliant to the broadcast regulations imposed by the Federal Communications Commission.[20] During this time, XM suspended the show for thirty days on May 15, 2007 after a homeless man dubbed "Homeless Charlie" expressed his wish to rape Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush.[21]
On July 3, 2014, Cumia was fired by SiriusXM for a series of tweets that were described by the company as "racially-charged and hate-filled".[1][22] His firing came after Cumia stated that he was repeatedly punched by a black woman as he was taking pictures in Times Square,[1][23] and went on to refer to black people as "savage, violent animals".[24] In the following week, Cumia refused to apologize for the incident.[25] He deleted the tweets after being fired.[26]
Live from the Compound (2012–2014)
During his time at SiriusXM, Cumia gradually built a studio in his home to broadcast. In 2012, he launched Live from the Compound via Ustream that he started as a hobby and involved discussions on a variety of matters and "drunk karaoke".[16][27] Cumia retired the program in 2014.
The Anthony Cumia Show (2014–2017)
In the week after his firing from SiriusXM in July 2014, Cumia announced the launch of The Anthony Cumia Show,[28] a "live, uncensored HD video podcast" broadcast from his home studio.[29] Initially he was "petrified" about the show's success and lacked the confidence to turn the project into a full-time job, but hired people to help get the show running in one month.[16] The show launched on August 4, 2014 through his subscription-based network, Compound Media which was initially known as The Anthony Cumia Network, from Monday through Thursday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.[30] In June 2015, Cumia expanded the network with new shows added to the weekly schedule. In August 2015, Cumia relocated his show to a studio in New York City to better suit guests and the new hosts.[16][31]
The Artie and Anthony Show (2017–2018)
On August 21, 2017, Cumia announced the addition of comedian and actor Artie Lange as the co-host of his new show, The Artie and Anthony Show. The show launched on September 5 and continued on the same schedule as The Anthony Cumia Show.[32] The show lasted eight months and ended with Lange's departure on May 14, 2018.
The Anthony Cumia Show with Dave Landau (2018–present)
One week prior to Lange's departure, the show had added comedian Dave Landau as a permanent third mic. With Lange leaving the show, Landau took over as co-host and the show title switched to The Anthony Cumia Show with Dave Landau.
In September 2017, Cumia announced he is in the process of writing a book. He revealed the completion of some chapters, and a foreword written by Norton.[33]
Other ventures
XFL Gameday
Along with Opie, Cumia co-hosted XFL Gameday, a pregame show for Vince McMahon's startup football league, for four weeks in February 2001. The half-hour show was produced by NBC's owned and operated stations and shown on Channel 4 in New York. The show was taped on Wednesdays at the WWF's "World" restaurant in Times Square, and was open to the public. It featured analysis by WNBC sportscaster Bruce Beck and New York/New Jersey Hitmen head coach Rusty Tillman, but also featured plenty of raunch. One segment featured Opie and Anthony as chefs, inserting a cucumber between two melons.
After the show's cancellation four weeks into the season, XFL creator Vince McMahon stated that he'd had no creative control over the show, further elaborating, "I heard it was horrible. Had I seen it, I would have shut it down."[34]
Demented World
Opie, along with Anthony released a compilation of segments from their show that aired on WAAF on a CD entitled Demented World in November 1997.[35]
Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus
The Traveling Virus was a comedy tour headlined by Opie and Anthony, as well as friends of the show, that performed in various cities during 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Search and Destroy
On the morning of March 26, 2008, Opie & Anthony revealed they had taped a pilot for Comedy Central. The show was titled Search & Destroy and it featured teams of comedians performing various tasks throughout New York City.[36] Opie and Anthony believe that it may have been too graphic even for cable television.[36] Comedy Central did not pick the show up.
Personal life
In 1987, Cumia met the future Jennifer Cumia who was dating his brother, Joseph, at the time.[37] Anthony began dating her in 1989 after she broke up with Joe, and the two married after seven months.[38] In March 2002, they finalized their divorce.[38] Cumia later stated that marrying Jennifer was the biggest mistake of his life.[10] He dated Jill Nicolini in 2008,[39] model Melissa Stetten in 2012.[40] Cumia also took a 17-year-old date to his high school reunion.[41]
On December 19, 2015, Cumia was in an argument with his girlfriend Danielle Brand in his house, which turned violent[42]. He was arrested by Nassau County police on charges of strangulation, assault, criminal mischief, and unlawful imprisonment. Cumia was released without bail on December 21, at which time his attorney stated that Cumia denied the allegations.[43] In June 2016 Cumia pled guilty to third-degree assault and criminal obstruction of breathing in a plea deal.[44] As a condition of the deal, if Cumia completed six months of outpatient alcohol rehab and participated in a program designed for batterers, the original charges to which he pled guilty would be dropped and reduced to harassment, which would not leave Cumia with a record.[45]
On March 30, 2016, Cumia announced he would be spending April in rehabilitation for unspecified issues.[46] He said that although his decision to enter rehab was related to the December 2015 incident, it was not court-ordered.[47][48] However, Cumia has described on-air his frequent alcohol abuse that started at a young age due to the enabling from his father.[49] Cumia's alcohol abuse had also been a recurring source of humor on the show although at times his co-hosts would comment on the detriment his drinking had on the quality of the show as on occasion Cumia would be unable to perform due to a hangover.[50]
Cumia is a supporter of the .National Rifle Association and has had a carry permit for New York City.[51] His favorite weapon was the Heckler & Koch P2000 .40 caliber, which he normally carried with him, in addition to his PPKS .380 ACP.[52]
References
^ abc Ryan Sit; Joe Kemp. "Anthony Cumia, host of Opie and Anthony, tells News he has 'options' after being fired by SiriusXM for racist Twitter rant". www.nydailynews.com. Retrieved 6 July 2014..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Lydia Warren (2014-07-03). "New York radio host fired following racist Twitter tirade against black woman". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
^ Miriam Coleman (2014-07-06). "'Opie & Anthony' Host Anthony Cumia Fired After Racist Twitter Tirade". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
^ ab Cumia, Russo & Trackman 2018, p. 14.
^ Eidler, Scott; Irizarry, Lisa (December 20, 2015). "Anthony Cumia of 'Opie and Anthony' released without bail". Newsday. New York. Retrieved March 31, 2016.Cumia, 54...
^ Cumia, Russo & Trackman 2018, p. 16.
^ ab Santos, Fernanda (August 17, 2002). "Joke may be on shock jocks". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
^ Cumia, Russo & Trackman 2018, p. 19.
^ Madore, James T.; Gay, Verne (September 3, 2002). "Drive Time: Ambition, ratings and money push radio jocks toward the edge". Newsday. p. B8.
^ ab Director, Lynda Bekore Content; Companies, Tarkenton (24 February 2015). "The Anthony Cumia Interview: On Becoming a Media Mogul, and the Surprising Person Who Inspired Him".
^ "Untitled Document".
^ "Opie and Anthony celebrate twenty years in radio with a live SiriusXM Unmasked from Carolines in NYC". The Laugh Button. 23 April 2014.
^ "Unofficial Opie and Anthony Audio Archive".
^ "RADIO ONLINE ®".
^ "FCC hoax policy". 2005. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
^ abcde Cumia, Anthony (January 27, 2015). "IamA Anthony Cumia, host of The Anthony Cumia Show. AMA!". Reddit. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
^ "Opie & Anthony Return To CBS Radio Beginning Wednesday, April 26". CBS Radio. 2006-04-24. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
^ February 17, 2015, Opie stated during Larry King interview
^ ab Goodman, Peter (August 23, 2002). "Station shocks jocks by dropping show". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
^ Opie & Anthony are in. NY Daily News. April 22, 2006
^ "XM Radio Suspends Opie & Anthony". XM Satellite Radio. 2007-05-15. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
^ Coleman, Miriam (July 6, 2014). "'Opie & Anthony' Host Anthony Cumia Fired After Racist Twitter Tirade". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
^ Todd Leopold, Opie & Anthony's' Anthony Cumia fired over tweets CNN, July 4, 2014.
^ SiriusXM Host Claims "Cuntrag" Assaulted Him in Racist Twitter Rant Gawker. Retrieved on September 29, 2018.
^ "Anthony Cumia is Beaten Up Again on Red Eye". 12 July 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2018 – via YouTube.
^ Anthony Cumia confirms he'll launch new Internet-based show from his home after SiriusXM firing. New York Daily News. Retrieved on July 9, 2014.
^ "Live From The Compound".
^ Gregg 'Opie' Hughes and new partner Jim Norton sign deal to maintain morning radio show on SiriusXM. New York Daily News. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
^ "Embattled Former Opie and Anthony Host to Launch New Show". TheBlaze.com. July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
^ Lerman, Ali (31 July 2014). "Anthony Cumia Was "Getting Tired of SiriusXM's Bullshit" Anyway".
^ "Former Sirius XM Host Anthony Cumia Hires Gavin McInnes". 10 June 2015.
^ "Anthony Cumia Announces New Co-Host". The Interrobang. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
^ "Kvlt of Cactus #12 - Anthony Cumia". Kvlt of Cactus (Podcast). 22 September 2017.
^ Richard Sandomir (2001-03-24). "PRO FOOTBALL; McMahon Readies XFL For Life Without NBC". NY Times. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
^ Noble, Barnes &. "No Results Page".
^ ab Lafayette, Jon. (2008-03-12) Opie & Anthony, 'Krod Mandoon' on Burgeoning Comedy Central Slate – TVWeek – News. TVWeek. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
^ "Opie & Anthony: Ant Talks About Divorce With Marc Maron & Jose Canseco (04/01/08)". YouTube. April 1, 2008.
^ ab Gregorian, Dareh (March 20, 2002). "Radio-Raunch Man in R-Rated Divorce". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016.
^ "Anthony caught in a jam".
^ Two Years After My Breakup, I’m STILL Being Harassed Online
^ kevyn999 (2 October 2012). "Opie and Anthony - Ant takes an 18 yo girl to his HS reunion (pt 1 of 2)" – via YouTube.
^ "The Anthony & Dani Show: The Unarmed Edition". April 18, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
^ "Girlfriend of former shock jock Anthony Cumia streams footage of alleged domestic abuse on Periscope". ew. December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
^ "Radio shock jock pleads guilty to LI assault".
^ Siegler, Mara. "Anthony Anthony Cumia pleads guilty in domestic violence case".
^ "Anthony Cumia To Take April Off, Hints Stint In Rehab". AllAccess.net. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
^ "Anthony Cumia Headed to Rehab". TheInterrobang.com. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
^ Howerton, Jason (March 30, 2016). "Former 'Opie and Anthony' Star Anthony Cumia Drops Surprise Announcement: I'm Going to Rehab". TheBlaze.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
^ Disco Dog (9 November 2014). "Ron & Fez - Ron & Ant's Drinking Scrapbook" – via YouTube.
^ TheBlackSuitFilms (5 January 2014). "Opie & Anthony: Anthony is Hungover/Try To Make Him Vomit" – via YouTube.
^ Grove, Lloyd (9 July 2014). "Anthony Cumia: 'I Have No Regrets'".
^ "High Profile NYC Celeb With a Concealed Carry Permit Responds to New York's New Laws: 'We're All Just Sheep Now'". 16 January 2013.
Sources
Cumia, Anthony; Russo, Johnny; Trackman, Brad (2018). Permanently Suspended: The Rise and Fall... and Rise Again of Radio's Most Notorious Shock Jock. Post Hill Press. ISBN 978-1-642-93091-7.
External links
- Official website
Anthony Cumia on IMDb