Garrison Keillor, Former Host of ‘A Prairie Home Companion,’ Fired by Minnesota Public Radio Amid Allegations of “Improper Behavior”
Following Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer, Keillor is the latest media figure to face consequences for his alleged misconduct
Popular radio host Garrison Keillor has been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over “inappropriate behavior” with a colleague, the station announced on Wednesday. MPR said it would also cut business ties with Keillor’s media entities. Keillor confirmed the news in an email to the Associated Press, and in a follow-up statement he asserted that he was fired over “a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard.”
Keillor is best known for his longtime radio series A Prairie Home Companion, a variety show he created in 1974 and retired from last year. The show’s most popular segment was Keillor’s “News From Lake Wobegon” monologues, which always ended with the send-off, “Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” Chris Thile, who took over Prairie last year, will continue with the program under a different name, according to MPR.
In a strange bit of timing, Keillor wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post on Tuesday calling for Minnesota Senator Al Franken—who has been accused of sexual misconduct—to keep his senate seat, labeling the demands for his resignation “pure absurdity.”
The news of Keillor’s firing comes in the wake of many other media figures being relieved of their respective duties due to allegations of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Last week, Charlie Rose was fired by CBS News and PBS after eight women accused him of sexual misconduct, and earlier on Wednesday, longtime Today show host Matt Lauer was fired by NBC News after a coworker reported that Lauer had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior.”
