Tom Joyner

Tom Joyner is an American retired radio host who is well-known as the former host of the nationally syndicated, “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” which he hosted for almost 25 years of his life. Joyner is also the first African-American man to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1998. He also was the recipient of the NAB Marconi Radio Award(2004). 

Besides, Joyner is active in social media sites with over 390k followers on his Instagram: @flyjocktomjoyner. 

What is Tom Joyner Famous for?

  • Famous as the former host of the nationally syndicated show, “The Tom Joyner Morning Show”. 

Where was Tom Joyner Born?

Tom Joyner was born on November 23, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. His birth name is Thomas Joyner. His nationality is American. Joyner belongs to African-American ethnicity while Sagittarius is his zodiac sign. 

Tom Joyner was born in a well-educated family as the son of Frances Joyner(mother) and Hercules L. Joyner(mother). Both of his parents were graduates of historically black colleges and so was his grandfather Oscar, as he was one of only 3,000 black physicians in the United States, earning a degree in medicine in 1909. 

Tom grew up in his hometown along with his brother Albert, both of who attended Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University. While he was a student at Tuskegee, Joyner joined the fraternity Omega Psi Phi. 

Joyner always had a dream to become a musician so he joined a band, “The Commodores” along with his college friend Lionel Richie, who now is a popular musician, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the judges of “American Idol”. But at that time, the band did not make any money, so his family encouraged him to seek another way to make a living and he left the band. 

What Does Tom Joyner Do For Living?

  • Tom Joyner began his broadcasting career immediately upon graduation in Montgomery, Alabama, and worked at a number of radio stations in early 1978.
  • He first worked at the morning show of WVON, but he left the station after only three months to work at a competitor, WBMX-FM.
  • In 1985, he was offered 2 positions among which he chose both and began working on a morning show at KKDA-FM (K104) in Dallas and another on an afternoon show at WGCI-FM in Chicago. He did both jobs for eight years, by flying daily between two cities and thus earned the nicknames “The Fly Jock” and “The Hardest Working Man in Radio”.
  • Joyner made his breakthrough after he got signed as a host of a nationally syndicated program, “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” by ABC Radio Networks in 1994. He along with a team of comedians reported and discussed the latest news and sports of the day, and playing popular R&B songs from the 1970s through the 1990s on the show.
  • He remained in the show for over 25 years until he announced that he would retire from the show after he signed a contract extension with Westwood on October 17, 2017. He served for the show for over 25 years and got retired on December 13, 2019.
  • Also, in 2005, a nationally syndicated one-hour television show, “The Tom Joyner Show”, was launched. The show attracted advertisers such as McDonald’s, Chrysler Corporation, Walmart, and Southwest Airlines.
  • With the rising popularity of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Joyner founded “The Tom Joyner Foundation” to support historically black colleges and universities(HBCUs). Since 1998, it has raised more than $65 million to help keep students enrolled at HBCUs.
  • In 2009, a book titled “Tom Joyner Presents How to Prepare for College” was published that featured a foreword written by Joyner with writers Wil and Thomas LaVeist.
  • He appeared with his father and grandfather in the documentary “Rising from the Rails: The Story of the Pullman Porter”.
  • Joyner also had cameo roles in two films, “The Gospel”(2005) and “Madea Goes to Jail”(2009).
  • He is also the founder of a media house company, “Reach Media Inc.”. 

Source: @dallasnews

Awards and Honors

  • Became the first African American to be inducted into The National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, Illinois in 1998.
  • Awarded the NAB Marconi Radio Award on October 7, 2004.
  • Inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site on January 12, 2008.
  • Inducted into The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame on August 17, 2013.
  • Awarded the Humanitarian Award at the 2015 BET Awards on June 28, 2015. 

Source: @stylemag

Who is Tom Joyner Married to?

Tom Joyner has been married twice to date. Joyner was first married to his first wife, Dora with whom he shares two sons named Thomas Jr. and Oscar, whom he calls “Killer” and “Thriller” respectively. However, their relation didn’t go along and they got divorced. 

After divorcing his first wife, he got married to Donna Richardson, a celebrity aerobics instructor-fitness expert, with whom he first met when she appeared as a guest on his radio show in 1997. They got engaged a year later in August 1998 and eventually got married on July 29, 2000, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and had a week-long honeymoon in Venice Italy. However, after 12 years of marriage, they got separated in December 2012 and subsequently got divorced in May 2012. 

Besides, according to a DNA analysis performed by African Ancestry Inc., Joyner is descended partially from the Balanta people of Guinea-Bissau. Also, he has been an advocate for voter registration and even promotes voter registration over the air every year. 

Source: @entertainmentrundow

What is the Net Worth of Tom Joyner?

Tom Joyner has quite great earnings from his professional career as a radio host. Having been in this field for over 30 years, Joyner has managed to amass a million worth fortune especially from his popular talk show, “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” that lasted for 25 years. 

His net worth is estimated to be around $50 million. Besides, Joyner also owns a million worth mansion in Golden Beach, Florida. 

How Tall is Tom Joyner?

Tom Joyner is a good-looking man in his 70s. With his manly voice and his personality, Joyner has managed to win several hearts over a long time ow. He stands tall with a height of 1.70m while his body weighs around 70kg. 

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