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Peter Sagal

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This article is about the radio host Peter Sagal. For the director, seePeter Segal.

Peter Sagal
Sagal in 2012
Born(1965-01-31)January 31, 1965(age 59)
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey,U.S.
EducationHarvard University(BA)
Occupation(s)Humorist, writer, radio host
Notable creditHost ofWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Spouses
  • Beth Albrecht
    ​
    ​
    (m.1994;div.2013)​
  • Mara Filler
    ​
    (m.2018)​
Children5

Peter Daniel Sagal[1](born January 31, 1965)[2][3]is an Americanhumorist,writer, and host of theNational Public Radiogame showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!and thePBSspecialConstitution USA with Peter Sagal.

Early life, family and education

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Sagal was raised in a Jewish family inBerkeley Heights, New Jersey,[4]son of Matthew and Reeva Sagal.[5]Matthew was a telecommunications executive, and Reeva was a schoolteacher who became a stay-at-home mother.[6]

Sagal is a 1987 graduate ofHarvard College,[5][6]where one of his college roommates was futureWall Street JournalcorrespondentJess M. Bravin.[7]Together, they entered a competition to write theHasty Puddingproduction and were selected to develop their script "Between the Sheiks".[7]Sagal studied English literature at Harvard.[5]While there he wrote and directed other student theater productions.[6]He also spent a summer as a journalist forCycle,a now defunct motorcycle magazine.[8]

Career

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After graduating from Harvard, Sagal pursued several different occupations, all connected to the theater or writing. While living in Los Angeles, he appeared as a contestant on the game showJeopardy!in April 1988, in which he placed second.[9]

Sagal then moved to New York to pursue a theater writing career[6]In 1998, he moved to theChicagoarea, when he became the host ofNPR'sWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!news quiz program.[6]

He was literary manager for the now-defunct Los Angeles Theater Center,[6]a stage director, an actor, a playwright and a screenwriter, and an extra in a Michael Jackson video. He has also been a journalist, an essayist,[10][11][12]a humorist,[11] a travel writer,[12][13]and an author.[14]Sagal has written several plays that have been performed across the United States and internationally.[12][13]Some have also been performed as radio plays or podcasts.[15][12][13][16][17]

Screenwriter

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Sagal has written screenplays,[18]one for a 1996 science fiction / martial arts thriller,Savage,another forDirty Dancing: Havana Nights,a 2004 sequel to the originalDirty Dancing,adapted from his screenplayCuba Mine,[13][16]which Sagal said bears little resemblance to the poorly-received film.[8]

Television writer

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Sagal has also written for television shows including,

  • Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: A Royal Pain in the News(TV Movie 2011)
  • Wait Wait Don't Tell Me Live!(TV Movie 2013)
  • Constitution USA with Peter Sagal(2013)

The two Wait Wait pilots are based on the weeklyNPR/WBEZ Chicagonews quiz radio program which Sagal hosts.

Actor

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Sagal on his "We the People" Harley Davidson motorcycle at the National Archives during filming forConstitution USA with Peter Sagal

Sagal had a brief voice cameo as Clown's Joy in the 2015 animated movieInside Out.[19]

He appeared as himself in the "Pay Pal" episode of the animated television seriesThe Simpsons.In that episode characters Lisa and Tumi listened to an episode ofWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!featuring Sagal and announcerCarl Kasell.

Sagal has appeared in three television specials based on his radio show:Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!(2008),Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: A Royal Pain in the News(2011), andWait Wait Don't Tell Me Live!(2013).

Sagal has appeared as himself in documentaries. These include:

Journalist

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A runner of marathons, Sagal writes theRoad Scholarcolumn forRunner's Worldmagazine.[25][26] He has also written forThe New York Times Magazine,[27][28][29]theChicago Tribune,[28][29]theHouston Chronicle,[28][29]andTimemagazine.[30]

Sagal and theWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!team contributed a feature calledSandwich MondaytoThe Salt,NPR's food blog. For five years, each Monday the Wait Wait team ate a new and different kind of sandwich for lunch. Then one of the team members would write a tongue-in-cheek blog post describing the food.[31]Sandwiches included Fritos-toppedPapa John's pizza,[31]latke double-down,[31]Passover Sandwich,[32]andBurger King's YUMBO.[33]

Author

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In the early 1990s while he was living in Minneapolis, Sagal was hired to ghostwrite an autobiography of the 1970s pornography directorGail Palmer.[6][15][16]Sagal discovered that Palmer did not direct the pornography movies attributed to her, and that she was a front for her pornographer boyfriend.[6]Peter wrote the book anyway. However, Palmer did not approve of the manuscript, and it has not been published.[6]

In October 2007HarperCollinspublished Sagal'sThe Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them).[6][27]In the book Sagal revisits the Gail Palmer incident and indicates that his exposure to the porn industry led to his writingBook of Vice.[6]Publishers WeeklycalledBook of Vice,"a hilarious, harmlessly prurient look at the banality of regular people’s strange and wicked pleasures".[34]

Awards and honors

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Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

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TapingWait Wait...Don't Tell Me!at the Chase Auditorium in Chicago. Left to right, Bill Kurtis, Peter Sagal, US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez, and panel, Paula Poundstone, Luke Burbank, and Faith Salie.
Doug Berman, Carl Kasell, Peter Sagal, Rod Abid, Philipp Goedicke, and Emily Ecton at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon in 2008

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!was designed as a weekly satirical look at the week's news in a quiz format.[18]The host of the show was to be a comedian namedDan Coffey[7]who would quiz panelists, celebrity guests and non-celebrity callers. The show debuted in January 1998[7][13]but had a rocky start. The producers replaced Coffey with Sagal in May 1998.[7][13]

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!has become one of the most popular shows on NPR. The radio program is heard weekly by nearly three million listeners on 520 public radio stations nationwide.[13][37]TheWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!podcast is also heard by a million people every month.[13][37]In 2008Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!was awarded a 2007Peabody Award"For offering a droll, light-hearted alternative to both news and the cottage industry of punditry that surrounds it..."[38]

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!has not been without controversy. For instance, in December of 2014, Sagal attempted a joke about aDiocese of BrooklynChristmas ad depicting a young woman taking a selfie with a picture of Jesus. He asked why Jesus did not just take the picture for her, and answered "His hands were occupied." Critics includingFox NewshostBill O'ReillyandDallas First Baptist Churchsenior pastorRobert Jeffresscalled the joke blasphemous and accused Sagal specifically and the secular media in general of mocking Christianity. O'Reilly stated that if Sagal's comment was salacious he should be fired. When asked about the incident, NPR President and CEOJarl Mohnsaid, "[T]he show's goal is to poke fun at the news and make people laugh" and he "regrets that we didn't succeed in this case."[39]

Personal life

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Sagal was married from 1994 until his divorce in 2013.[25]In 2018, he married Mara Filler. He has three children from his first marriage and two from his second marriage. Sagal was a longtime resident of the Chicago suburb ofOak Park, Illinois,though he moved toHighland Park, Illinoisin 2022.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Who's Bill This Time?".Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!.Chicago, Illinois: NPR. February 6, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.I'm Bill Kurtis. And here's your host, a man whose middle name is not danger, Peter Daniel Sagal.
  2. ^Sagal, Peter [@petersagal] (January 31, 2020)."It's my birthday!"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  3. ^Deuchler, Douglas (2013).Legendary Locals of Oak Park.Arcadia Publishing.p. 97.ISBN978-1467100861.Peter Sagal (born in 1965)...
  4. ^"Peter Sagal".Colchester, Vermont:Vermont Public Radio.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.
  5. ^abcKaplan, Ron (July 13, 2006)."NJ native hosts game show with twist of the news".New Jersey Jewish News.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 20,2017.
  6. ^abcdefghijkMcKeough, Kevin (October 17, 2007)."The New Vice President".Chicago Magazine.Chicago Tribune Media Group.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 20,2017.
  7. ^abcdeScuderi, Benjamin M. (May 23, 2012)."Peter D. Sagal".The Harvard Crimson.The Harvard Crimson Inc.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 20,2017.
  8. ^ab"Live Wire 257 Encore: Peter Sagal, Chelsea Cain, Eef Barzelay".LiveWireRadio.org.Live Wire! Radio.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 2,2017.
  9. ^"Peter Sagal".J!Archive.Archivedfrom the original on November 15, 2011.RetrievedOctober 24,2011.
  10. ^Stein, Anne (December 21, 2008)."Celebrity Traveler: Peter Sagal 'Wait, Wait,' while Peter Sagal tells us".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  11. ^ab"Distinguished Lecture Series welcomes peter sagal".Wisconsin Union.University of Wisconsin-Madison.Archived fromthe originalon February 1, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  12. ^abcd"Peter Sagal".The Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano.The Dinner Party. March 11, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 24,2017.
  13. ^abcdefghij"Peter Sagal".JoCoCruise.Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  14. ^""The Art of Telling a Joke" with Peter Sagal ".Wisconsin Union.University of Wisconsin-Madison.October 2016.Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  15. ^abc"Peter Sagal Host of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!".NPR.National Public Radio.Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 20,2017.
  16. ^abcde"Peter Sagal".WNPO.org.New Orleans Public Radio.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  17. ^abc"Peter Sagal".Dramatic Publishing.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  18. ^ab"PAMC's Feature Speaker: Peter Sagal".www.iavm.org.International Association of Venue Managers. December 6, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 24,2017.
  19. ^"Inside Out Full Cast and Crew".IMDB.RetrievedAugust 28,2022.
  20. ^Public Programs Staff (May 2, 2013)."Featured Project Constitution USA With Peter Sagal".National Endowment for the Humanities:Division of Public Programs.Archivedfrom the original on January 26, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  21. ^"Constitution USA with Peter Sagal".Twin Cities Public Television.Archivedfrom the original on January 23, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  22. ^Smith, Tim (June 12, 2015)."The BSO hits another expressive peak with semi-staging of 'Candide'".The Baltimore Sun.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  23. ^Valania, Jonathan."Q&A: Peter Sagal, Host of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me".Phawker.Archived fromthe originalon November 26, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  24. ^Puluse, Don (May 8, 2016)."Wait Wait's Peter Sagal and Symphony by the Sea at the Cabot Theater".Marblehead Patch.Patch.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  25. ^abTrainor, Ken (May 7, 2013)."Sagal has been busy".Wednesday Journal.Oak Park, Illinois.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 20,2017.
  26. ^"Peter Sagal Host, NPR's" Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! "".Chicago Ideas.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  27. ^ab"Discover Author Peter Sagal".HarperCollinsPublishers.HarperCollins.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 23,2017.
  28. ^abc"Peter Sagal: Milton Bradley".Playing On Air.December 15, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  29. ^abcd"Peter Sagal 2013 Moment Magazine Creativity Award Recipient".Momentmagazine.Center for Creative Change.Archivedfrom the original on March 22, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  30. ^Sagal, Peter (November 3, 2014)."Peter Sagal Remembers 'Car Talk' Host Tom Magliozzi".Time magazine.Timemagazine.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  31. ^abcShilcutt, Katharine (June 23, 2015)."NPR's Peter Sagal Talks Sandwich Mondays and Banh Mi".Houstonia.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 27,2017.
  32. ^Sagal, Peter (March 30, 2015)."Sandwich Monday: The Passover Sandwich".The Salt.NPR.Archivedfrom the original on January 27, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 27,2017.
  33. ^Sagal, Peter (March 23, 2015)."Sandwich Monday: Burger King's YUMBO".The Salt.NPR.Archivedfrom the original on January 28, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 27,2017.
  34. ^"The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them)".publishersweekly.com.Publishers Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 28,2017.
  35. ^"Peter Sagal: The 2016 Kurt Vonnegut Humor Award Recipient".Kurt Vonnegut Museum * Library Blog.Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library.October 21, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon February 1, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  36. ^Taylor, Emily (November 9, 2016).""Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!" host Peter Sagal on Kurt Vonnegut, ethics and memory ".NUVO.net.NUVOnewspaper.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2017.
  37. ^ab"Peter Sagal".Yakima Town Hall Speakers Series.Yakima Town Hall. Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 31,2017.
  38. ^"Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! (National Public Radio)".Peabody: Stories That Matter.Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication,University of Georgia.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 29,2017.
  39. ^Barnhart, Melissa (December 10, 2014)."Pastor Robert Jeffress Condemns NPR Host Peter Sagal for Mocking Jesus; NPR's CEO Says He 'Regrets' Joke Didn't Succeed".The Christian Post.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 31,2017.
  40. ^Goldsborough, Bob (May 12, 2022)."NPR's Peter Sagal, host of 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!', sells Oak Park home for $505,000".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedMay 15,2022.
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