Eugene Shalit (March 25, 1926 – June 12, 2026) was an American journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author. He started working part-time on NBC’s The Today Show in 1970 and appeared regularly from January 15, 1973, until retiring on November 11, 2010.
📅 Early Life and Education
Shalit was born on March 25, 1926, in New York City, and raised in Newark and Morristown, New Jersey. He was of Latvian Jewish ancestry. In high school, he wrote a humor column titled “The Korn Krib” for the school newspaper.
Shalit wrote for The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in science and letters.
🎙️ Career Beginnings and Radio
According to a Dick Clark interview in The New York Times Magazine, Shalit was Clark’s press agent in the early 1960s. Shalit reportedly “stopped representing” Clark during a Congressional investigation of payola, and Clark never spoke to Shalit again.
Shalit began reviewing the arts in 1967 and wrote for publications including Look, Ladies’ Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, TV Guide, Seventeen, Glamour, McCall’s, and The New York Times. From 1970 to 1982, he broadcast a daily essay, Man About Anything, for the NBC Radio Network.
📺 The Today Show Tenure
From January 15, 1973, to November 11, 2010, Shalit served as the film and book critic for NBC’s Today, marking a tenure of over 37 years. He reviewed thousands of films and conducted interviews with prominent actors and directors.
Shalit’s generally positive assessments of films drew both acclaim for accessibility and criticism from peers for lacking rigor. Among his notable reviews, he praised John Cusack’s performance in the 1989 film Say Anything… and lauded the 1987 Mel Brooks film Spaceballs.
📼 Video Collection and Retirement
In 1986, Shalit hosted a videocassette and laserdisc collection from MCA Home Video, Gene Shalit’s Critic’s Choice Video. Titles included Touch of Evil, Destry Rides Again, Double Indemnity, and The Ipcress File.
Shalit announced he would leave The Today Show after 40 years, effective November 11, 2010. He largely stayed out of the public eye thereafter, only appearing once for Willard Scott’s retirement from NBC on December 15, 2015.
⚖️ Brokeback Mountain Controversy
In 2005, Shalit gave a negative review to the film Brokeback Mountain, describing Jack Twist as a “sexual predator” who “tracks Ennis down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts.” The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) stated his review was “defamatory, ignorant, and irresponsible.”
Shalit’s son Peter, who is gay, wrote a letter to GLAAD defending his father. Shalit himself apologized for the wording of his review.
👨👩👧👦 Personal Life and Later Years
Shalit was married to Nancy Lewis from 1950 until her death from cancer in 1978. They had six children, including Willa Shalit, Peter, and Emily. For much of his career, he lived in Leonia, New Jersey, and as of 2012, he resided in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
On October 24, 2012, Shalit crashed his car in Lenox, Massachusetts, after falling asleep at the wheel. Misdemeanor charges of negligent driving to endanger were later dismissed after he agreed to stop driving until the dismissal.
Shalit turned 100 on March 25, 2026. Today commemorated the milestone with a special segment in which Al Roker sent birthday wishes using a personalized Smucker’s jar. Shalit died on June 12, 2026, at the age of 100.
| Category | Detail | Category | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | March 25, 1926, New York City | Death | June 12, 2026, age 100 |
| Education | University of Illinois, B.A. 1949 | Spouse | Nancy Lewis (1950–1978) |
| Today Show Tenure | Jan 15, 1973 – Nov 11, 2010 | Notable Review | Say Anything… (1989), praised |
| Controversy | Brokeback Mountain review (2005) | Car Accident | Oct 24, 2012, Lenox, MA |