Gene Shalit Exits Today Show
Gene Shalit
Gene Shalit is leaving NBC's Today show after 40 years, ending one of the longest runs ever on a daily network TV program.
"It's enough already," said the 85-year-old film critic known for his shameless puns, electrified hair and thick mustache.
Shalit joined Today in 1970 as a contributor and became a permanent fixture in 1973 as a movie reviewer. During his career, he wrote for Look magazine and Ladies Home Journal and broadcast a daily essay as the "Man About Anything" on the NBC radio network.
He's voiced his likeness in animated sendups on SpongeBob SquarePants, The Critic and Family Guy.
The series is planning a retrospective to honor his work on his final broadcast Thursday.