Todd Shapiro

Todd Michael Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is a well-known Canadian broadcaster, host, and media personality who currently hosts The Todd Shapiro Show on SiriusXM Canada's Canada Laughs Channel.

Early life

Todd Shapiro was born to a civil servant father and teacher mother in Toronto, Ontario. Shapiro has stated that his parents provided him with a wonderful upbringing but taught him little about business which is why he ended up in the arts.

Career

102.1 The Edge, Toronto

Todd Shapiro started his career in entertainment as a reality contestant on the American show, Blind Date (hosted by Roger Lodge) in 1999. The show had come up to Toronto, Canada to film 5 episodes and chose their “daters” via CityTV’s “Speaker’s Corner” booths. Over 10,000 people auditioned for spots but Todd Shapiro stood out among them and was an instant hit with the producers who called him back shortly after he recorded his video.[1] At the time of the episode’s filming, Shapiro was still a student attending Seneca College for Radio/TV. When the Blind Date episode was to air on CityTV in November 1999, Shapiro was invited onto the Humble & Fred Show on CFNY-FM – 102.1 The Edge radio station as a guest to discuss his experiences on Blind Date. After his first ever in studio, on air experience, Shapiro approached "Humble" Howard Glassman and asked to be his intern to help him get experience and fulfill the 100 hours he needed in order to graduate from his college program. Humble replied, “Come back tomorrow.”[1]

Shapiro was Humble & Fred’s intern until April 20, 2001 (his last day of school). After completing his Humble & Fred internship, he continued working at The Edge in their promotions department. While working in promotions, Shapiro met Dean Blundell and told Blundell that he’d love to “get on air.” Blundell took him up on the offer and slowly, over time, it happened.[1] Shapiro was brought onto 102.1 The Edge’s new “Dean Blundell Show” with Jason Barr and Sandra Plagakis.

Shapiro worked at 102.1 The Edge from 1999-2013. On July 24, 2013, Dean Blundell announced that Shapiro would no longer be with the show without any further explanation to the sudden and unexpected news.[2] After the announcement, 102.1 The Edge’s Twitter and Facebook accounts were blasted by angry fans who wanted to know what happened with Shapiro’s position at the radio station and demanded his return. An official explanation was never given but within months of Todd Shapiro departure from the Dean Blundell Show, 102.1 The Edge announced the show’s cancellation in early January 2014, after having put the show on hiatus in mid-December 2013.[3]

SiriusXM

In January 2014 Humble & Fred announced during their show on SiriusXM Canada’s Canada Laughs channel that Todd Shapiro would be getting his own one hour show at 9 AM – 10 AM following the Humble and Fred Show’s two-hour slot in the morning.[4][5]

Shapiro’s show, entitled “The Todd Shapiro Show,” launched on March 3, 2014. One of his first bits on the new show was a discussion with a parody of Apple’s Siri which asked him questions about his sudden departure from 102.1 The Edge. During the discussion about the situation, Shapiro did not go into many details and kept it all as polite and general as possible.[6]

In June 2014 it was announced by SiriusXM Canada’s program director Joe Thistel that due to its early success, The Todd Shapiro Show would be expanded to a 2 hour time slot and be moving to the “drive home” on air position from 4 PM – 6 PM on weekdays.

Scott Weiland Interview

Shapiro interviewed Scott Weiland in late November 2015 live over the phone on The Todd Shapiro Show.[7] This interview turned out to be Weiland’s last live on-air interview. TMZ, Billboard, BlabberMouth.net, Radar Online, Entertainment Tonight Canada, CP24, and CTV National News all featured Shapiro’s interview with Weiland as this was the last time the public would ever hear from Weiland before his death on December 3, 2015.

Other Media Appearances

Shapiro has appeared on many different reality shows including Blind Date (1999), The Lofters (2002), Keys To The VIP (2008), Fearless In The Kitchen (2009), and Wahlburgers (2015).

Shapiro is the face and host of the Gentleman’s Expo in Toronto, Canada.

Personal life

Todd Shapiro grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His brother, Jody Shapiro,[8] is an award winning film producer.

Shapiro married Irina Funtikova, a former rhythmic gymnast and model with Elite Models, on February 12, 2014. The couple have one son, Sawyer Hooray Shapiro, born August 3, 2015. The couple chose the name Hooray as their son’s middle name to honour Jay Brody and Roddy Colmer, Todd’s co-hosts, who suggested the name to Todd on air one day as a first name for the Shapiros’ baby. They gave their son that name because they felt it’s the kind of name that will always pick up the spirits of people he is with no matter where or when.

Shapiro has a Yorkshire Terrier named Hoffy, aged 9 (as of 2016), which he refers to as “Todd’s first son” and which he adopted when challenged by his mother to take on more responsibility in his life.[1]

His nickname “Toddy Tickles” is based on a 49 year old bachelor that Todd once played baseball with.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eckler, Rebecca (2015-01-28). "Todd Shapiro, formerly known for his often offensive antics on The Dean Blundell Show, now promises a "positive vibe for listeners." What happened?". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  2. ↑ Reserved., . All Rights. "Dean Blundell loses longtime sidekick after latest shock jock wrist-slap". canada.com. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  3. ↑ "Corus Radio cancels Dean Blundell show after controversial on-air remarks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  4. ↑ "Psychic Nikki / Todd Shapiro / Dr. Odiatu - PODCASTS". www.humbleandfredradio.com. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  5. ↑ "Fan-celebrated morning host launches satellite radio show with SiriusXM Canada -- TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2014". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  6. ↑ Boon, Mike. "Todd Shapiro Spills More Details on Split from 102.1 the Edge | Toronto Mike's Blog". www.torontomike.com. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  7. ↑ ToddShapiroShow (2015-11-28), Scott Weiland On ISIS, Trump (*Sadly this is his Last Live Interview. RIP Scott), retrieved 2016-02-26
  8. ↑ "Jody Shapiro". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
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