Bill Kurtis to Leave NPR’s ‘Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’

Bill Kurtis, the veteran broadcast journalist known for his rich voice, is retiring from the irreverent National Public Radio news quiz show "Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!" after serving as its judge and scorekeeper for a dozen years. Kurtis, 85, said in a statement sent to NPR’s editorial staff that "there was no better way to stay young than to give voice to jokes written by people who are fearless in taking down anything and anyone." The weekly hourlong program, which began in January 1998, asks contestants, including call-in listeners and celebrity guests, to test their knowledge of current events in a series of lighthearted, comic segments.

Winners receive a custom voicemail greeting recorded by one of the show’s regulars. Peter Sagal has hosted since the beginning, and the show’s first scorekeeper, Carl Kasell, died in 2018 at the age of 84.

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