Ira Glass
Born 1959 · Age 66
American public radio personality; host and creator of This American Life; influential editor/producer in narrative audio journalism.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Baltimore, Maryland
Ira Jeffrey Glass born to Barry and Shirley Glass in Baltimore.
Early performance interests (home shows, magic)
As a child/young teen he and his sister staged basement shows; moonlighted as a magician.
Cast in high school musical 'South Pacific'
Played Captain George Brackett in Milford Mill High School production.
High school theatre role in 'Damn Yankees'
Played Lowe in Milford Mill High School production.
Graduated Milford Mill High School
Active in yearbook, literary magazine, drama club, student government; graduated 1977.
Accepted to Northwestern University (pre-med)
Entered Northwestern as a pre-med student and worked at the campus radio station making promos.
Internship at NPR (Washington, D.C.)
Talked his way into an unpaid internship at NPR headquarters; edited promos and began radio career.
Became production assistant to Keith Talbot at NPR
After intern work at NPR, became production assistant and stayed with NPR rather than pursue medicine.
Graduated Brown University (BA, semiotics)
Transferred from Northwestern to Brown and graduated in 1982 with a concentration in semiotics.
Joined NPR staff after college
Remained at NPR after graduation; worked a range of production jobs and began reporting/editing duties.
Worked on 'Kids America' at WNYC (NYC) with Keith Talbot
Talbot brought Glass to New York (1986–87) as an intern on Kids America; Glass did weekly half-hour segments as 'Bob'.
Moved to Chicago (followed Lynda Barry)
Followed then-girlfriend cartoonist Lynda Barry to Chicago and became NPR's Chicago reporter.
Reported on Chicago public schools for All Things Considered
Covered long-form reporting on school reform including year-long coverage of a high school and an elementary school.
Left free-form 'The Wild Room' to focus on other projects (transition)
Became tired of free-form radio and began pursuing grants and a more structured storytelling program; The Wild Room continued until Feb 1996.
Launched 'The Wild Room' on WBEZ (co-host)
With Gary Covino co-created and co-hosted quirky Friday-night program The Wild Room; first aired November 1990.
First professional interview quoted (Cara Jepsen)
In a 1993 interview Glass characterized The Wild Room's audience range and role.
Counter-offer: proposed budget for national weekly show ($300,000)
Glass countered Malatia's initial offer with a proposal for a nationwide weekly show and a $300,000 budget.
MacArthur Foundation grant offered to Chicago Public Radio ($150,000)
MacArthur approached Torey Malatia with $150,000 to produce a Chicago show; Malatia pitched Glass.
Took two months unpaid to develop pilot
Took two months off without pay to work on the pilot that became This American Life.
Premiered 'Your Radio Playhouse' (pilot) — later This American Life
Pilot aired Nov 17, 1995 titled 'New Beginnings' featuring local writers and performers.
Shift to narrative reporting (editorial evolution)
Fictional pieces gradually replaced with reporting in storytelling format; This American Life established its signature style.
Peabody Award (early recognition)
The show won a Peabody Award within its first six months on the air for excellence in broadcast media.
Renamed to 'This American Life'
The radio program changed its name from Your Radio Playhouse to This American Life (episode dated March 21, 1996).
National syndication by Public Radio International
This American Life went into national syndication (PRI) in June 1996 after NPR passed on it.
Published 'Radio: An Illustrated Guide' (comic book)
Collaborated with Jessica Abel on a 1999 comic book explaining how This American Life is produced.
Named 'Best Radio Host in America' by Time magazine
Time magazine named Ira Glass the Best Radio Host in America.
Mother Shirley Glass passed away (Oct 8, 2003)
Shirley Glass (b. March 1, 1936), a clinical psychologist noted for infidelity research, died Oct 8, 2003.
Married Anaheed Alani
Glass married writer/editor Anaheed Alani in August 2005.
10th anniversary of This American Life (first broadcast outside Chicago)
Show reached its tenth anniversary Nov 17, 1995–2005 and broadcast outside Chicago for the first time in celebration.
Executive producer credit for 'Unaccompanied Minors' (film release)
Served as executive producer on the Warner Bros. feature based on a TAL story; film released late 2006.
Showtime ordered six episodes of This American Life (TV pilot success)
After a pilot, Showtime ordered six television episodes in January 2007; Glass agreed to conditions to preserve format.
Lost ~30 pounds during TV production
Reported losing about 30 pounds while producing and filming the televised This American Life.
Television series premiere on Showtime
First half-hour episode of This American Life TV aired March 22, 2007; Glass moved to New York for filming.
Published 'The New Kings of Nonfiction' (anthology, editor)
Edited and published an anthology of narrative nonfiction essays in October 2007.
This American Life — Live! Tour
Staged a national live tour tied to the radio program.
Television series ended after two seasons
The Showtime TV adaptation ran for two seasons (13 episodes) and ended in 2009 due to heavy workload.
Live episode broadcast to 300+ movie theaters
Episode 'Return to the Scene of the Crime' was broadcast live to more than 300 theaters in May 2009.
Guest voice on The Simpsons (Season 22)
Lent his voice to The Simpsons in a Season 22 episode 'Elementary School Musical' (circa 2010).
Monologist for ASSSSCAT at Upright Citizens Brigade
Served as the monologist for the ASSSSCAT show in New York on Feb 21, 2010.
Appeared on The Daily Show (motion-capture segment)
Wore a green motion-capture suit in a John Hodgman segment on The Daily Show, Nov 4, 2010.
Public podcast and festival appearances (Marc Maron, Adam Carolla)
Appeared on WTF Live (Sep 19, 2011), The Adam Carolla Podcast (June 24, 2011) and other high-profile podcast stages.
Guest co-hosted 'Savage Love' podcast
Guest co-hosted Dan Savage's sex-advice podcast on Jan 31, 2012.
Co-wrote and produced 'Sleepwalk with Me' (film, 2012)
Co-wrote and produced Mike Birbiglia's film adaptation of his one-man show; toured to promote film.
Gave commencement address and received honorary degree at Goucher College
Delivered the Goucher College commencement address and was awarded an honorary degree on May 18, 2012.
Appeared on The Colbert Report
Made a guest voice appearance on The Colbert Report Sept 17, 2012 to promote Sleepwalk with Me.
500th episode of This American Life premiered
The show's 500th episode premiered in July 2013.
Reported supplemental income from speaking engagements
Reported earning 'five figures per talk' from speaking engagements supplementing radio income.
WBEZ raised Glass's salary to $278,000 (fiscal year 2013)
WBEZ board voted to raise his salary from $170,000 to $278,000 for fiscal year 2013; Glass later asked to lower it.
Cameo in 'Veronica Mars' film adaptation
Appeared as himself in the 2014 film adaptation of Veronica Mars.
Requested WBEZ salary reduction (from $278,000 to $146,000)
After the raise, Glass requested his salary be lowered to $146,000 the following year, calling the original sum 'unseemly'.
This American Life self-distribution via PRX
Chicago Public Media began self-distribution of This American Life starting July 1, 2014 through PRX.
20th anniversary of This American Life; 577th episode milestone
In 2016 the series marked roughly 20 years on the air; episode count cited at about 577.
Co-producer credit on 'Don't Think Twice' (film)
Credited as co-producer on Mike Birbiglia's 2016 film Don't Think Twice.
Separated from wife Anaheed Alani; divorce filed
Announced separation on This American Life in March 2017 and reportedly filed for divorce April 17, 2017; cited personal issues including disagreements over pet.
Cameo in 'Ocean's 8'
Made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2018 film Ocean's 8.
Produced Netflix film 'Come Sunday'
Served as a producer on the 2018 Netflix film Come Sunday, adapted from a TAL story.
Co-produced Mike Birbiglia's Broadway show 'The New One'
Worked as producer on Birbiglia's one-man Broadway show in 2018.
Appeared on Fox drama 'Proven Innocent'
Appeared as himself in season 1 episode 'The Struggle for Stonewall' (2019).
Launched 'Seven Things I've Learned' live tour
Went on tour in 2019 presenting 'Seven Things I've Learned', a live show about storytelling and his career.
This American Life awarded Pulitzer Prize (first Pulitzer for audio journalism)
This American Life received the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 (Pulitzer awarded for audio reporting).
Appeared in 'High Maintenance' (2020 season premiere)
Made an appearance in the season premiere after being sought out by co-creator Ben Sinclair.
This American Life reaches ~4.7 million weekly listeners
By 2020 the radio show/podcast reached more than 4.7 million listeners each week.
'The Giant Pool of Money' episode inducted into Library of Congress's National Recording Registry
This American Life episode 'The Giant Pool of Money' was inducted in 2021—the first podcast episode so honored.
UGA Presents: 'Seven Things I've Learned' appearance (Hodgson Concert Hall)
Performed/showed 'Seven Things I've Learned' at University of Georgia on Sept 18, 2022.
Father Barry Glass passed away (Sept 19, 2023)
Glass's father, Barry (born March 23, 1933), died September 19, 2023.
Continued editorial roles on major podcasts (Serial, S-Town, Nice White Parents)
Has served as an editorial mentor/editorial director for Serial (2014), S-Town (2017), and Nice White Parents (2020).
Ongoing 'Seven Things I've Learned' engagements (tour dates through 2025)
Continues to deliver live talks blending audio, video, and storytelling lessons across venues (e.g., 2025 appearances).
Key Achievement Ages
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