Charles Karel Bouley
Encyclopedia
Charles Karel Bouley, known on-the-air as Karel, is an American talk radio
host and author. Bouley is best known for his highly rated work on KGO
in San Francisco, California
. Prior to working for KGO the first time, Bouley and his late partner, Andrew Howard, were the first openly Gay
radio talk show hosts on the #1 Talk Station in the Country, KFI in Los Angeles
. He became notorious for his use of profanity during the ABC Network News at the top of the hour, when listeners could clearly hear Karel, along with the newscaster, and Bouley was fired by management the next week.
Less than three years later, after he independently syndicated his own show, he has returned to KGO to fill his former weekend 7 p.m. time slot. "Our listeners have been asking for Karel for nearly three years," said KGO's general manager. "Karel is a larger-than-life personality. Our audience loves him and missed him and we're very excited to welcome him back into KGO family."
"Bouley is a high profile blogger for The Huffington Post
, and his editorials have appeared in the Wall Street Journal. He was also editor and a columnist for The Advocate
.com, and Billboard Magazine
.
He attended University of Southern California
on scholarship where he majored in music journalism. Eventually, Bouley went on to work for Billboard Magazine
; his affiliation with the publication gave him access to music concerts and after-concert parties.
!. Bouley also owned a graphic arts company and worked as a celebrity photographer, imaging celebrities such as Michael Jackson
and Diana Ross
.
Los Angeles in addition to Triangle Broadcasting based in Palm Springs, California
. For the latter, the duo hosted a morning program, "Good Morning Gay America".
Professionally known as "Karel and Andrew", Bouley and Howard became the first openly
gay
radio talk-show hosts on a U.S.
major-market radio station in 1998. Hired for the afternoon drive slot at Los Angeles
' KFI
, the duo replaced KFI mainstays John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou
. "I'm sure there are a million gay [radio] hosts, but not many of them are open, and no one had ever appeared on the air as a gay couple," said Ron Rodrigues, editor-in-chief of Radio & Records magazine. " The backbone of their on-air banter was their contrasting world views. Bouley, who dominated the conversation, could be stopped in his tracks with one, well-placed word from Howard". Al Peterson, an editor at Radio & Records magazine said, "They didn't feel like it was their job to be the poster boys for the gay community or to effect social change, just because they were the first openly gay hosts who were partners off the air."
In March 2000, however, "Karel & Andrew" were bumped from the afternoon-drive slot into the evening-drive slot, being replaced by the nationally syndicated Phil Hendrie Show
. According to Howard, the move was made to accommodate Hendrie's live-broadcast in order for it to be heard on the East Coast by that primetime listening audience. After twenty-two months on KFI, the "Karel and Andrew Show" was replaced by Phil Hendrie
in May 2001, and rival hosts Kobylt and Chiampou were again put into the afternoon-drive slot. David G. Hall, KFI's Director of Syndication, was quoted at the time of the change as saying "KFI might still find a spot" for "The Karel & Andrew Show," stressing that the team "haven't been terminated." The station's programmers said they were preparing to return "Karel & Andrew" to the airwaves by putting their show on another Clear Channel
station.
Andrew Howard's sudden death from cardiac arrest on May 21, 2001, changed that course . Following his partner's death, Bouley returned to KFI and hosted a talk show there until he was fired by station management in April 2002. Seven months later, Bouley was hired as an on-air host by the most successful San Francisco radio station, KGO
, for the weekend evening time slot.
's Ultimate Revenge
with Ryan Seacrest
. He also wrote and directed a 60-second spot, Barbarians At The Gate of Our Future, which won second place in the GLAAD "I Do" Marriage Equality project. Bouley has been a fill-in host on the Bill Press
radio talk show and has also appeared as a guest commentator on topical issues on CNN
, MSNBC
and Fox News. He has appeared as a frequent guest on TV and radio as a Macintosh
Computer expert. On August 4, 2010, Karel appeared on the nationally syndicated Alan Colmes Show to discuss that day's controversial decision to overturn California's Proposition 8
, allowing equal rights for marriage. The next day, Colmes appeared on The Karel Show, referring to him as a "trailblazer" for the rights of gay citizens.
publishing house, Alyson Press. Karel also contributed to "When I Knew" by Robert Trachtenberg, stories of "coming out
" directed at Gay and Lesbian youth.
Bouley's new book, Shouting at Windmills, BS From Bush to Obama was released in June 2011, and is in bookstores as of July 1, and kindle. This wide-ranging book of essays chronicles the end of the Bush Era and Obama to the Present. It also reveals what life is like after a very public firing and puts the "Joe the Plumber" issue to rest.
for domestic partners, as well as making them retroactive.
In signing the AB 25, Governor Schwarzenegger wrote: "This legislation...is about civil rights, respect, responsibility, and, most of all,it is about family. Therefore, I am honored to sign one of the strongest domestic partner laws in the nation."
at Cobb's Comedy Club
, both in San Francisco. He has performed at The Comedy Store
in Los Angeles
and at The Laugh Factory in Long Beach, California. Twice in 2011 he performed his stand-up in Monterey.
In March 2009, Bouley was employed by San Francisco's KNGY
as well as by KRXA
in Monterey, California
, his only remuneration coming from ad revenue and unemployment benefits. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by San Francisco's Green 960, which became his home station. Working from his home studio, he had been his own producer, engineer and ad salesman for over two years. In January 2010, Bouley was hired by KKGN, San Francisco; and by KYNS
, San Luis Obispo. KJRB
, in Spokane, Washington
has added Bouley's show to their lineup. as has KGOE in Eureka, California
, Green 1640 in Decatur
and Atlanta, Georgia
, KJFK Reno
, WXMR in Vermont
and WVNJ
in New Jersey
, and some areas of New York
. Karel is now billed as the "Nation's first openly gay liberal talk show host." "The Karel Show" went into syndication in December 2010, after Bouley negotiated a satellite hook-up with Genesis Communication Network. In November 2011, Karel added an FM station, KNWZ
94.3, to his lineup on Sundays, 5PM to 7PM.
began again in March 2011.
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host and author. Bouley is best known for his highly rated work on KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Prior to working for KGO the first time, Bouley and his late partner, Andrew Howard, were the first openly Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
radio talk show hosts on the #1 Talk Station in the Country, KFI in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He became notorious for his use of profanity during the ABC Network News at the top of the hour, when listeners could clearly hear Karel, along with the newscaster, and Bouley was fired by management the next week.
Less than three years later, after he independently syndicated his own show, he has returned to KGO to fill his former weekend 7 p.m. time slot. "Our listeners have been asking for Karel for nearly three years," said KGO's general manager. "Karel is a larger-than-life personality. Our audience loves him and missed him and we're very excited to welcome him back into KGO family."
"Bouley is a high profile blogger for The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, and his editorials have appeared in the Wall Street Journal. He was also editor and a columnist for The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
.com, and Billboard Magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
.
Biography
Charles Raymond Bouley, II was born November 7, 1962, in Miami Beach Florida, to Charles Raymond Bouley (1929-1987) and Rose Marie (née Tremblay) Bouley (1930-2003). He has been an entertainer since childhood, emceeing his first event in 7th grade, the talent show, "Car Wash", at his junior high school. While attending Long Beach Poly High School, Bouley was editor of the high school's newspaper, "High Life." As a member of the press through his involvement with the paper, he was able to be included on press-only lists for premieres and openings in the Los Angeles area. With this type of press access, Bouley began attending stage productions and writing reviews of the shows for publication in his school and community newspapers. Unable to afford tickets to movies, he became an usher at the Long Beach Terrace Theatre so he could review the new releases.He attended University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
on scholarship where he majored in music journalism. Eventually, Bouley went on to work for Billboard Magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
; his affiliation with the publication gave him access to music concerts and after-concert parties.
Before radio
Before his radio career began in the late 1990s, Karel was a stand-up comic and recording artist. While getting very little attention from the GLBT press, his 1995 album, "Dance ... Or Else," attracted critical notice in the mainstream press, it was named #10 pick-of-the-year by "Billboard"'s Dance Music editor Larry Flick. Karel later recorded the single "Don't Stop" with Steve Bronski and the single "I Am" with Jellybean Benitez as well as "Take Your Heartache Away" also on the Jellybean label. Many projects featured Thea Austin, a personal friend of Karel and former lead singer of Snap!Snap!
Snap! is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Frankfurt-based producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, but was most successful when fronted by rapper Turbo B, who performed on the UK number 1 singles "The Power" and...
!. Bouley also owned a graphic arts company and worked as a celebrity photographer, imaging celebrities such as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
.
History
Bouley, along with his domestic partner, Andrew Howard, started in radio at KYPAKYPA
KYPA is a Korean-language radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting.KYPA is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC and KFOX.The format includes various shows that serve the largest...
Los Angeles in addition to Triangle Broadcasting based in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. For the latter, the duo hosted a morning program, "Good Morning Gay America".
Professionally known as "Karel and Andrew", Bouley and Howard became the first openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
radio talk-show hosts on a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
major-market radio station in 1998. Hired for the afternoon drive slot at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
' KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
, the duo replaced KFI mainstays John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou
John and Ken
John Chester Kobylt and Kenneth Robertson Chiampou, known professionally as John and Ken are American talk radio hosts of a four-hour weekday radio show, The John and Ken Show, on KFI AM 640 in Southern California. The John and Ken Show airs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m....
. "I'm sure there are a million gay [radio] hosts, but not many of them are open, and no one had ever appeared on the air as a gay couple," said Ron Rodrigues, editor-in-chief of Radio & Records magazine. " The backbone of their on-air banter was their contrasting world views. Bouley, who dominated the conversation, could be stopped in his tracks with one, well-placed word from Howard". Al Peterson, an editor at Radio & Records magazine said, "They didn't feel like it was their job to be the poster boys for the gay community or to effect social change, just because they were the first openly gay hosts who were partners off the air."
In March 2000, however, "Karel & Andrew" were bumped from the afternoon-drive slot into the evening-drive slot, being replaced by the nationally syndicated Phil Hendrie Show
Phil Hendrie
Philip Stephen Hendrie is an American radio personality. He is best known as the host of The Phil Hendrie Show, a comedy talk radio program that is syndicated throughout North America on Talk Radio Network...
. According to Howard, the move was made to accommodate Hendrie's live-broadcast in order for it to be heard on the East Coast by that primetime listening audience. After twenty-two months on KFI, the "Karel and Andrew Show" was replaced by Phil Hendrie
Phil Hendrie
Philip Stephen Hendrie is an American radio personality. He is best known as the host of The Phil Hendrie Show, a comedy talk radio program that is syndicated throughout North America on Talk Radio Network...
in May 2001, and rival hosts Kobylt and Chiampou were again put into the afternoon-drive slot. David G. Hall, KFI's Director of Syndication, was quoted at the time of the change as saying "KFI might still find a spot" for "The Karel & Andrew Show," stressing that the team "haven't been terminated." The station's programmers said they were preparing to return "Karel & Andrew" to the airwaves by putting their show on another Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
station.
Andrew Howard's sudden death from cardiac arrest on May 21, 2001, changed that course . Following his partner's death, Bouley returned to KFI and hosted a talk show there until he was fired by station management in April 2002. Seven months later, Bouley was hired as an on-air host by the most successful San Francisco radio station, KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
, for the weekend evening time slot.
Other media
Bouley has appeared on television, having completed two seasons on TNNSpike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's Ultimate Revenge
Ultimate Revenge
Ultimate Revenge was a reality TV program about fulfilling the fantasy of anyone who wants to seek revenge on their nearest and dearest. Elaborate practical jokes were played on family and friends instigated by their own relatives and friends. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Several episodes...
with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
. He also wrote and directed a 60-second spot, Barbarians At The Gate of Our Future, which won second place in the GLAAD "I Do" Marriage Equality project. Bouley has been a fill-in host on the Bill Press
Bill Press
William "Bill" Press is a US talk radio host, political commentator and author.-Career:Press has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Niagara University and Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg. He started his broadcasting career in Los Angeles for TV stations KABC-TV and...
radio talk show and has also appeared as a guest commentator on topical issues on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and Fox News. He has appeared as a frequent guest on TV and radio as a Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
Computer expert. On August 4, 2010, Karel appeared on the nationally syndicated Alan Colmes Show to discuss that day's controversial decision to overturn California's Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
, allowing equal rights for marriage. The next day, Colmes appeared on The Karel Show, referring to him as a "trailblazer" for the rights of gay citizens.
Books
In 2004, Bouley authored a book of essays titled, You Can't Say That. In this well-titled book, he never holds back in speaking frankly about a wide range of topics. The book was published by the LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
publishing house, Alyson Press. Karel also contributed to "When I Knew" by Robert Trachtenberg, stories of "coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
" directed at Gay and Lesbian youth.
Bouley's new book, Shouting at Windmills, BS From Bush to Obama was released in June 2011, and is in bookstores as of July 1, and kindle. This wide-ranging book of essays chronicles the end of the Bush Era and Obama to the Present. It also reveals what life is like after a very public firing and puts the "Joe the Plumber" issue to rest.
Appellate court battle
Following the untimely death of his domestic partner, Andrew Howard, in 2001, "Charles Karel Bouley II" went on to file and win a lawsuit in the Court of Appeal of the State of California in Los Angeles County to establish the rights of domestic partners to be recognized as such and giving them the right to sue for wrongful death: AB 25 of 2005, the "California Domestic Partnership Law" This court victory effectively changed the wrongful death laws in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for domestic partners, as well as making them retroactive.
In signing the AB 25, Governor Schwarzenegger wrote: "This legislation...is about civil rights, respect, responsibility, and, most of all,it is about family. Therefore, I am honored to sign one of the strongest domestic partner laws in the nation."
Controversies
- In November 2008,when Bouley was hosting his weekend 7–10 p.m. call-in program on KGOKGO (AM)KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
the sound engineer failed to mute Bouley's microphone during the national news break. When a reference to Joe the PlumberJoe the PlumberSamuel Joseph Wurzelbacher , is a conservative activist, author, and commentator. A resident of Holland, Ohio, United States, he gained significant attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election after he was videotaped questioning then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama about his small...
came up during the news, Bouley was clearly heard on-air to yell: "Fuck goddamn Joe the goddamn mother-fucking Plumber! I want mother-fucking Joe the Plumber dead!" Following the news break, Bouley profusely apologized to the audience for the incident, explaining he was told his microphone was "dead," and that his words were never intended to be aired. He also explained that to him, "Joe the Plumber" was a fictional character and he meant no harm to anyone. Bouley's comments earned him the title "pinhead," for the second time, from Fox's Bill O'ReillyBill O'Reilly (political commentator)William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
on The O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
, Monday, November 3, 2008. KGO issued a news release on the afternoon of November 11, 2008 stating that he had been fired. Bouley stated in November 2008, that he does take responsibility for the incident, and later said, "I am sorry anyone thought I wanted a real person dead, I did not. I am sorry that anyone has to go through any trouble over what I said while making tea in my home studio kitchen with my always live mike. Karel also reiterated that he was told by the inexperienced KGOKGO (AM)KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
engineer, who had unprofessionally left the studio to use the restroom, that his microphone was off. The engineer had been told, he says, to make sure the microphone was dead during breaks, because Karel talks to his video chat room during the break, often using language inappropriate for the airwaves.
- In March 2007, Karel wrote the following for the online The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, regarding reports that White House spokesman Tony SnowTony SnowRobert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
had developed colon cancer: "I hear about Tony Snow and say to myself, well, stand up every day, lie to the American people at the behest of your dictator-esque boss and well, how could a cancer not grow in you? ... I know, it's horrible. I admit it. I don't wish anyone harm, even Tony Snow. And I do hope he recovers ... and surrounds himself with friends and family for his journey. But in the back of my head there's Justin Timberlake's "What goes around, goes around, comes around, comes all the way back around, ya ..." When controversy immediately ensued, Bouley replaced the draft and the inflammatory statements were removed with a notation that it had been edited from the original version. The original post, however, got wide airplay on television and the internet, and was widely circulated in print, compelling Huffington Post editor Roy SekoffRoy SekoffRoy Sekoff is the founding editor of The Huffington Post. He was born and raised in Miami.Before helping launch The Huffington Post, he was a writer, producer, and on-air correspondent for Michael Moore’s Emmy-winning TV Nation...
to speak out about the issue on The O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
shortly after the row.
- In June 2004, Karel opened his weekend KGO program with a clip of The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
song, "Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead!" as a "tribute" to former President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, who had died earlier that day. He went on to rant about Reagan during the first two hours of his show because of what he saw as the inaction of Reagan and his administration in the face of the developing AIDS crisis, propagating the perception it was a "gay disease." The Monday following Reagan's death, Bouley was severely criticized by listeners in addition to being strongly reprimanded by KGOKGO (AM)KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
management. He later apologized on the air, not for what he said, but for choosing to air his comments the same day as the former president's death. He later included an open letter of apology to Nancy Reagan in his book You Can't Say That. Bouley later added:
- "I was in fact disrespectful that day and there's plenty of time for that later. A generation of young gay Americans died on Reagan's watch, and it was OK because basically they deserved it for living the 'lifestyle'. Say something against the person that is partially responsible for those attitudes before he's put in the ground, and that's classless. Let the gay man inside of me out in his righteous indignation, and he gets slapped under the guise of propriety. Next time I will let the dust settle. But when it settles ...
Current career
For the last three years, Bouley has been forced to recreate himself, returning to stand-up comedy and re-entering radio in a market where no one would hire him. Billed as Karel Stands Up! he is regularly seen performing his uncensored stand-up comedy to sold out audiences in the Rrazz Room at the Hotel Nikko. He has also appeared with Bruce VilanchBruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
at Cobb's Comedy Club
Cobb's Comedy Club
Cobb's Comedy Club is a venue to showcase stand-up comedy. It's located in San Francisco, CA in the North Beach area. The club has been open for more than 25 years and has had many top comedians on its stage.Comics include:Tim Allen,Dave Attell,...
, both in San Francisco. He has performed at The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.-History:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and at The Laugh Factory in Long Beach, California. Twice in 2011 he performed his stand-up in Monterey.
In March 2009, Bouley was employed by San Francisco's KNGY
KNGY
KREV is a Top 40 music formatted radio station that serves the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Its city of license is Alameda, California, and it is owned by Royce International.-Jazz music as KJAZ:...
as well as by KRXA
KRXA
KRXA is a radio station broadcasting a progressive talk format. Licensed to Carmel Valley, California, USA, the station serves the Santa Cruz area. It is currently owned by KRXA, LLC. The station was founded in July 2005 by attorney Hal Ginsberg and longtime San Francisco broadcaster Peter B....
in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, his only remuneration coming from ad revenue and unemployment benefits. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by San Francisco's Green 960, which became his home station. Working from his home studio, he had been his own producer, engineer and ad salesman for over two years. In January 2010, Bouley was hired by KKGN, San Francisco; and by KYNS
KYNS
KYNS is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to San Luis Obispo, California, USA, it serves the San Luis Obispo area. The station is currently owned by Mapleton Communications, LLC.-History:...
, San Luis Obispo. KJRB
KJRB
KJRB is a news/talk radio station in Spokane, Washington, United States currently owned by Mapleton License of Spokane, LLC.-History:KJRB has had a long and colorful history showcasing many famous announcers including Randy Evans and Treasure Goodtimes , Larry Lujack, Charlie Brown, Norm Gregory,...
, in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
has added Bouley's show to their lineup. as has KGOE in Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
, Green 1640 in Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, KJFK Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
, WXMR in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and WVNJ
WVNJ
WVNJ is radio station licensed to Oakland, New Jersey, serving Bergen County, New Jersey and parts of the New York City metropolitan area. The station employs a brokered programming format and is owned by Universal Broadcasting headed by Miriam Warshaw...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and some areas of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Karel is now billed as the "Nation's first openly gay liberal talk show host." "The Karel Show" went into syndication in December 2010, after Bouley negotiated a satellite hook-up with Genesis Communication Network. In November 2011, Karel added an FM station, KNWZ
KNWZ
KNWZ-970 and KNWQ-1140 is a simulcast news/talk station owned by Morris Multimedia under the name Morris Desert Media. It has an affiliation with Fox News Radio...
94.3, to his lineup on Sundays, 5PM to 7PM.
Return to KGO
"They say home is where the heart is and I definitely left my heart at the KGO studios. It's my radio home, my flagship," Karel states. Jack Swanson, KGO's operations director, has been supportive of Bouley returning to the station for some time. The"Karel Show' will continue in syndication five days a week at all the stations. The "Karel Show" on KGOKGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
began again in March 2011.