On DecemThe Ron and Fez Show premiered on 92.3 Free FM in New York City from 6 to 9 PM, while still holding on to their XM Satellite Radio show from Noon to 3 PM. The Ron and Fez Show moved to XM Satellite Radio on Septemafter leaving WJFK 106.7 FM in Washington D.C. The duo didn't produce well in the ratings however, and their tenure was short lived. On JWhatley and Bennington unceremoniously returned to the Florida airwaves in the 1 PM to 3 PM slot on Tampa Bay, Florida's The Buzz WBAA-AM 1010, a relatively low wattage station which adopted a new talk format, and abandoned its former sports talk format. After being canceled in New York City, as well as the other markets, they continued to broadcast from WJFK FM, and relocated to DC. Whatley and Bennington continued on WNEW until the end of 2002, as well as being simulcast to a few other FM markets, including WJFK-FM in Washington, DC. After a relatively short stint there, they then retitled the show: Ron and Fez Dot Com and premiered on overnights on New York City radio station WNEW FM on April 17, 2000. After the show disbanded due to being cancelled for low ratings after the departure of Ron Diaz, Whatley then teamed up with Ron Bennington as a co-host to create The Ron and Fez Show on WKRO FM, a small Daytona Beach, Florida rock station. During this time, he developed the Fez Whatley moniker which a reporter in The Orlando Sentinel described as "an effeminate, lisping character". In 1990, Whatley was an on-air personality at WYNF in Tampa Bay, Florida and producer and contributor for the its syndicated morining program, The Ron and Ron Show. On August 5, 2015, Ron Bennington announced on The Anthony Cumia Show that Fez had his 5th heart attack, and had 13 stents. Īs of October 2014 Fez had a total of 11 stents in his heart. In July 2014 Fez has anterior cervical discectomy surgery to relieve neck and back pain. He was released from the hospital on Monday, September 27 and returned to the show on Wednesday, September 29. On SeptemFez was diagnosed as suffering a third heart attack while in the hospital for treatment for an unrelated medical issue. Fez subsequently had a second stent inserted May 11, 2007. An angioplasty was performed and Whatley returned to the show on November 28, 2005.įollowing an interview on with author Elmore Leonard, Fez left the studio during the show for the emergency room. He went on to host The Ron and Fez Show the next day before consulting a doctor where he was informed he had suffered a heart attack and was also diagnosed with diabetes. Whatley suffered a mild heart attack on Novemwhich he did not recognize. During the 2014 NFL season he refused to watch any football until Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player, was picked up by a team. In 2012 he marched in the New York LGBT Pride March. Since realizing he was gay, Fez has been very outspoken on gay issues. He chose to come out on the one-year anniversary of his father's death. After admitting his sexuality to his co-host Ron Bennington three years earlier, Fez spoke openly on the air about his issues as a closeted man, referring to his "secret," but had remained unable to say it directly. Fez had been playing a flamboyant character on the air for more than 20 years, but became increasingly uncomfortable in the role after recognizing his sexual orientation and being unable to publicly embrace it. On February 24, 2012, Fez came out as gay. Fez returned to the air on Monday, March 7, and offered a touching remembrance of his father. Ron Bennington was on-air the next day and in Fez's absence put on an impromptu radio memorial for Fez's father going to break playing Danny Boy. On February 24, 2011, Fez's father, Dick Hillier died in a NYC hospital. Whatley graduated from Pinellas Park High School in Pinellas Park, Florida in 1982, and received a publication award from the International Thespian Society. After a relatively short stint there, the duo then created a show originally titled Ron and Fez Dot Com as they moved to overnights on WNEW in New York City. After the show disbanded due to being cancelled for low ratings after the departure of Ron Diaz, Whatley teamed up with Ron Bennington to create The Ron and Fez Show on a small Daytona Beach radio station (WKRO). Whatley originally became well known after becoming a producer and contributor for the highly-successful and wildly popular syndicated radio program The Ron and Ron Show. Todd Hillier (born March 31, 1964), better known by his on-air name Fez Marie Whatley, is an American comedian and former radio producer and personality who gained prominence as the co-host of The Ron and Fez Show with Ron Bennington from 1998 to 2015.
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