Big Boy (radio host)

Big Boy (born Kurt Alexander; September 8, 1969) is an American radio host currently heard on numerous radio stations across the United States. From 1997 until February 2015, he hosted the morning show at Los Angeles Rhythmic contemporary station KPWR (Power 106). He is now at KRRL (Real 92.3). His stage name derives from his formerly large build, which he modified through duodenal switch surgery in 2003, leading to a nearly fatal weight loss of over 250 pounds.^[1]

Life and career

Big Boy was born in Chicago, but moved to Los Angeles at age 2. After becoming acquainted with the music industry while DJ-ing Culver City High School parties, Big Boy soon became a bodyguard for the music group The Pharcyde. Big Boy was friends with the Baka Boyz, the morning show hosts at Power 106. Always being a funny personality, Big Boy was offered a hosting position with the station, soon proving successful in nighttime and afternoon hosting spots.

Big Boy's image became well known throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Power 106 placed his nearly-nude 500-plus pound image onto billboards throughout the area.

Big Boy has been named Personality of the Year four times by the Radio Music Awards and three times by Radio and Records magazine. The National Association of Broadcasters awarded him the Marconi Award in 2002 and 2004. In September 2015 he was voted as an inductee to the 2015 National Radio Hall of Fame.^[2]

He has made cameo appearances in movies such as Malibu's Most Wanted, Longest yard, The Players Club, and Charlie's Angels 2, and co-starred in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Fox television signed Big Boy to co-star in the police drama Fastlane in the fall of 2002.^[3] He has appeared numerous times on the hit HBO Entourage TV series.^[4] He was also featured on the second episode of the VH1 reality series, I Love New York, hosting the "I Love New York Management". Big Boy is in the development process for his own network sitcom and hosts his syndicated weekend show formerly called "Big Boy's Hip Hop Spot." He has performed on-air voice-overs on MTV's reality game show Yo Momma.

Big Boy voiced the character Big Bear in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He is a radio host in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V on the Radio Los Santos radio station.

On July 27, 2010, sidekick Tattoo left the show.^[5]

In 2010, Big Boy and Power 106 were featured in the movie 'Project X.' During the end of the movie he talked about the party and made reference to Kanye West. On August 6, 2007, Big Boy signed a multi-year deal with ABC Radio Networks to syndicate the show, and his weekend show Big Boy's Hip Hop Spot. The show launched nationally on August 20 and is also now called Big Boy's Neighborhood.

On November 24, 2010, Big Boy made a special guest performance in Vicente Fernández's concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre performing "Aca Entre Nos".

In September 2010, Big Boy entered into film production via his production company, Ida's Son Productions. The first film, 'Exit Strategy', is a romantic comedy centering on James (Jameeel Saleem) who is evicted from his apartment and forced to move in with his girlfriend of three months, Kim (Kimelia Weathers) and quickly discovers she's not his type. When he enlists his friend Carville (Quincy 'QDeezy' Harris) and Leona (Noelle Balfour) to help him find an exit out of the relationship. Comedian Kevin Hart makes a cameo role.

On August 22, 2011, Luscious Liz Hernandez left Big Boy's Radio and became a reporter for E! News.

On February 3, 2015, Emmis Communications filed a breach-of-contract suit against Big Boy after he accepted a $3.5 million contract with iHeartMedia and quit the KPWR morning show. iHeart owns crosstown Urban Contemporary station Real 92.3 KRRL. At KPWR, former nighttime host J. Cruz is now doing the morning show.^[6]

References

External links

• Big Boy on Twitter
• Big Boy on Facebook
• Big Boy on Instagram
• Radio Big Boy
• Real 92.3 Los Angeles
• Big Boy at the Internet Movie Database