Phil Valentine

Phil Valentine
Born
Philip Carr Valentine

(1959-09-09)September 9, 1959
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedAugust 21, 2021(2021-08-21) (aged 61)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Cause of deathCOVID-19
EducationEast Carolina University
Connecticut School of Broadcasting
Occupations
  • Talk radio host
  • political activist
  • writer
  • actor
EmployerWWTN
RelativesTim Valentine (father)

Philip Carr Valentine (September 9, 1959 – August 21, 2021) was an American conservative talk radio host, author and actor. He broadcast daily on WWTN, a Cumulus Media station in Nashville, Tennessee, and hosted The Phil Valentine Show, syndicated nationally through the Westwood One radio network.[1] He was an opponent of a proposed state income tax in Tennessee and denied climate change.[2][3]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Valentine opposed mask mandates and argued against vaccinations against COVID-19.[4][5][6][7] He died from complications of COVID-19 on August 21, 2021.[8][7]

Early life and education

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Valentine was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to Betsy Carr and six-term Democratic U.S. Representative Tim Valentine. He was raised in Nashville, North Carolina.[9] Valentine scored high on IQ tests but received poor grades in school. He blamed his trouble concentrating in school on an attention deficit disorder.[10] At 13, Valentine fronted a band called The Nashville Five. His father provided opportunities for gigs at Democratic Party events. Valentine graduated from Northern Nash High School.[10]

He attended East Carolina University to study business, then transferred to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting after a friend encouraged Valentine go into radio because of his deep voice.[10][11]

Radio career

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Valentine began his radio career at small-market radio stations in North Carolina after graduating from broadcasting school. After the death of his mother when he was 21, Valentine moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he sold health club memberships and worked part-time as a disc jockey.[10][12]

After three years in Nashville, Valentine hosted a morning drive show for WLAC-FM and a talk radio show on weekends in 1991.[12] In June 1995, Valentine started The Phil Valentine Show, a talk-radio show on Nashville radio station WWTN while performing in television commercials.[12] Valentine moved to WWDB in Philadelphia where he hosted a morning show. When WWDB was sold in 1998, Valentine worked in New York City at WABC. In April 1998, Valentine resurrected The Phil Valentine Show in Nashville during morning drive-time at WLAC (AM). After five years, Valentine left WLAC to write a book.[13]

On July 8, 2004, Valentine returned to talk radio at WWTN. From 2007 to 2019, the nationally syndicated The Phil Valentine Show aired on 100 stations. Valentine ranked No. 47 on the 2021 Heavy Hundred, a list of the top 100 radio talk-show hosts as determined by Talkers, a talk-media trade magazine.[14] He was voted Best Conservative in a 2018 Nashville Scene readers' poll.[15] In 2019, Valentine returned to broadcasting at WWTN, where he worked until his death.[12][16]

Other media

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Valentine authored three nonfiction books, The Conservative's Handbook: Defining the Right Position on Issues from A to Z , Right from the Heart: The ABC's of Reality in America, and Tax Revolt: The Rebellion Against an Overbearing, Bloated, Arrogant, and Abusive Government.[17][18] He wrote three novels, The Godplayers, The First Face of Janus, and Barbican.[19][20][21]

On January 26, 2012, Valentine wrote, produced and starred in the documentary An Inconsistent Truth as a response to the Al Gore movie An Inconvenient Truth.[22][4] During the two weeks after it opened at a single Nashville movie theater, it was the country's top-grossing film on a per-screen basis.[23][22] In 2012, Valentine won the Excellence in Filmmaking award at the libertarian Anthem Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Nevada Film Festival in Las Vegas.[24][25][26]

Valentine appeared in the 2014 movie Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?. He performed in an episode of ABC's Threat Matrix television drama and the 2015 movie The Secret Handshake.[27][28][29] Valentine's screenplay "Derek Dickens & The Dream" won first place in the 2015 Colorado Film Festival and was a finalist in screenwriting contests at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and Atlanta Film Festival.[30][31][32]

Activism

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State income tax

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In 2001, Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist proposed a state income tax to overcome a budget shortfall. Tennessee lawmakers were at an impasse when Republican state senator Marsha Blackburn tipped off Valentine that a vote on the measure was imminent. Valentine opposed a state income tax and urged his listeners to swarm the Tennessee state capitol to voice their opposition.[2] More than 2,000 people stormed the capitol and broke windows in what became known as the Tennessee Tax Revolt.[2][33] Valentine said Sundquist committed political adultery after promising in his 1994 gubernatorial campaign to veto any state income tax.[13] The measure failed in the legislature and Valentine emerged as a hero among conservatives in Tennessee.[13]

COVID-19

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Valentine, who blamed Chinese Communism for its failure to contain the pandemic was a skeptic of wearing masks to prevent COVID-19 and suggested that only those with underlying health conditions should be vaccinated against the illness.[6][34] He performed a parody song, "Vaxman", in the style of the 1966 Beatles song "Taxman", altering the lyrics to parody vaccination efforts.[35][36] He compared vaccination status badges worn by medical workers with the yellow badges German Jews were ordered to wear by the Nazis.[37] Valentine predicted his chance of dying from COVID-19 was less than one percent.[37]

After growing sicker with COVID-19, Valentine's brother, Mark, said Valentine expressed regret that he had not been vaccinated and that his criticism of the COVID-19 vaccine had caused some listeners of his radio program to choose not to be vaccinated.[38]

Personal life, illness and death

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Valentine had three sons with his wife, Susan.[39] He co-hosted PodGOATs, a nonpolitical podcast, with his son, Campbell.[40][41]

On July 11, 2021, Valentine announced he had COVID-19.[42][43] To battle the illness, Valentine took Vitamin D and the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, despite warnings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration against using the medication for a COVID-19 remedy.[44][45] As Valentine's health deteriorated, Valentine's brother, Mark, said Valentine regretted not being vaccinated against the illness and that his criticism of the COVID-19 vaccination had caused some listeners of his radio program to not be vaccinated.[38] Valentine was placed on mechanical ventilation on July 28, 2021.[46][47] Mark Valentine announced on July 30, 2021, that Valentine required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which acts as an artificial lung and heart for the body.[48] Valentine died of complications of COVID-19 on August 21, 2021.[8][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Phil Valentine Tops Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville 2018 Readers' Poll as Best Conservative". Super Talk 99.7 WTN. Cumulus Media. October 26, 2018. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Gettleman, Jeffrey (July 23, 2001). "Talk Radio Thwarts Tennessee Income Tax". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Matthews, Hamilton Masters; Heyward, Giulia (July 26, 2021). "A conservative radio host who dismissed vaccines changes his message after being hospitalized with COVID-19". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Jiménez, Jesus (July 24, 2021). "Hospitalized with Covid, a conservative Tennessee radio host shifts his message to urge vaccinations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Phil Valentine, conservative radio host and vaccine skeptic, dies of COVID-19". www.cbsnews.com. August 21, 2021. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Conservative Radio Host Phil Valentine Regrets His Vaccine Stance, Now Fighting COVID in Hospital". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Callery, James; Goddard, Jacqui (August 23, 2021). "Most-clicked link on Facebook spread doubt about Covid vaccine". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Schmitt, Brad (August 21, 2021). "Nashville radio host Phil Valentine dies at 61 after battling COVID-19". The Tennessean. USA Today. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "Phil Valentine's sister pens emotional letter after conservative radio host's COVID-19 death". CBS17.com. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Schmitt, Brad (August 6, 2017). "Phil Valentine: How his mom's sudden death spurred him to chase his radio dreams". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Remembering Phil Valentine". talkers.com. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d "The Phil Valentine Show". 997wtn.com. WWTN-FM. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Murray Garrigan, Liz (December 9, 1999). "Radio Fires Back". NashvilleScene.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "Heavy Hundred". Talkers.com. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  15. ^ "Readers' Poll Best Conservative". NashvilleScene.com. October 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Hudak, Joseph (August 21, 2021). "Phil Valentine, Conservative Radio Host and Vaccine Skeptic, Dead at 61 From Covid Complications". Rolling Stone. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  17. ^ "Phil Valentine, Cumberland House Publishing sign book deal". Nashville Business Journal. February 18, 2003. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  18. ^ Valentine, Phil (2003). Right from the Heart: The ABC's of Reality in America. Cumberland House. ISBN 9781581823547. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  19. ^ VALENTINE, PHIL (December 1, 2015). God Players. Oxley Durchville Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9968752-0-2. OCLC 978519143.
  20. ^ Valentine, Phil (July 7, 2017). The First Face of Janus: Secret Society of Nostradamus. Oxley Durchville Publishing (published July 13, 2017). ISBN 9780996875233.
  21. ^ Valentine, Phil (June 5, 2018). Barbican: A Sterling McQueen Spy Story. Oxley Durchville Publishing. ISBN 9780996875257.
  22. ^ a b "'An Inconsistent Truth' stays No. 1". Nashville Post. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  23. ^ Ridley, Jim (January 31, 2012). "Phil Valentine's An Inconsistent Truth No. 1 Movie in America by Per-Screen Average". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "About Anthem". Anthem, The Libertarian Film Festival. July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  25. ^ "2012 Awards Winners". Anthem Film Festival. 2012. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Nevada Film Festival". Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  27. ^ Bond, Paul (June 19, 2014). "Ron Paul to Make Acting Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  28. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 22, 2021). "Phil Valentine Dies Of Covid-19: Conservative Radio Host & Vaccine Skeptic Was 61". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Folds, Angela (May 2, 2015). "Movie shot in Nashville area set for May premiere". The Tennessean. USA Today. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  30. ^ "Colorado Film Festival". Colorado Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  31. ^ "Beverly Hills Film Festival". Archived from the original on June 2, 2015.
  32. ^ "2015 Screenplay Competition Finalists Announced!". Atlanta Film Festival. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  33. ^ Semuels, Alana (October 21, 2015). "Congratulations Tennessee: You've Got the Most Regressive Tax System in America". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  34. ^ "Is coronavirus the beginning of the end of Chinese communism?". Washington Examiner. April 8, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  35. ^ Murphy, Paul P. (July 23, 2021). "He sang 'Vaxman' song, now he's hospitalized with COVID". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Levintova, Hannah. "A conservative radio host mocked the vaccine. Now he's hospitalized with COVID". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  37. ^ a b Murphy, Paul P. (July 24, 2021). "Family says conservative radio host has changed his tune on vaccines after he was hospitalized with Covid-19". CNN. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  38. ^ a b Rose, Andy (August 22, 2021). "Conservative talk show host Phil Valentine dies after battle with Covid-19, his employer says". CNN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  39. ^ Jackson, Danielle (August 23, 2021). ""Phil got it wrong"; Family encourages vaccination after Phil Valentine's COVID-19 death". News4 Nashville. The Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  40. ^ Brad Schmitt (June 20, 2019). "Phil Valentine shows softer, gentler side in his new father-son podcast". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  41. ^ Schmitt, Brad (August 22, 2021). "Phil Valentine, Tennessee radio host who was a vaccine skeptic, dies of COVID at 61". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  42. ^ "Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine still hospitalized amid COVID battle". WTVF. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  43. ^ "Phil Valentine, conservative radio host and vaccine skeptic, dies of COVID-19". www.cbsnews.com. August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  44. ^ Reardon, Sophie (August 21, 2021). "Phil Valentine, conservative radio host and vaccine skeptic, dies of COVID-19". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  45. ^ Loller, Travis (July 23, 2021). "Talk radio host with COVID regrets vaccine hesitancy". AP NEWS. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  46. ^ Masters, Hamilton Matthew; Heyward, Giulia (July 25, 2021). "After Covid Diagnosis, a Conservative Radio Host Sends a New Message". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  47. ^ Benson, Marshall (July 28, 2021). "Conservative Nashville radio host Phil Valentine now on a ventilator". WSMV Nashville. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  48. ^ Dzhanova, Yelena (July 31, 2021). "A conservative radio host who downplayed vaccines on his show is on an oxygen machine after a severe COVID-19 infection". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.

Further reading

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