Joseph S. Benigno (born September 26, 1953) is an American
sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...
personality. He was a co-host of the '' Joe & Evan'' show with Evan Roberts weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on the New York radio stations WFAN-AM and WFAN-FM. His retirement was announced on October 28, 2020. After his radio retirement, Joe began hosting ''Oh the Pain'', a weekly podcast.
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
. Prior to joining WFAN, Benigno was a frequent caller to the station and was known on-air as "Joe from Saddle River."
Professional radio career
His first taste of radio experience occurred in 1994, when he guest-hosted a show on WFAN as a result of winning a contest held by the station. He then hosted a sports-talk show on a radio station in
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Sid Rosenberg after Rosenberg's previous co-host, Jody McDonald, did not have his contract renewed with the station. After Rosenberg resigned from the station on September 12, 2005, Benigno became the sole host of the midday show until January 2007, when he was paired with Evan Roberts.
Benigno also co-hosted '' Daily News Live'' on SNY.
Benigno was filling in for the vacationing '' Boomer and Carton in the Morning'' program on March 28, 2013 with his partner Roberts, when Benigno made disparaging remarks about having to get makeup done. (The program was simulcast on MSG.) Benigno said that he was annoyed about the chair time required for MSG's "11 viewers." The '' Benigno & Roberts'' show scheduled to be broadcast on
Good Friday
Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
via MSG was immediately cancelled.
On April 25, 2013, Benigno faced criticism for jokingly saying he would "buy drugs for Tyrann Mathieu" if the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
drafted him.
Personal life
Benigno released a book in April 2010, titled ''Rules for New York Sports Fans.''
On July 18, 2018, a wide-ranging lawsuit was filed by former WFAN employee Lauren Lockwood against WFAN, WCBS, various WFAN executives, as well as Benigno, alleging, among other things, that "WFAN host Joe Benigno pressured her into having a threesome" and that Benigno "whispered in ockwood’sear about having ‘threesomes’ with him and his wife and prostitutes." Through his representative, Benigno denied the allegations. In response to the lawsuit, Benigno was placed on an indefinite leave of absence from the station, returning on a regular basis on September 10, 2018.
On October 28, 2020, Benigno announced that he would retire, with November 6, 2020 being his last show. Benigno would later return to the station on a limited basis in 2022, appearing on Monday mornings during the NFL season during WFAN's mid-day show, as well as hosting a Saturday morning show with Evan Roberts.
Benigno resides in Mahwah, New Jersey.