Goodbye, Guy Noir. Good luck, Lake Wobegone. Late Monday, legendary NPR raconteur Garrison Keillor told The Associated Press that he is stepping down as host of A Prairie Home Companion after next season, and that musician Chris Thile will replace him in September 2016. Tapping Thile, who plays mandolin with bands the Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, as host is "the best idea I've had since Powdermilk Biscuits," Keillor told AP. Thile, 34, made his debut on the show at age 15.
"I'm stepping down because it's the sensible thing to do when you are 72, almost 73," Keillor said. He insisted he isn't retiring, exactly — he will write, would like to make another movie, and will stay on as executive producer of Prairie Home Companion — but he's leaving radio because becoming a radio star was always an accident. "My idea always was to be a writer, and when you get to be 72, it's time you should get back to doing what you set out to do," Keillor told AP. This will be Keillor's second retirement from the radio show that made him famous, but he says he is serious this time. It sounds more authoritative coming from Keillor's distinctive baritone, so if you want, watch (and listen) to him discuss his departure in the video below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Sarah Ferguson: a reputation in tattersIn the Spotlight After emails surfaced revealing ties to Jeffrey Epstein, weeks after she claimed to cut contact, her charities are running for the hills
-
Crossword: September 27, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Codeword: September 27, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
