Late last week, a largely conservative New Jersey radio audience found out some key new information about an on-air personality they’d come to know over the last four years — he’s gay.
Joe Votruba made the announcement on the air of New Jersey 101.5, the largest FM talk radio station in America, where he’s an afternoon show producer and writer. During a chat about whether or not it’s a good idea to stay friends with your exes, Joe opted to ditch the gender-neutral pronouns and cut right to the truth. Well done, Joe.
In an email to Queerty, Joe wrote:
I think the people who listen to our show will accept me. The audience and I have had four years to get to know each other. Part of my job is to deliver a young, fresh perspective. As a 25 year old with progressive beliefs and knowledge of issues that affect older and younger generations, I already stick out like a sore thumb on the air. This is just something else about me that is unique and I look forward to being able to share this aspect of my life. In addition to talking about all things that go on in and around New Jersey, my goal is to bring awareness of internal and external issues that affect the LGBT community to the forefront and discuss these topics in an open forum setting.
He followed it up with a post on Facebook:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Joe later told us that, although not everyone has been supportive, the response has mostly been even better than he’d hoped:
I’ve received an incredible amount of support and acceptance since sharing the news with our audience. It’s truly been overwhelming. Of course I’ve also heard from people who do not support me or simply don’t think homosexuality is worthy of conversation… and that’s ok. It’s important for those opinions to be seen and heard as the push for gay acceptance continues.
You can listen to his announcement below:
For the record, it is possible to stay friends with your exes, but good luck with that.
Dakotahgeo
As a liberal, I am exceptionally happy for Joe Votruba. He, I think. would be great to visit with, politically, for his POV!
Curty
He’s kinda cute… will he continue to be part of the show, station as an openly gay man tho on a conservative station?
Desert Boy
His conservative listening audience will chew him up and spit him out. Votruba is delusional.
ingyaom
Is Joe a conservative radio host, as described in the title, or is he a producer and writer, as described in the article, because those are all different things?
Xzamilio
I like this… it’s harder for the rabid conservative based listeners to continue ignoring the fact that they have gay individuals among them and to continue ignoring their younger base that is overwhelmingly accepting of LGBT individuals. I’m usually pissing on conservatives but hopefully the young ones will start pushing the cronies out.
Brian JC Kneeland
OH NO! The world will stop spinning when he marries!
Glücklich
@Curty:
No kinda about it for me. He’s a hottie. Too young for me but he oughtta get out from behind the mic and in front of a camera.
The photo with the giraffe seals it. Giraffes are one of my top favorite animals. Had it been an octopus I’d have just plotzed.
Dallas Lewis-Bryant
Joe Votruba look at you making it on queerty.com
onthemark
@ingyaom: The headline specifies “radio host” with a “conservative audience.” Not that he’s a “conservative radio host.” But he’s on-air; otherwise they wouldn’t know him.
Without being familiar with the station, we can guess that it has a largely conservative audience. That’s just how talk radio works nowadays. The audience is mostly male, almost all white and consists of: (1) grouchy old retired cranks, (2) truckers and traveling salesmen, (3) resentful warehouse workers. Nobody else has the time, or the peer pressure, to listen to talk radio.
To their credit, since the audience is in New Jersey (and I’m guessing eastern Pennsylvania), they aren’t as backward as most talk radio audiences so they’ve accepted Joe somewhat.
The only mystery is, why did Joe want to work for a place like that in the first place? He certainly doesn’t have a “radio face”!
Glücklich
@onthemark:
Ha ha ha! Grouchy old cranks!
I dunno, says he’s a producer so I equate that with sidekick.
Definitely no radio face there. He kept me company on the red eye to BOS last night.
onthemark
@Glücklich: “Sidekick” – yeah, seems the most likely.
I should have added to my comment: Nobody else has the time, or the peer pressure – “or the complete lack of musical taste” – to listen to talk radio!
Bauhaus
@Glücklich:
Votruba can Ring My Bell. Any. Hour. Don’t know if 101.5 still does the bell ringing at the top of the hour…
Glücklich
@Bauhaus:
I’ve never caught his station when I’ve been in New York as far as I know. Other than NPR I don’t listen to the radio anymore – every station in the Bay Area has been unlistenable since about 2000.
I am going to see if I can find a stream of the station though. Curious about his voice.
Bauhaus
@Glücklich:
Same. It’s been 25 years at least since my 101.5 days (college). Nice voice. VERY Nj but not in the obnoxious way.
Glücklich
@Bauhaus:
You go to Rutgers or Princeton or something? None of my business of course.
Bauhaus
@Glücklich:
No, but I have ties to both schools. Truth be told, I spent more time socializing at Princeton and Rutgers than at my alma mater.
Arnold Stollar
Rum?
Billy Budd
He is cute. I like him.
Bisexual-Transwoman
Who?
Keebler ILF
I used to LOVE Jersey 101.5 and still listen in occasionally. Unless there has
been a major change that I don’t know about, I think it’s wrong to label it a
conservative station. I don’t remember Joe as a host. Maybe he just chimes in
from time to time on the discussions. It’s a very fun, (mostly talk radio) station
to listen to, any hour of the day.
They sometimes have segments where listeners are able to call in and actually talk
to the New Jersey Governor. This is probably one of the reasons so many people
here in NJ hate Governor Chris Christie, because of the obnoxious way he spoke
to some of the callers.
Bisexual-Transwoman
Who is this guy? A hypocrite gay man?
enlightenone
I don’t get the value of this to anyone?
Bauhaus
@enlightenone:
Gaiety.