Kevin Ryder and the entire KROQ Morning radio show team were unceremoniously booted from the airwaves and the station building, Ryder tweeted Wednesday.
“Hey party people! Not sure how to say this, so here it is: Yesterday, @kroq called every one of us on the morning show and told us we were fired,” the host tweeted.
Hey party people! Not sure how to say this, so here it is:
Yesterday, @kroq called every one of us on the morning show and told us we were fired.
Me.@alliemackay @JensenKarp @kroqkom @kroqbeermug, @Old_Man_Ruben and @destinymlopez (cont..)— – (@thekevinryder) March 18, 2020
The former co-host of KROQ’s beloved “Kevin and Bean Show” went on to speculate that he and his crew were fired due to poor ratings. “Why did @kroq fire all of us on the morning show? I assume it’s the ratings, which were down,” Ryder wrote. “The economy because it’s down. But it’s a pretty crappy way to treat people. We’re humbled by you spending any time w us. THANK YOU. (Going to sleep for about a week :)”
As if that weren’t bad enough, Ryder also says he was physically removed him from the building.
One last thing.
There are 3 guys here to throw me out of the building.
(I couldn't make this up)Not necessary. Leaving. 🙂
Love all of you…
— – (@thekevinryder) March 18, 2020
Ryder, who currently hosts “Kevin in the Morning with Allie & Jensen on KROQ 106.7 FM,” was allowed to say goodbye to fans on-air, but not before ripping into his bosses at the station.
“Along the way, the one criticism of the station I’ve had since day one is that they’ve always treated me, along with everybody else here, like we’re lucky to have jobs,” he said. “The management of the station uses that at times to be incredibly cruel to people … some of the more higher-profile ones — Lisa May, Ralph Garman — you guys know those stories all too well.”
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel, a former personality on the “Kevin and Bean Show,” took to Twitter to blast his former employer for letting Ryder and the morning crew go.
Shame on you @kroq "management" for caring so little about the people who gave you so much. Especially now. https://t.co/4MZgAlNs8D
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) March 18, 2020
For nearly 30 years, Ryder has been one of the lead voices of the station’s drive-time radio as the host of the Kevin and Bean Show. The program’s co-host, Gene “Bean” Baxter quit the show in Spring of 2019 and did his last on-air broadcast last November. The duo was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015 and, just after Baxter’s departure, inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame last year.
Ryder’s new show, dubbed Kevin in the Morning with Allie & Jensen, debuted this year on Jan. 2. On Monday, Ryder, along with his co-hosts Allie Mac Kay, Jensen Karp, producer Dave “The King of Mexico” Sanchez, Jonathan “Beer Mug” Kantrowe and more, were all told they were being fired.