Dr. Drew closes down "Loveline" radio show after more than 30 years
The lovelorn and romantically confused won't have Dr. Drew Pinsky to turn to anymore, as the "Celebrity Rehab" host closed the book on the radio call-in show Thursday night after 32 years.
"It's been such a privilege and such a fascinating journey. It's so wonderful to have heard all these stories and to just try and help people night after night," Pinsky said during a call-in to "The Kevin and Bean Show," which is broadcast from the same Los Angeles station as "Loveline," KROQ. "It's never been other than fascinating. I always figured there must be something wrong with me that I always looked forward to coming in every night and trying to be of service."
Adam Carolla co-hosted the show from 1995 to 2005, and his replacement, Mike Catherwood, stepped down at the end of March. That move prompted Pinsky, who has been with the program since 1984, to take a good, hard look at the situation.
"I really looked at it carefully when Mike left and I thought, 'You know, this is getting silly,'" Pinsky explained. "I love it and I love being a part of it, but at a certain point -- let's just say I'm not getting any younger and not sleeping every night is beginning to get to me. Maybe that's where the prostate cancer came from, I don't know."
Pinsky also revealed that several years ago, due to the show's dwindling finances, he agreed to forgo a salary. "The reality is there's not been a business model for the show for a couple of years," he said. "The honest truth is I've been doing it for free for a couple of years. It returned to its roots. I originally did it for free as a community service show."