Ari Shapiro
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Ari Shapiro

NPR Host & Performer

b. September 30, 1978

“… I believe in the importance of news. Democracy depends on accurate and truthful stories.”

Ari Shapiro is an award-winning openly gay broadcaster and journalist, a singer, and a best-selling author. He is best known as a cohost of National Public Radio’s flagship news program, “All Things Considered.” 

Ari Michael Shapiro was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and moved to Oregon at the age of 8. He began his journalism career at Yale University, where he contributed to the student-run radio station. After earning his degree in English literature, magna cum laude, Shapiro worked briefly at various news outlets before landing his first position at National Public Radio (NPR) in 2001.

Shapiro rose rapidly through the ranks. Starting as an intern for award-winning Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, he soon became an editorial assistant, then a regional reporter. When NPR made him a justice correspondent, he was the first person under 30 to hold the position. He subsequently spent four years as White House correspondent during the Obama administration, followed by two years as NPR’s international correspondent based in London.

In 2015 Shapiro joined NPR’s daily afternoon drive-time newsmagazine, “All Things Considered.” It is one of the nation’s most listened-to and highly regarded radio programs. As a popular cohost, Shapiro covers a wide range of topics, from foreign wars and other hard news to cultural commentary. He has filed stories from five continents. Shapiro also hosts NPR’s daily news podcast, “Consider This,” and contributes to publications such as The Atlantic, Slate, and The Washington Post. 

Shapiro moonlights as an entertainer. He is a regular guest vocalist with the band Pink Martini and sings on four of their albums. He has accompanied them to world-renowned venues in the U.S. and Europe, served as a featured performer in other musical productions, and had two solo shows of his own. Since 2019 Shapiro has toured with the Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming in their co-created stage show, “Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret.” 

Shapiro’s journalism has earned him numerous accolades, including three Edward R. Murrow Awards and the inaugural American Judges Association's American Gavel Award. He was twice listed among Out magazine’s Out100, and in 2023 the NLGJA (the association of LGBTQ+ journalists) named him Journalist of the Year.

In 2023 Shapiro’s memoir, “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening,” hit bookshelves. It became an instant New York Times best seller. 

Shapiro married Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer, in 2004.