Few, if anyone, likes to deal with or accept criticism. The same can be said for nationally syndicated radio hosts like Dave Ramsey, Mike Gallagher, Erick Erickson, and Joe Pags.
For some folks, the ability to block out negativity from the audience came naturally. For others, they admitted it’s a work in progress.
But for Dave Ramsey, he said he learned how to combat criticism through his life experiences. He said he “desperately wanted to be the guy that everyone was impressed with” during his 20s.
But his rise to becoming a millionaire before declaring for bankruptcy, as well as his Christian faith, helped him find what is valuable and what isn’t any longer.
“I’m perfectly ok if someone doesn’t like me, or doesn’t agree with me, or doesn’t like my persona, or thinks that it ought to be done another way. That’s perfectly fine,” said Ramsey. “I really don’t care. And it comes from that I cared too much in the old days. It’s not going to change someone trolling us or writing a negative Reddit page or creating a career out of Dave Ramsey clickbait or whatever they’re doing. It really doesn’t change anything we do.”
Erick Erickson, meanwhile, shared that it’s human nature to either want to be liked or to settle any differences with those who disagree with you. But learning that, no matter what, some aren’t going to like you has been a process.
“I’ve had to learn, and I think most people have to learn,” he said. “Because I think most people’s personalities, generally, if someone’s got a problem with you, you want to try to placate that, give that person a hearing, and figure out what you’ve done. What I’m learning is that there are a lot of malcontented people.
“Learning to discern valid criticism from people who don’t like you and are never going to like you is a skill you have to learn,” continued Erickson. “But also with the people whose criticism you hear about, you’ve also got to understand that sometimes they’re just not going to agree, and you’ve got to have a sense of ‘Did you really screw up or not?’ More often than not — particularly due to social media — most criticism is less valid than it used to be.”
Mike Gallagher has been in the talk radio space for more than 40 years. But he admitted that taking pushback for his stances is an ongoing battle.
“I don’t think any of us are oblivious to criticism. We all pretend we don’t give a damn, but — let’s face it — we do,” he said. “Decades of getting beat up by critics should produce a thicker skin. And I’d like to think I have a thicker skin than I did when I started out. But look, we’re in the business of pleasing our audience. We want to give what they want and if you’re not getting the audience what they want, you’re probably not fulfilling the responsibility you have to your employer. That’s a big part of the cycle that we’re always in — to make sure that we’re true to ourselves, we express what we believe, but we don’t piss off half the audience.
“That, sometimes, is a delicate balance. How long does it take? I think I’m still learning how to take it,” he admitted.
Joe Pags falls into the camp of those whose proverbial give a damn is busted. He said dealing with criticism came rather naturally to him.
“I think that I was born with a gene that doesn’t make me nervous and doesn’t take insults and worry about them,” he admitted. He added that he’s always open to constructive criticism. But he doesn’t let naysayers or critics get under his skin.
“I still have to press that button and be as good as I possibly can be to deliver some entertainment, some sort of a getaway for those who are listening,” he shared. “I can’t get into my feelings about somebody doesn’t like how I sound today, or somebody doesn’t like the word I use, or somebody doesn’t like my heritage. That doesn’t bother me … I’m always open to making (The Joe Pags Show) better, but if the criticism is truly from a negative place, I don’t have much time for it.”
A recurring theme was recognizing who is and isn’t criticizing in good faith.
“You gotta weed off the people that are angry, and just let that roll off your back,” said Gallagher. “But that’s that’s still an ongoing process.”
“If somebody comes up and they’ve got a problem and they’re being foolish, why would I waste my time with that?” Joe Pags stated.
“People are just angry, and if you don’t tell them exactly what they want, they’re going to be mad at you,” Erickson concluded. “I mean, some people you try and just can’t help.”
Ramsey said that his key to dealing with the criticism is putting himself in the shoes of those lambasting him, which he viewed as exhausting.
“I just have to look at those poor guys and go, ‘Gosh, it’d be awful to not have your own thing, and the only thing you had was ripping somebody else’s thing.’ That’s your only thing? That’s the only thing you do? The only thing you burn calories on is tearing other people down? And look at what it got you. You live in your mother’s basement. I mean, it’s just sad in a way.”
Ramsey admitted that — like anyone else — he does get his feelings hurt at times. But then dives into the data that, for instance, his book “The Total Money Makeover” has more than 20,000 reviews on Amazon. Of those reviews, the book has a 4.7-star rating. He joked that if someone didn’t like the book and left a negative review, then they’re “just wrong.”
He added that he no longer reads the comments or reviews related to his projects because they show “why some species kill their young.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
