25 years ago this month, George Noory slid behind the microphone for the first time as a guest host on Coast to Coast AM, filling in for the legendary Art Bell on April 28, 2001.
Nobody — including Noory himself — could’ve predicted what would follow.
Today, he’s the full-time host of the most-listened-to overnight radio program in America, distributed by Premiere Networks, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
“I always thought I’d be part of the program,” Noory admitted. “I never thought I’d be doing it full-time. Because I thought Art would go on until the end of time.”
But the universe, as Noory might say, had other plans. The team at Coast to Coast AM recognized something in the St. Louis broadcaster — the same energy, the same format, the same kind of guest — and brought him aboard. The fit was immediate. The impact has been lasting.
For a program built around the unexplained, perhaps it’s fitting that Noory’s path to the chair came with its own strange twist — one he’s still talking about decades later.
The Long Road to the Overnight
The paranormal and absurd have always fascinated George Noory.
“Years ago, I was working at WXYZ Television as a production assistant,” said Noory. “Then I got hired at WJBK, TV-2 in Detroit, as a producer. My anchorman was Ken Thomas. We got along well. Ken would bring his little boy in every once in a while, and the kid would run around the newsroom. I was in my 20s at the time.”
Little did he know that the kid would play an influential role in his career somewhere down the line.
“I’m in the office of the Premiere Radio Networks President at the time, Kraig Kitchin. I look on his desk, and there’s a picture of Ken Thomas. It turns out Kraig is Ken’s son,” Noory shared. “I looked at him and said, ‘Kraig, you were that little boy running around the newsroom!’ You can’t make that stuff up.”
That story captures something essential about Noory’s worldview — the sense that life’s connections aren’t random. That there’s a design beneath the surface of things.
It’s the same instinct that drives Coast to Coast AM night after night.
“It convinces me there’s more to life than what we think,” the Coast to Coast AM host said. “Things happen in strange ways. Things are arranged in strange ways. It’s out there. It adds to the magnificence of living.”
Over 25 years, Noory has shaped the show into something distinctly his own. What began as a primarily paranormal program has grown into a broader platform — one that keeps the strange at its core while expanding to meet the moment. He’s not afraid to tackle the headlines alongside the mysteries.
“I’ve added some more influential elements to the program we never had before,” Noory said. “It was primarily paranormal when I came in. Right now, there’s a mixture of about 75% strange and unusual and 25% current events. I still stay away from politics.
“But we’re doing things like news of the day, the Iran war, and topics that are important to people,” he continued. “I want them to know we’re on top of that. That has evolved into some special guests we’ve had. We’ve got an upcoming show next week on missing or dead scientists who’ve been working on programs. That’s a bizarre topic to me. Something strange is going on. Nobody’s really touching it yet. We’re going to jump into that.”
The Audience That Never Sleeps
If there’s one thing that defines Noory’s tenure, it’s his relationship with his listeners. Late night is a tough time slot — guests are sometimes reluctant, audiences are scattered — but the loyalty Coast to Coast AM commands is something most broadcasters never experience.
“I’ve seen a loyalty with an audience that is so passionate,” shared Noory. “We’re on really late. Some of these people have jobs during the daytime, and they still stay up with us. They’re in bed, they’re truck driving, they’re everywhere. It’s growing like crazy, and I love it.”
That devotion runs both directions. From the beginning of his run, Noory made a pledge to his audience that he’s kept every year since — one that speaks to just how seriously he takes the responsibility of the overnight shift.
“It’s heartwarming,” Noory stated. “I appreciate my audience. We go live on holidays. Most talent takes time off with their family, and I understand that. But I made a pledge when I came in over 20 years ago. There are a lot of lonely people on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. This program is their family. I told them we won’t run tapes on holidays. If a holiday falls on my workday, I’ll be live. If it’s a day where our part-time hosts are on, they’ll be live. We’ll never run a tape on a holiday without a live show.”
The Future of Coast to Coast AM
Just as he thought about Art Bell, George Noory thinks of himself. As the soon-to-be 76-year-old said, “I’m going to stay on Coast to Coast AM ’til the end of time.”
“I didn’t expect to be doing it as long as I have,” said Noory. “And I’m going to keep going until God says ‘You’re done, kid.'”
As the show airs on well over 600 stations and continues to grow its streaming audience, Noory’s mission hasn’t shifted. He wants his listeners informed, engaged, and maybe just a little unsettled in the best possible way. He’s still chasing the questions nobody can answer.
“I want to give listeners the kind of information they need to keep their lives going in a pleasant way,” said Noory. “That’s my goal every night. I want people happy and informed so they can go about their day-to-day lives. I’ve tried to have physicists on the air to explain why we’re here and what the Big Bang was that started the universe. Not one scientist can tell me how it all started. Nobody knows.
“Those mysteries keep our show going,” he said. “They keep you thinking about after-death experiences, what might be out there, how we started, and what God is. It keeps fueling the program, and it keeps getting bigger.”
Those mysteries will also include the use of the theater of the mind. As many in the industry pivot to include video elements, George Noory admits it isn’t something that he’s interested in.
“I still like theater of the mind,” he admitted. “I’ve resisted putting a camera in the studio because it’s so late at night. And I want people’s imaginations to run. We’ve done some television shows. I’m on Ancient Aliens and BeyondBelief.com. But I still prefer theater of the mind. Let’s keep people wondering.”
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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.
he’s still filling in for Art. he will never replace him.
George isn’t trying to replace art bell.I think george is just being himself and I and ALOT of his listeners appreciate and like him as himself!
I still listen to C2C if I’m on-call here in the desert southwest and have a lengthy drive ahead of me, but that depends on who’s guest-hosting and the topic, too. But I won’t tune in when Noory is host, because I won’t soon forget what he did in 2012:
At a critical point just prior to that year’s election, Noory used C2C to endorse Obama for a second term, saying we should let him finish his agenda, he deserved another four years!
There is nothing I can think of in view of all that’s transpired these past 14 years, which is more than half of Noory’s career as a regular, hosting, that would disqualify him more than this. It was fateful, at the least ☠️
BTW i enjoy the weekend and fill in hosts esp the host from Canada and the newer host .Really good and interesting broadcasts!
I don’t always get the chance to listen to George but when I do, I’m so inspired to keep on wondering at all the wonders in this Universe. I don’t know or care about what he may or may not have done back in the day in regards to Obama…as he says in the above interview, he stays away from politics (as much as he can) and that’s good. I watch Newsmax for all that stuff so when I can listen to C2C, it’d better be about the supernatural/phenomenon, or the like….not past Presidents that should be removed from history for their Marxist views and agenda. So far George seems to be staying the course without political commentary.