Gerry Callahan is pushing back against John Dennis’ claims that he, along with Kirk Minihane, attempted to remove him from their program. Callahan denies that he and Kirk Minihane tried to keep John Dennis off the air following a stint in rehab in 2016.
What We Know: Dennis and Callahan launched their WEEI morning show in 1997, and it ran for nearly two decades. However, Dennis recently told Glenn Ordway on The Big O Podcast that Minihane’s 2013 arrival changed everything. According to Dennis, Minihane and Callahan asked management whether he had to return from rehab. Ultimately, Dennis called his final year in 2016 “torture” and walked away despite a contract through 2017. Following Dennis’ comments, Callahan responded on “The Big O Podcast” with Glenn Ordway.
What They Said: (All quotes via The Big O Podcast):
Gerry Callahan claims he never attempted to remove John Dennis from his radio program: “I never conspired to get Dino [John Dennis] kicked off the show. That never happened.”
Gerry Callahan knew John Dennis wasn’t shy about talking about retirement on the air: “Dino [John Dennis] would say he was retiring. He would say on the air, I got eight more months till I retire. I thought we got eight more months, and I forget how much time he had left when he left, or when he quit or got bought out, or whatever. But he was planning on leaving not that long after he went to rehab and came back. So, I don’t think there was ever a point where we said, “He’s got to go.” That didn’t happen.”
Gerry Callahan was unaware of John Dennis’ feelings about working the show with Kirk Minihane: “I didn’t know Dino [John Dennis] was that miserable. I didn’t. When he left for rehab. I thought he was coming back. I thought you [Glenn Ordway], [Gary] Tanguay, and maybe one or two other guys were going to fill in. We had like a month. We weren’t planning, plotting, replace him with you. Eventually he left and we didn’t try to replace him with you. We didn’t need anyone else but I didn’t know he was that miserable. I didn’t realize he gave up a year salary or was willing to [move away]. We were still doing a good show, and we were still having a good time. Dino had his issues, but I didn’t know he was that miserable.”
Gerry Callahan didn’t know how John Dennis really felt about working with Kirk Minihane: “I know they disagreed a lot, but mostly on the air. We weren’t hiding it. It wasn’t one of those deals where Dino [John Dennis] was all smiles on the air and miserable off the air. We were battling it out on the air. They just disagreed on how to do the show at times. Kirk was kind of forcing us to do it his way, and I was agreeing with him. We were getting good ratings and having a good time. So, I thought Dino could have come back. I don’t remember him being that unhappy, but I guess he was.”
Gerry Callahan says working with Kirk Minihane was a fun experience at WEEI: “We were always there, always ready to go. Always had the energy, and sometimes it was a little maniacal. Sometimes it was a little over the top, but we all came ready to go that day. Kirk [Minihane] was just fun. [Fred] Toucher is wrong. We had a blast. We laughed every day, and were never sure what he was going to do.”
What Remains Unclear: Callahan said he expected Dennis back and assumed fill-in hosts would cover the month. As a result, it’s unclear what anyone actually told station management about Dennis’ return. After Dennis departed in 2016, Callahan stayed on as the show became Kirk & Callahan.
What It Means: Ultimately, the dispute reopens one of Boston sports radio’s most turbulent eras. Callahan remembers a loud, fun show with strong ratings. Dennis, by contrast, remembers a workplace that drove him to walk away from a year of salary. Either way, two longtime partners now tell very different stories about the same studio. Ordway has teased that he’s arranging a reunion between the three talents on his podcast. We will see if the three will appear and bury the hatchet from differences in the past.
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