Food Network and VH1 Host Dead: Bobby Rivers Was 70
River's hosted VH1's 'Watch Bobby Rivers' and the Food Network's 'Top 5.'
Bobby Rivers, an actor, radio personality, and TV host who known for his work on the Food Network and VH1, has died. Rivers passed away at the age of 70 in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, Dec. 26, according to ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WISN 12, where Rivers became "the city's first Black film critic on television" in 1979. His sister, Betsy Rivers, also confirmed his death on Facebook, writing, "Bobby passed away last night and is no longer in any pain." Rivers' cause of death was not disclosed.
Originally from Los Angeles, Rivers graduated from Marquette University in the 1970s and got his start at Milwaukee's radio station WQFM, where he was hired as a morning newsman, according to Variety. After he was fired in July 1978, more than 1,000 listeners signed three separate petitions to keep him, and Rivers renegotiated his contract and stayed at WQFM for another year. He went on to make his television debut in 1979 on WISN-TV as Milwaukee's first Black film critic on television. He "also contributed segments for the nationally syndicated PM Magazine, which he said helped Milwaukee go beyond stereotypes," per WSIN.
We are saddened to hear about the passing of trailblazing television personality Bobby Rivers.
— TCM (@tcm) December 27, 2023
An enthusiastic and knowledgeable film fan at heart, we will miss him sharing his love of the classics with the #TCMParty community and his thoughtful essays on his blog. pic.twitter.com/Y3FcnvXfF1
Rivers' career eventually brought him to VH1, where he hosted Watch Bobby Rivers. On the show, Rivers interviewed the likes of Sally Field, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Mel Gibson. He also hosted veejay segments with Rosie O'Donnell on VH1 until 1990. He later went on to serve as a lifestyle and entertainment reporter on WNBC TV's Weekend Today in New York and WNYW-TV's Good Day New York before going on to become the entertainment editor on ABC News' and Lifetime TV's Lifetime Live. In 2002, he hosted Food Network's Top 5.
Amid news of his passing, tributes from his peers poured in. The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg shared on Instagram, "All hail this pioneer Bobby Rivers... He brought SO much to the table. R I P Bobby." Katie Couric wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "I am so sad to hear this. Bobby was a terrific guy and wonderfully warm, funny and smart." In a Facebook post, actor and writer Gregory G. Allen remembered Rivers as "more than just a tv personality with several shows he hosted. He was an amazing person: funny, kind, joyful, a bright light to so many on social media & life – and a walking encyclopedia of film & tv knowledge. I'm so lucky to have counted him as a friend for over a decade."
Outside of his radio and TV hosting career, Rivers also had several acting credits to his name, having appeared on The Sopranos, The Equalizer, and The Onion News Network's video podcast In the Know. Along with his sister, he is survived by his brother, Tony, according to The Hollywood Reporter.