Garrison Keillor fired for 'inappropriate behavior'
Garrison Keillor
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Garrison Keillor  whose stories of small-town characters entertained legions of public radio listeners for 40 years on "A Prairie Home Companion " became another celebrity felled by allegations of workplace misconduct on Wednesday when Minnesota Public Radio terminated his contracts.
MPR said only that it received allegations of "inappropriate behavior" against  Keillor  last month involving one person who worked with him during his time hosting "A Prairie Home Companion."  Keillor  retired as host of the radio variety show last year  but continued to work for MPR on various projects.
Later Wednesday   Keillor  gave a statement to MPR News saying he had to "respect the privacy of the two employees who have made the allegations." A spokeswoman for MPR's corporate arm didn't immediately respond to questions from AP on whether  Keillor  was accused of bad behavior with more than one person.
 Keillor 's hand-picked successor to host the show  mandolinist Chris Thile  tweeted Wednesday he was "in shock" after  Keillor 's firing. Thile had been a frequent musical guest on the show and said he knew nothing about the allegation  adding: "I trust that the proper steps are being taken."
FILE - In this July 26  2017 file photo  Garrison Keillor  creator and former host of  "A Prairie Home Companion " talks at his St. Paul  Minn.  office.  Keillor  said Wednesday  Nov. 29  he's been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen  File)
Sue Scott  who worked on the show as a voice actor for 24 years with  Keillor   told the AP she was stunned. She said she saw no evidence of inappropriate behavior from  Keillor .
Fans also were shocked. Cindy Dina  of the Minneapolis suburb of Forest Lake  said she frequently listened when  Keillor  hosted the show and admired him  saying the Minnesota native was "iconic."
 Keillor 's storytelling earned him comparisons with Mark Twain and Will Rogers. His 1985 best-selling book  "Lake Wobegon Days " landed him on the cover of Time magazine.
"A Prairie Home Companion" was heard by nearly 4 million listeners a week on nearly 700 public radio stations across the U.S. the year before  Keillor  left as host. The inaugural show — attended by about a dozen people at Macalester College in St. Paul  Minnesota  on July 6  1974 — is in the Library of Congress' national registry of historic sound recordings.
On Wednesday   Keillor  didn't say when the incident with the woman occurred. In his statement to AP   Keillor  said it was "poetic irony to be knocked off the air by a story  having told so many of them myself.
In this Sept. 30  2014 photo   Garrison Keillor  talks with Daily Circuit host Tom Weber in the studios at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul  Minn. Keillor said Wednesday  Nov. 29  2017  he has been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (Jeffrey Thompson/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
The show featured musical acts  folksy humor  parody ads for fake products such as Powdermilk Biscuits and the centerpiece:  Keillor  delivering a seemingly off-the-cuff monologue  "The News From Lake Wobegon " in his rich baritone voice.
"A person could not hope for more than what I was given "  Keillor  said in his statement Wednesday to AP.
 Keillor  was scheduled to appear Wednesday evening at a theater in western Massachusetts along with the folk duo Robin and Linda Williams  but the show was canceled.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — [TGT]  whose stories of small-town characters entertained legions of public radio listeners for 40 years on "A Prairie Home Companion " became another celebrity felled by allegations of workplace misconduct on Wednesday when Minnesota Public Radio terminated his contracts.
MPR said only that it received allegations of "inappropriate behavior" against  Keillor  last month involving one person who worked with him during his time hosting "A Prairie Home Companion."  Keillor  retired as host of the radio variety show last year  but continued to work for MPR on various projects.
Later Wednesday   Keillor  gave a statement to MPR News saying he had to "respect the privacy of the two employees who have made the allegations." A spokeswoman for MPR's corporate arm didn't immediately respond to questions from AP on whether  Keillor  was accused of bad behavior with more than one person.
 Keillor 's hand-picked successor to host the show  mandolinist Chris Thile  tweeted Wednesday he was "in shock" after  Keillor 's firing. Thile had been a frequent musical guest on the show and said he knew nothing about the allegation  adding: "I trust that the proper steps are being taken."
FILE - In this July 26  2017 file photo  [TGT]  creator and former host of  "A Prairie Home Companion " talks at his St. Paul  Minn.  office.  Keillor  said Wednesday  Nov. 29  he's been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen  File)
Sue Scott  who worked on the show as a voice actor for 24 years with  Keillor   told the AP she was stunned. She said she saw no evidence of inappropriate behavior from  Keillor .
Fans also were shocked. Cindy Dina  of the Minneapolis suburb of Forest Lake  said she frequently listened when  Keillor  hosted the show and admired him  saying the Minnesota native was "iconic."
 Keillor 's storytelling earned him comparisons with Mark Twain and Will Rogers. His 1985 best-selling book  "Lake Wobegon Days " landed him on the cover of Time magazine.
"A Prairie Home Companion" was heard by nearly 4 million listeners a week on nearly 700 public radio stations across the U.S. the year before  Keillor  left as host. The inaugural show — attended by about a dozen people at Macalester College in St. Paul  Minnesota  on July 6  1974 — is in the Library of Congress' national registry of historic sound recordings.
On Wednesday   Keillor  didn't say when the incident with the woman occurred. In his statement to AP   Keillor  said it was "poetic irony to be knocked off the air by a story  having told so many of them myself.
In this Sept. 30  2014 photo   [TGT]  talks with Daily Circuit host Tom Weber in the studios at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul  Minn. Keillor said Wednesday  Nov. 29  2017  he has been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (Jeffrey Thompson/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
The show featured musical acts  folksy humor  parody ads for fake products such as Powdermilk Biscuits and the centerpiece:  Keillor  delivering a seemingly off-the-cuff monologue  "The News From Lake Wobegon " in his rich baritone voice.
"A person could not hope for more than what I was given "  Keillor  said in his statement Wednesday to AP.
 Keillor  was scheduled to appear Wednesday evening at a theater in western Massachusetts along with the folk duo Robin and Linda Williams  but the show was canceled.