Joshua Johnson, NPR 1A, Journalist, Age, Married, Gay, Salary and Net Worth
Who Is Joshua Johnson?
Joshua Johnson is an American broadcast journalist and former public radio host. He gained national recognition as the host of NPR’s 1A, produced by WAMU. He later joined MSNBC, where he anchored The Week with Joshua Johnson and later Now Tonight with Joshua Johnson on NBC News Now. In a surprising creative turn, Johnson appeared in several satirical videos for The Onion in 2024, portraying a fictional news anchor named Dwight Richmond.
Early Life and Education
Johnson was born on March 22, 1980, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is currently 45 years old as of 2025. He is the only child of a public school teacher mother and a Vietnam War veteran father. His early interest in journalism was inspired by pioneering Black journalists such as Ed Bradley, Bernard Shaw, and Dwight Lauderdale.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami before beginning his career in public radio.
Joshua Johnson Career Overview
Joshua Johnson began his journalism career in 2004, working on a collaborative public radio project between WLRN and the Miami Herald, where he remained until 2010.
He then moved to San Francisco to work for KQED, an NPR affiliate. There, he served as a morning newscaster and later hosted the national radio series Truth Be Told, which explored race relations in America. Johnson also substitute-hosted Forum on KQED and taught podcasting courses at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
In 2016, Johnson guest-hosted The Diane Rehm Show, and by November, Diane Rehm announced he would succeed her time slot. From 2017 to 2019, he hosted 1A, where he tackled national conversations on politics, policy, and culture.
In 2020, Johnson transitioned to television, becoming an anchor at MSNBC and NBC News Now. He hosted The Week and later Now Tonight with Joshua Johnson. He left the latter in November 2022.
In 2024, Johnson took on a lighter role, appearing in comedic sketches for The Onion News Network, where he played a fictional news anchor named Dwight Richmond.
Joshua Johnson Married| Gay
Johnson is openly gay and has been in a long-term relationship with his partner, who owns a barbershop in San Francisco. He values privacy and refrains from disclosing his personal political views, despite being labeled both conservative and liberal by different audiences.
He is a proud member of two professional organizations:
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA)
Nationality and Ethnicity
Joshua Johnson is American by nationality and identifies as being of mixed African American heritage.
Joshua Johnson Height
Height: 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m)
Salary
Estimated Salary: $70,000 – $120,500 per year
Estimated Net Worth
Between $1 million and $5 million, largely earned through his successful career in journalism.
