Beloved 'Today' show critic Gene Shalit passes away at 100

Gene Shalit, famous for his criticism on The Today Show, has passed away “after 100 years of an amazing life.”

His grieving family told NBC News that the renowned American journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author died on Friday, June 12, 2026, but did not reveal his cause of death.

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Shalit earned worldwide recognition for his continuous use of puns and his comical “absent-minded professor” appearance, which included a handlebar mustache, large glasses, colorful bow ties, and fuzzy hair.

In his decades-long career and forty years on The Today Show, as a book and film critic, he voiced his thoughts on countless films and gave positive reviews about them. However, his contemporaries often slammed him for lacking, and rival film critics such as Siskel & Ebert even made fun of him.

Shalit’s most notable work was his review of the 1980 horror film The Shining, as he severely criticised the film for not having enough scariness and depth soon after it was released, going against a significant number of critics who loved it. He stated that the film clearly failed to meet the hype for a Stephen King movie.

It is pertinent to mention that after giving four decades of his life to The Today Show, he announced his departure in 2010, stating that “it’s enough already.”