Where is Donnie Simpson now? Wife, Net Worth, Children, Bio

• Donnie Simpson is a famous American DJ, TV personality and radio host.
• His passion for music was ignited by his father who owned a record store.
• His career began when he was 15 years old and he has interviewed some of the most popular names in the music industry.
• He is married to Pamela, has two children and is the first non-musician to be inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
• He has a strong social media presence, with over 410,000 followers on Facebook, 65,000 on Twitter, and 110,000 on Instagram.

Known for movies

Donnie After Dark (2016)
as Host-Himself

The 9th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Aretha Franklin (2003)
as Host

Video Soul (1994)
as Himself - Host

James Brown: The Man, the Music, & the Message (2008)
as Himself

Where is Donnie Simpson now? Wiki Bio

Donnie Simpson was born in Detroit, Michigan USA, on 30 January 1954, so under the zodiac sign of Aquarius and holding American nationality – he’s mostly popular for his career as a DJ, while he’s also a TV personality.

Childhood and education

Donnie grew up in Detroit alongside his parents, and it was his father who’s to be credited with Donnie’s passion for music – his father owned a record store, and Donnie spent his early years listening to numerous artists performing various music genres, and was hooked the moment he put his headphones on for the first time.

Donnie had a very small circle of friends in high school, as not everyone fitted his way of living – he and his friends would often gather at one’s house and listen to music together. He was only 15 years old when he launched his career, but this didn’t stop him from matriculating from high school, however, it persuaded him not to enrol at college, but to rather focus on a career as a DJ.

Career as a DJ and an actor

Donnie’s first job was for the WJLB network based in Detroit – he won the job at the age of 15 and stayed with them for the next eight years.

In 1977, he moved to Washington D.C. when offered a job at station WRC-FRM (later renamed to WKYS), where he served as a program director as well as a DJ – he was part of their team for 15 years, and played an important role during their transition to an entirely new music direction: the Urban Contemporary. Donnie  tried his luck with being an anchor in 1981, and was hired by the WRC-TV network to serve as one for their “George Michael Sports Machine”, show, which aired on the NBC channel – he went on to host the “Video Soul” show, and numerous other shows followed.

All this led to Donnie becoming the main host and anchor of “The Donnie Simpson Morning Show”, which aired on the WPGC-FM radio station, and hosted for 17 years, but after that completely left radio in 2010. He retired the same year, but returned on 17 August 2015, working for the radio station WMMJ, hosting “The Donnie Simpson Show” which can be heard during the mid-week from 3 to 7 pm. He began hosting the “Donnie After Dark” show on 5 February 2016 which airs on TV One.

In 2021, “The Donnie Simpson Weekend Show” began airing, until most recently – on 12 January 2024, Donnie announced the last show. Is he actually retired? He says not.

Being very passionate about his job helped Donnie to achieve at what he does – his skills allowed him to interview some of the most popular names in the music industry, including Elton John, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Smokey Robinson amongst numerous others. Donnie was eventually made part of the BET Walk of Fame in 2004, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2015, making him the first ever non-musician person to be given this honor. Although he is not much of an actor, Donnie has nevertheless appeared in a couple of movies, including “Krush Groove” in 1985 and “Disorderlies” in 1987.

Love life and wife

Donnie is one of the most secretive people in the radio industry, as he’s shared very little regarding his love life, despite the curiosity of media and his fans.

He’s a married man, but very little is known about his wife as he prefers not to talk about his personal matters. He’s been married to Pamela for a few decades now, while the exact date of their wedding is not known, but it’s believed that they exchanged their wedding vows sometime in the ‘90s. The two seem to be leading a happy life together, and there have been no rumors nor controversies surrounding their marriage. They are parents to two children, but their names and genders are unknown.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Birthday to one of the coolest brothers to ever sit on The Video Soul Couch. @officialbigdaddykane turns 51 today. . . I still have that violet silk jacket and tie he gave me during his first visit. . . Happy Birthday to #TheSmoothOperator ?? . . #happybirthday #bigdaddykane #hiphop #videosoul #aintnohalfsteppin #grammyawardwinner #influential #rapper #classic

A post shared by Donnie Simpson (@donniesimpsonsr) on Sep 10, 2019 at 4:51am PDT

Not much else is known about Donnie’s love life – it’s believed that he met Pamela soon after matriculating from high school, and that she was his first love. Judging by several reliable sources, Donnie is married to Pamela (his first marriage) and they have two kids together.

Hobbies and other interests

Donnie has been into music for his entire life, but there are still several other things he enjoys doing in his free time. Donnie loves his children and has been spending a lot of time with them throughout the years – he also held classes as a guest teacher, and taught how to become a D, what does a DJ actually do. He enjoys spending his free time in nature away from the city’s traffic – he liked doing this even before his retirement. He’s been a fan of video games since he was a child, and would use them as a break and a stress reliever from work – he’s never competed, but is said to be very good at these games.

We broke ground on The @Motown_Museum expansion project yesterday. We’ve raised $25 million and that gets us halfway to our goal.

Then last night we had #Motown60Weekend celebration and it was amazing! It was an incredible and proud night for Detroit. 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/zWcrUtBmtk

— Donnie Simpson (@DonnieSimpson) September 23, 2019

Donnie is a lover of animals, and has had five pet dogs over the years, while four of them have died of old age.

Appearance and net worth

Donnie has short black hair and grey eyes, while his height and weight are unknown. According to authoritative sources, his net worth has been estimated to be more than $5 million, as of mid-2024 – he’s considered to be the first radio DJ ever to have an annual salary of more than $1 million.

Social media presence

Being a popular radio DJ has helped Donnie amass quite a number of followers on his multiple social media network accounts.

Donnie launched his Twitter account in March 2009, and his Instagram account shortly afterwards. Donnie is running a Facebook page too, which currently counts more than 410,000 people following him.

He has a website donniesimpson.com as well, on which you can read about him, check his progress on the “Through These Eyes” book he is currently writing, check his photo gallery, and contact him with questions or suggestions.