# Alzo Slade
**Alzo Slade** is an American journalist, comedian, photographer, and educator who serves as the judge and scorekeeper for NPR's weekly news quiz *Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!*, a role he took over from broadcaster [Bill Kurtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-kurtis) in June 2026.[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade) Before joining the show full time, he built a dual career as a correspondent for *VICE News Tonight* and a stand-up comic, winning a Peabody Award and three [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) for his journalism.[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Judge and scorekeeper of NPR's *Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!*, announced June 4, 2026; the third person to hold the position in the show's 29-year history[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade) • [2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) |
| Predecessors | Carl Kasell created the role in 1998; Bill Kurtis took over in 2015 and retired at the end of May 2026[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) |
| Journalism | Correspondent for *VICE News Tonight* since joining VICE News in 2018; Peabody Award (2020) and three Emmy Awards[3](https://dpntalent.com/talent/alzo-slade/) • [2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) |
| Education | Master's degree in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University; dual Bachelor's degrees in Radio/TV and History from Prairie View A&M University, where he was named Mister Prairie View A&M[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade) |
| Teaching | Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at The College of New Rochelle (2012–2017); Artist Lecturer at the International Center of Photography (2007–2017)[4](https://www.signalhire.com/profiles/alzo-slade%27s-email/13728265) |
| Other work | Host of the Sony Music Entertainment podcast *Cheat!*; co-founder of the Southern hip-hop dance party Grits and Biscuits; former concert photographer for Prince[5](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cheat/id1562732597) • [2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) |
## Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
Slade's connection to the NPR quiz show began in early 2022. His first appearance as a panelist was on the show of January 29, 2022, and over the following years he appeared regularly, also filling in as a guest judge and scorekeeper.[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade) • [6](https://stats.wwdt.me/panelists/alzo-slade) The show's statistics page records 27 appearances as a panelist through May 2026, with a median panel score of 12 points, and a separate run of guest scorekeeper appearances beginning in May 2025.[6](https://stats.wwdt.me/panelists/alzo-slade) • [7](https://stats.wwdt.me/scorekeepers/alzo-slade)
**The permanent role.** NPR announced on June 4, 2026 that Slade would become the show's permanent judge and scorekeeper, making his official debut at that weekend's live show in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas). He succeeded Bill Kurtis, who retired at the end of May 2026 after eleven years in the job.[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) • [8](https://www.wbez.org/comedy/2026/06/30/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-npr-alzo-slade-bill-kurtis-scorekeeper) The position has changed hands only twice since the show began: original role creator Carl Kasell held it from 1998 until Kurtis replaced him in 2015.[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875)
The job combines announcing, judging, and scoring. In an interview with WBEZ, Slade described the weekly process: the writing and producing team begins combing the news on Monday, and he joins a read-through on Thursday to identify what will land with the audience. He has said his favorite segment is the fill-in-the-blank round, and he noted that panelists' material is improvised except for the scripted stories in the "Bluff the Listener" segment.[8](https://www.wbez.org/comedy/2026/06/30/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-npr-alzo-slade-bill-kurtis-scorekeeper)
## Journalism at VICE
Slade joined VICE News in 2018 as a correspondent for *VICE News Tonight*, the nightly newscast from VICE Media and HBO. His reporting has covered a wide range of subjects, from President Trump's border wall to men's hair weaves.[3](https://dpntalent.com/talent/alzo-slade/) His work has also appeared through Showtime, Hulu, ViceTV, HBO, Amazon, NatGeo, and the BBC.[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade)
**Awards.** Slade shared a 2019 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast for the *Vice News Tonight* report "Moment of Truth: Kavanaugh and Ford," and he accepted the network's Emmy the following year for "American Uprising" in the same category.[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/awards/) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/news/) He shared a 2020 Peabody Award in the News category for *Vice*.[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/awards/) His other honors include a 2020 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award and a 2020 International Music Journalism Award, both for the report "Russia's War on Hip-Hop," and second place for the Overseas Press Club's Whitman Bassow Award in 2022 for "Jamaica for Sale," a report on international environmental issues.[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/awards/)
His reporting has touched housing inequality directly. On the podcast *Stuck with Damon Young* in 2023, he discussed his own housing history: he bought his first house at 22 after saving from his first job, and later found that he experienced more discrimination while renting than while buying. He lives in a Black legacy neighborhood in Los Angeles, in an area he described as undergoing gentrification.[11](https://crooked.com/podcast/the-hurdles-to-black-homeownership-with-alzo-slade-and-malaika-jabali/)
## Comedy, photography, and teaching
Slade describes himself as a comedic philosopher from the South and a reformed class clown. As a stand-up comic, his material draws on his experience as a Southern man living in Brooklyn, and he has said his goal is to make people think and laugh at the same time.[1](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/bio/) His screen appearances include episodes of HBO's *Random Acts of Flyness*, MTV's *Vidiots*, [Wyatt Cenac](https://www.edgepedia.org/wyatt-cenac)'s *Night Train*, and VH-1's *Down & Thirty*.[3](https://dpntalent.com/talent/alzo-slade/)
**Photography and music.** Slade worked as a professional photographer and filmmaker from 2003 to 2010 under his own name, and later taught at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan.[4](https://www.signalhire.com/profiles/alzo-slade%27s-email/13728265) He has worked as a concert photographer for Prince.[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875) In 2010 he co-founded Grits and Biscuits, a Southern hip-hop dance party that has toured the country.[2](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875)
**Podcasting and teaching.** He hosted *Cheat!*, a weekly Sony Music Entertainment podcast that examines the stories behind cheats and scandals, from get-rich-quick schemes to impostors, and asks whether it is ever okay to break the rules.[5](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cheat/id1562732597) In academia, he was an adjunct professor of philosophy at The College of New Rochelle in New York from 2012 to 2017, after serving as a Kauffman Education Ventures Fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2011.[4](https://www.signalhire.com/profiles/alzo-slade%27s-email/13728265) • [3](https://dpntalent.com/talent/alzo-slade/) In 2019 he appeared in the documentary *She Did That!*, discussing the importance of Black men supporting Black women entrepreneurs.[13](https://pdaspeakers.com/speakers/alzo-slade/)
## References
1. [Alzo Slade, WBUR/NPR](https://www.wbur.org/npr/g-s1-126004/alzo-slade)
2. [Breaking News from Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me: Our new Judge and Scorekeeper is announced!, CapRadio](https://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=g-s1-125875)
3. [Alzo Slade, DPN Talent](https://dpntalent.com/talent/alzo-slade/)
4. [Alzo Slade profile, SignalHire](https://www.signalhire.com/profiles/alzo-slade%27s-email/13728265)
5. [Cheat! podcast, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cheat/id1562732597)
6. [Alzo Slade, Panelists, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! Stats Page](https://stats.wwdt.me/panelists/alzo-slade)
7. [Alzo Slade, Scorekeepers, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! Stats Page](https://stats.wwdt.me/scorekeepers/alzo-slade)
8. [Alzo Slade isn't new to this, he's true to this. Meet the new 'Wait Wait' scorekeeper, WBEZ Chicago](https://www.wbez.org/comedy/2026/06/30/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-npr-alzo-slade-bill-kurtis-scorekeeper)
9. [Alzo Slade - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/awards/)
10. [Alzo Slade - News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/news/)
11. [The Hurdles to Black Homeownership (with Alzo Slade and Malaika Jabali), Crooked Media](https://crooked.com/podcast/the-hurdles-to-black-homeownership-with-alzo-slade-and-malaika-jabali/)
12. [Alzo Slade - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2292426/bio/)
13. [Hire Photographer Alzo Slade for your Event, PDA Speakers](https://pdaspeakers.com/speakers/alzo-slade/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Journalism and press › Journalists and their taxonomy › Surnames Mc to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license