The Mary Sue

Ted Williams, (Formerly) Homeless Man With the Golden Voice, One Year Later

by Max Eddy Jan 13th

About this time last year, the Internet discovered Ted Williams; a homeless man with a so-called "golden voice." Given the explosive recognition Williams received, he was soon given a number of job offers, a home, and the chance to start life over again. Along the way, Williams has hit several bumps in the road and gone through a grueling battle with addiction. But in an anniversary update from Entertainment Tonight, Williams appears happy, healthy, and optimistic about the future. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the video is that when the Internet meets Williams this time, he's in his own home. See the video, after the break.

Columbus Dispatch Inexplicably Takes Video of Homeless Man with Radio Voice Down from YouTube

by Robert Quigley Jan 7th

Remember Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden radio voice who went from panhandling to big bucks deals to national television programs over the course of this week? The original YouTube video of Williams was posted by a Columbus Dispatch reporter, racking up 12 million pageviews in the matter of a few short days. At the time, The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal praised the newspaper for its forward-thinking, new media-friendly approach: "When a reporter came across a homeless man with a stunning Golden Age of Radio voice, they did not write a milquetoast profile or use it as a news peg for a series on the plight of the homeless in Ohio. Instead, they made a short, cheap video of the man, Ted Williams, and posted it to their website." But it appears the Dispatch has had second thoughts about being at the epicenter of a viral sensation: As of yesterday afternoon, attempting to view the original video on YouTube would reveal the above takedown notice: "The video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by The Dispatch."

Ted Williams, the (Not for Long) Homeless Man with the Radio Voice, on The Today Show

by Robert Quigley Jan 6th

Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden-age radio voice, has enjoyed a remarkable ascent: On Tuesday, a video of him demonstrating his talent by a highway exit exploded across the Internet, racking up more than 4 million YouTube views in 24 hours; on Wednesday, he excitedly revealed that he was being pursued by the Cleveland Cavaliers for an announcer gig, and that they'd offered him a house to live in; today, Williams finds himself on The Today Show. The interview is long, but worth watching. Williams shares more about his past and the religious faith that he says brought him out of his decline intro drug use and alcoholism, makes the Cleveland joke everyone was afraid to make ("they said they're going to give me LeBron's old house"), and reveals that Kraft asked him to audition to be the voice announcing their macaroni and cheese. (via Mediaite)

Homeless Man with Radio Voice Offered Free House, Job with the Cleveland Cavaliers

by Robert Quigley Jan 5th

Ted Williams, the Columbus-area homeless man whose amazing radio voice talent we highlighted yesterday, will not be homeless for much longer: In a radio interview on local station WNCI today, Williams revealed that the Cleveland Cavaliers had offered him a full-time announcing job and a house. In the less than 24 hours since his video exploded online, the "radio man" has gotten lots of other offers and tons of goodwill:

Before the Cavs made their bid, the station said a group of credit unions offered Williams a contract worth up to $10,000; a caller claiming to rep MTV expressed interest in having him guest-announce a show; and callers who said they were the voiceover actors behind plugs for "The Simpsons" and "Entertainment Tonight" said they wanted him to compete on their upcoming "America's Next Voice" -- where the prize includes a home studio.

We've seen viral video stars blow up on the Internet, but I can't think of one that has taken off this quickly or to this good effect: It helps that in addition to having such a pronounced, unusual talent, Williams seems like a really good guy eager to turn his life around. Hopefully, his Internet fame and offer from the Cavs will help him do just that. CBS News clip below (and you can bet that in addition to telling his story, Williams shows off his radio voice):

Homeless Man with a Golden Radio Voice [Video]

by Robert Quigley Jan 4th

The Columbus Dispatch recently posted this remarkable video interview with Ted Williams, a homeless man with a remarkable voice for radio. After demonstrating his talent, Williams provides some backstory:

When I was 14 I kind of listened to one of our area radio announcers, and I went as a field trip to go meet the guy, and he looked nothing like what he sounded like. So I asked him about that, and he said to me, "listen, radio is defined -- theater of mind." And so when he said "theater of mind," I just said, well, hey. I can't be an actor, I can't be an on-air personality, but the voice just became something of a development over the years and I went to school for it. And then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life. I've got two years clean, and I'm trying hard to get it back. And hopefully somebody from one of these television or radio stations will say, 'hey, I need a voice-over,' or ' I need something.'

As of posting, the top-rated YouTube comment comes from a man who says he owns a Hollywood talent agency that specializes in voiceovers, and he says he knows "some people in Columbus who work in the field I can probably hook him up with." Hopefully Williams' talent will be able to find a home. (Columbus Dispatch via BuzzFeed)