Who is Peter Shalit, Where is Gene Shalit’s son now?

Peter Shalit is a Physician and the son of Gene Shalit. Peter Shalit’s father is a big name in the media space. He is a retired journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author. His frequent use of puns, his oversized handlebar moustache and fuzzy hair, and for wearing colorful bowties characterize his brand. He retired from NBC‘s The Today Show in 2010 after 4 decades of being on the show.

Peter Shalit: Bio Summary

How old is Gene Shalit’s son Peter?

Peter Shalit was born on February 15, 1954, in the United States of America. He is the son of  Gene Shalit and his wife Nancy Shalit. Peter was one of the 6 children of the couple. His siblings include artist and entrepreneur Willa Shalit. The other 4 are Emily Shalit, Nevin Shalit, Andrew Shalit, and Amanda Shalit. His mother passed away in 1978 of Cervical cancer. His younger sister Emily also died of ovarian cancer in 2012.

Peter Shalit is a Physician

While his father is known for offering his opinions about plenty of pieces of art for NBC’s “Today,” and has written for such publications as Look magazine and Ladies’ Home Journal, his son Peter chose a different path. Unlike his father, Peter Shalit chose to become a doctor, though he liked plants and growing things while growing up. The younger Peter had a goal to do plant breeding or gene splicing in plants but that changed with time.

ALSO, READ; What happened to Emily Shalit, Gene Shalit’s daughter?

After Peter Shalit earned his Ph.D. and completed his medical residency at the UW, he opened a private clinic where he primarily serves gay patients, half of whom are battling HIV/AIDS per University of Wasington Magazine. “I think there are a number of gay people who are more comfortable going to a place where they don’t have that barrier of feeling like they’re different.“- He said when asked about why he thinks the gay community needs specialized care.

 Peter is also an attending physician at the Harborview Madison Clinic, medical director for the HIV Research Program at Swedish Medical Center, and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the UW. To add to his many lists of achievements, he is the author of  Living Well: The Gay Man’s Essential Health Guide, a book he wrote in 1998.

Talking about growing up with his father Gene Shalit, whose job is to be opinionated with University of Wasington Magazine, Peter said – “The effect it had on me was to not want to be like him. He’s such a strong personality, and I didn’t want to compete. The other thing is that I’m not like him, and I wouldn’t be good doing what he does. “

Peter Shalit defended his dad amidst backlash from the gay community.

Five years before the legendary TV personality retired, Gene Shalit was involved in a problem with the gay community after criticizing “Brokeback Mountain.” According to him, the character of Jake Gyllenhaal was a “sexual predator.” Gene Shalit’s gay son Peter publicly defended him after the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) asked people to write to NBC to complain about the critic’s characterization.

ALSO, READ; Nancy Shalit- What happened to Gene Shalit’s wife?

While defending his father, Peter pointed out that his father was not homophobic and that it was precisely that feature of him that made him analyze and review the film “as he saw it.” “It is precisely because my dad is not homophobic that he felt free to criticize the movie as he saw it,” wrote Peter Shalit

By suggesting Gene Shalit was homophobic, GLAAD had “defamed a good man, by falsely accusing him of a repellent form of bigotry,” he wrote to the group’s entertainment media director, Damon Romine, and president, Neil Giuliano. Peter Shalit is a gay physician and author who lives in Seattle and is a longtime supporter of GLAAD.