Daybreak is going to sound different for listeners of the B101 Morning Show with Jenn & Bill starting next week. Jenn Ryan, the show’s cohost, announced what she called her “career retirement” Monday, with this being her last full week.
Ryan has been a part of B101, which is owned by Audacy, for 16 years. She got her start working the midday shift before making the switch to mornings 14 years ago, when she and Bill Tafrow became one of the “longest-running duos,” according to the station.
“Every single morning, that has been the highlight for me, spending 14 years just laughing and having fun and being happy every weekday morning with each of you,” an emotional Ryan said to listeners, reading some of her prepared remarks.
Ryan’s announcement follows several high-profile host departures in recent years at Audacy, including 94.1 WIP host Jon Marks and Angelo Cataldi. Her announcement also comes after a bankruptcy and financial restructuring for Audacy. The company conducted another round of layoffs this month, affecting more than 200 employees.
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Ryan emphasized that the decision to step away from the job she loved so much was hers alone.
“You know when it’s time, right?” she said. “You know when it’s time to step away and that’s what I’m doing.”
Still, Ryan didn’t get into the reasons that made her pick this moment to leave the station, though she said she looked forward to spending more time with her family and figuring out what’s next.
The tributes to Ryan began to pour in on B101′s various social media pages with many lamenting a Christmas season — when the station famously “flips” mid-November to holiday music — without the longtime host’s voice. Last year the Morning Show crew kicked off the season with former Eagle Jason Kelce.
Many also paid tribute to the chemistry Ryan had with cohost Bill Tafrow, mentioning how their banter “made” their morning commutes.
Tafrow took a moment Monday to give a tribute of his own to Ryan who he called his best friend at the station and work wife, recounting failed attempts on his end to make hosting work at the station.
Twice he failed, he said, with his third try being with Ryan on the Morning Show. He said a year in a coworker at the station told him “third time was the charm.”
“I said, ‘No, the charm was Jenn Ryan,’” said Tafrow. “That was the charm. I can’t do this without you. I can’t imagine doing it without you.”
Laura Boss, a producer and “third mic” for the show since 2021, will remain as cohost with Tafrow. Jenn and Bill are slated to host their final show together next Monday.