Ravey Was a 'Woody Show' Fan Favorite, but She Went MIA in June 2024

People have been listening to The Woody Show since it aired on iHeart Radio in 2014, although its hosts have been working together far longer. Ranae Ravey was one of the original hosts of The Woody Show, who worked with namesake host Jeff “Woody” Fife on shows with WKQX Chicago, KITS San Francisco, and KPNT St. Louis as far back as the 1990s. Naturally, it was a shock when Ravey abruptly stopped hosting The Woody Show.

It’s common for radio show hosts to leave without notice, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult for listeners to comprehend. While a radio host exiting the show may not mean there's any drama, there’s plenty of controversy over Ravey’s quick exit in June 2024. So why did Ravey leave The Woody Show?

Many radio hosts will often leave one show to split off and work on their own. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Ravey. She announced her exit in a Facebook statement reshared by the official Woody Show page. “I know this is a tough day for long-time fans of the show. It’s a tough time for me as well. I know everyone wants more information or ‘the truth,'" she wrote.

“But for right now — all I will say — is that I will miss the Woody Show fans like crazy. Ninety-five percent of you have been the kindest most loyal friends a gal could have — and love you all — even the haters. I take comfort in 10 great years — and I wouldn’t give those up for anything. I promise that I am OK and this will end up being a good thing for me — ME LOVE ALWAYS — Ravey.”

She makes it clear that she is upset by the situation but is looking forward to the future. And thanks to some sleuthing from fans of The Woody Show, we learned that it’s unlikely Ravey made the choice to leave herself. One Redditor claimes to have reached out to her to see if they could learn more, and they shared:

“I messaged her on Instagram this morning, and this is the response I got from Ravey: ‘I can’t really say — under a gag order — this isn’t want I wanted — but I’m doing alright — and everything will eventually be OK.’” If Ravey is under a “gag order,” others suggested that means she was let go from the show.

Woody also suggested on the show that he knew Ravey was leaving and wanted to plan a proper goodbye for her, but her exit didn’t go down the way it was supposed to, hinting at a potential “conflict of interest” or “termination.”

Several Redditors and fans of the show suggested that this is due to iHeart Radio budget cuts, since a similar thing had happened on a Pittsburgh-based show about a month earlier.

As the only woman on The Woody Show, Ravey offered a unique perspective on a show that prides itself on its “authentic,” “raw,” and “unapologetic” nature. The Woody Show’s subtitle, “Insensitivity Training for a Politically Correct World,” thrives on chaos and controversy in an unprecedented political climate. But Ravey said it how it was and listeners will greatly miss her.

“Ravey is a part of that foursome and cannot be replaced. Something seems weird, I feel like she went to management on something and was let go? … I’m so curious to know the whole story,” one Redditor wrote. Another responded that Woody texted from the 22987 number, “My hope was to have a big send-off + goodbye ... but things don't always go as you plan/hope. Not my choice.”

In another thread, listeners paid homage to their favorite Woody Show host. “So bothered by Ravey leaving and not knowing why,” they wrote. “She was the voice of reason and balance so often. She genuinely seemed to care about the rest of the cast (even Sebas) though she was still warming up to Sammy."

Ravey even chimed into the Reddit thread to share how she’s been feeling.

“Thank you for all the kind words,” she wrote from her account u/Ravels176. “This is not an easy time for me — I’m legit heartbroken — but all the nice messages are really helping me get through this — I will be OK and land on my feet.” We know she will!