Celebrating Hamptons Celebrities: Greg Kelly

This broadcaster is like a jackhammer at work by 9:30 a.m., a grind of about nine hours of reading and preparing for his two daily broadcasts: The Greg Kelly Show on WABC Radio (770 AM) from 12:15 to 3 p.m. and Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax Cable TV from 9 to 10 p.m. Both broadcasts are live. He sandwiches a regular podcast in between, and has managed to author a book, published by Simon & Schuster in 2023, Justice For All.

Greg’s main abode is in an Upper East Side Manhattan luxury apartment building. The second home for vacationing and unwinding is in Southampton.  Greg describes how: “I grew up in Nassau County and the Hamptons felt contiguous so I never considered going anywhere else…the dream of having a summer house was always in the Hamptons…there is just nothing like it. I first laid eyes on my wife (Judith Grey) in Sag Harbor. She had owned property there. We felt the Hamptons was the place to be!”

Some dining spots they occasionally hit are: The Golden Pear-Southampton Edition, where Greg loves the curried chicken salad, and their coffee!  “And we love the look and ambiance of Sant Ambroeus,” he adds.

Greg is a carnivore. Judith is a vegetarian. He has great respect for his wife’s cooking talents. “Her salads are beyond restaurant quality, she makes an amazing eggplant, and what she does with vegetables! And I love her gourmet breakfasts on weekends.”

The personality opinion broadcasts Greg now presents are different from his past formatted shows where Greg was part of a team.  This included: “Good Day New York” which he co-hosted with Rosanna Scotto on Fox-5 New York, and New York 1 News where he was a street reporter. His first taste of broadcasting was during his student years at Fordham University when he participated at WFUV Radio. Greg recalls how: “It was pretty cool how I could how I could go to New York City Hall with my microphone and ask questions of public officials…who the hell am I?  What did I really know at 21? I was not ready to be a journalist right after college!”

During his 9 to 10 p.m. weeknight television hour, Greg has been going up against Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Kaitlin Collins on CNN, and Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel. “I focus on what I do and I am not trying to be politically correct nor overly courteous…I know what I am doing is excellent television superior to a lot of the programming today.  I revere Sean, but I am not a regular watcher and I do not want to get into comparing myself,” Greg analyzes.

Greg’s presentation style is an idea-driven low-key bluntness.  “The issues I address at 9 PM most viewers already know about.  So what information am I offering which is different, new, or in a unique context.” He was inspired by several past broadcasters including: David Hartman from the 1970s on “Good Morning America”, along with Jack Cafferty and Chuck Scarborough from WNBC-Channel 4 Television News.

“I became closer to God about seven years ago,” Greg declares. “I started reading a Bible which was gifted to me and sitting on a shelf.  I was able to relate what I had read to everyday situations…there’s a reason why this book has been with us throughout history.” Greg has received peace and satisfaction through his volunteer activities with soup kitchens for the homeless.  “Sober for eight years I am an advocate for Alcoholics Anonymous having gone through a rough period.”

Greg served nine years of active duty in the United States Marines becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. “I was very excited to do something which my dad had done. I am incredibly grateful for the experience.  To this day I keep in touch with a number of folks I met.” As part of this interview, Greg was able to recite the fourteen Marine leadership traits, “which are important in my life.”