LZ Granderson

LZ Granderson is an ABC News contributor and host of ABC Audio’s Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson, the network’s first LGBTQ-focused podcast, of which he is also producer. He is an Emmy Award-winning journalist as well as an op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

On the podcast, Granderson draws from his own lived experience as a gay, Black father to host thought-provoking, poignant, and engaging conversations with some of the most influential and inspirational people in the LGBTQ+ community. Life Out Loud received a Special Recognition Award from GLAAD in 2022 and Spotify selected it as one of the “Best New Podcasts of 2021.” Since joining ABC News in 2015, Granderson focuses heavily on politics in his role as a contributor.

In 2021, the Equality Forum listed Granderson among its LGBTQ History Month Icons, and the Los Angeles Press Club as well as California News and Publishing Association named him the year's top columnist. In 2016, he was inducted into the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame and his TED Talk, “Myth of the Gay Agenda,” has more than 1.7 million views. Granderson has received recognition for his work from major LGBTQ+ organizations in the nation, including the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN and GLAAD. The Advocate, the nation’s most prominent and oldest LGBTQ+ magazine, frequently includes him as one of the 50 most influential LGBTQ voices in media.

Throughout his career, Granderson worked at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, South Bend Tribune, and the Grand Rapids Press. He spent over 17 years at ESPN in a variety of roles, including NBA editor, Page 2 columnist, tennis commentator, radio host, and co-host of the television show "SportsNation." During this time, he was also a columnist and political contributor for CNN. Before that, Granderson was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and the Hechinger Institute at Columbia University.