A prominent NPR host has departed from the network following an inquiry into allegations of oversharing personal information and making an inappropriate comment about a female colleague’s appearance.
Ramtin Arablouei, who co-hosted the well-regarded history podcast “Throughline,” is no longer with NPR as a result of an investigation into claims of unprofessional behavior in the workplace, as reported by The New York Times.
Arablouei has been noticeably absent from the show for several weeks, yet NPR has not issued any formal statement regarding his disappearance.
According to the report, one particular incident involved Arablouei allegedly telling a female producer that she was “a case for race mixing.”
The investigation into Arablouei’s conduct also uncovered tendencies to divulge excessive personal details in the workplace.
Arablouei’s tenure at NPR began in September 2015, as detailed in his LinkedIn profile.
Prior to hosting Throughline, he also produced, reported and wrote for other NPR podcasts, including How I Built This, TED Radio Hour and Hidden Brain.
In 2021, a profile published in the Washington Post noted that Arablouei lived with his wife and son in Rockville, Maryland – about 35 minutes north of Washington DC, where NPR is headquartered.
Ramtin Arablouei has reportedly left NPR after an investigation was opened into how he allegedly paid a female coworker an ‘untoward compliment’ regarding her appearance
NPR said it took ‘allegations regarding workplace conduct seriously and are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and professional environment for all employees’
Arablouei started being investigated by the public broadcaster in March when one of his podcast’s employees reported him to a manager, according to the report.
A formal internal complaint was subsequently filed, which led to a probe into Arablouei’s workplace conduct.
The employee said she was uncomfortable with how Arablouei regularly talked about his personal life during one-on-one meetings.
His allegedly inappropriate remark would have come during one of those meetings, which were reportedly frequent.
She also accused Arablouei of flirting with the podcast’s guests, as well as a contracted employee.
NPR lawyer Ali Parker interviewed the podcast’s team for several weeks as part of the investigation.
The female employee was subsequently informed by Parker on April 1 that many of her claims had been corroborated, per the report.
Rund Abdelfatah, pictured next to Arablouei, is now listed as the Throughline podcast’s sole host on NPR’s website
Arablouei, pictured alongside filmmaker Ken Burns in this April 23, 2019, image posted to X by Abdelfatah, had been at NPR since 2015
NPR also told the podcast’s staff that day that Arablouei would be leaving the network, though no further details were provided.
About two weeks later, the network informed stations that Arablouei’s co-host, Rund Abdelfatah, would tell listeners that she was the podcast’s only host for the coming weeks.
‘We take allegations regarding workplace conduct seriously and are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and professional environment for all employees,’ NPR spokeswoman Heather Walls told The New York Times.
Walls added that ‘any concerns raised through appropriate channels are reviewed carefully.’
The podcast’s description on NPR’s website currently says it is hosted by Abdelfatah, without any note of Arablouei.
The previous details included in Arablouei’s NPR profile, where he was described as a trained audio engineer who emigrated to the US from Iran as a child, were seemingly no longer on the website.
As of Saturday, Arablouei still listed himself as the ‘host/producer’ of the podcast on his Instagram profile.
NPR’s interim vice president for podcasting strategy told staff, ‘We are working closely with the Throughline team on the show’s future direction and are grateful to Rund for continuing on as the show’s solo host,’ according to New York Times reporter Ben Mullin on X.
She also thanked the podcast’s team ‘for their dedication to the show’ amid the reports of Arablouei’s exit.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Arablouei and NPR for comment.
