Craig Carton still ‘chasing’ his success with Boomer Esiason

As Boomer Esiason enters the Radio Hall of Fame, Craig Carton reflects on what they once shared on WFAN.

The Radio Hall of Fame announced Esiason as part of its 2026 class of inductees earlier this week. Esiason will join Don Imus, Mike Francesa, and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo as WFAN hosts in the Radio Hall of Fame. And while Esiason is deserving of being a first-ballot Radio Hall of Famer because of his own work in the industry, it likely wouldn’t have happened without being partnered with Carton on WFAN nearly two decades ago.

Now in his third tenure with WFAN and his second tenure on the afternoon drive with co-host Chris McMonigle, Carton used Esiason’s Hall of Fame announcement to reminisce about their show together. From the secret tryout show they did on Fourth of July weekend back in 2007, to the 10-year anniversary celebration they had at the Borgata in 2017, just days before Carton was arrested by the FBI and charged with fraud, Boomer and Carton were a historic radio pairing on WFAN.

“Unfortunately, Boomer and Carton had a very public breakup because of my actions, not his,” Carton said. “And I’ve been chasing that success and that type of partnership, to be fair, ever since I blew it up. And when I saw the news that Boomer had been inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. It made me go back and reminisce about our quite humble beginnings back in the summer of 2007.”

Boomer and Carton went on to surpass Don Imus’s success on WFAN. Maybe chasing the success they had is why Carton has had a half-dozen different co-hosts on radio and TV since making his sports media comeback in 2020.

Carton went on to say even he could not have predicted the success his morning radio show with Esiason was going to have, claiming Boomer and Carton belong on WFAN’s Mount Rushmore. And he’s right. Even as successful as Esiason’s morning show with Gregg Giannotti has been for eight years, it was still built on the success of Boomer and Carton.

“When I saw Boomer go in (to the Radio Hall of Fame), I was filled with great joy and sentimentality,” Carton continued. “Obviously, my relationship with Boomer changed dramatically when I got in trouble back in 2017. But he’s still a valued friend, and I’ve never wished him anything but success. And I feel like a small part of me gets to piggyback him getting into the Hall of Fame because of the great 10 years we had together.”

Carton added that Esiason is a Radio Hall of Famer in his own right, citing his work with Giannotti and his tenure calling Monday Night Football games for Westwood One, which also allowed him to set the record for the most Super Bowls called on radio. But Carton should take some pride in seeing Esiason get into the Radio Hall of Fame. Because as much as Esiason went on to embrace morning radio more than anyone expected, it was Carton who helped the former NFL MVP ingratiate his personality with New York sports fans.

“I just want to acknowledge him, let him know that I love him,” Carton said of Esiason. “And let him know that I’ve been chasing that Boomer and Carton success ever since we got it.”