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It wasn't really luck. Opie pushed the show like crazy even willing to risk their jobs over pranks and stunts. He was always ahead of the game for stuff like viral marketing and getting fans involved. They were doing podcasts of the show and allowing listeners to host entire shows on fansites without WNEW or XM taking them down. Opie tried to get Sirius to sign Burr, Rogan, Patrice, and others. He clearly saw the media landscape better than most.All of them have good reasons to hate each other. They're terribly dysfunctional people who were lucky enough to capture lightning in a bottle with the "shock jock" craze.
Opie also always had a normal personal life. You basically never heard about his home life in some grotesque or revolting way. He spent his free WNEW suspension years traveling the world. He is married with a normal family and wife. Opie rarely even talked about his personal life on air because it was normal. Like when he had his kids it was barely mentioned.
Anthony is basically fully dysfunctional professionally. Admitting to stealing the Apollo Air Conditioning vans to do jetski runs. Learning various scams from his criminal father. Never taking the show seriously. Showing up drunk or late. Tanking his own Compound Media company. Anthony has never really had a serious career nor job. Look at his book deal and book signings compared to Norton's standup shows and signings. Anthony has no idea what he is doing on his own.
And his personal life was a disaster of course. Smoking crack with his family, the divorce from Jennifer, beating Dani and getting arrested, Nicolini saga, Sue Lightning. Anthony's personal life was a car wreck for people to rubberneck at every time he talked about it on air. Every time Anthony's personal life was brought up on air it was insane. $100,000 monthly water bill for his pool. Girlfriend at pediatrics. Girlfriend in insane asylum. Ex-girlfriend burns and steals items from home. Crashing his Mustang. Flying drones over middle schools. Never a dull moment.
Norton actually can function professionally. Has a steady radio gig. Has done national standup tours on his own. Does regular tv and movie work. Was featured in a Scorsese film. Yeah sure he is not the next Tom Cruise and taking over Hollywood. But Norton's career is actually pretty impressive and on the higher end of show business. His personal life is the utter and total disaster.
Norton's personal life is the most insane. Between the Viking and taking HIV medication he is completely gone at this point. No redemption.