| Native Name: | שי גולדן |
| Birth Date: | 7 April 1971 |
Shay Golden (he|שי גולדן born April 7, 1971) is an Israeli author, journalist, television and radio presenter, and actor. He is a member of the staff at Channel Now 14.[1] [2]
Golden was born in Haifa, Israel, and was abandoned by his mother at Rothschild Hospital along with his one-year-old brother, Ran. The doctors gave him the name "Shay". Golden was raised by the Levy family until he was four years old, and from ages four to six, he lived in an orphanage in Kfar Yehezkel. He was then adopted and raised in Ramat Gan with his brother Ran by Evelyn and Aryeh Golden, who had immigrated from Romania. He studied at the Arnon School and Blich High School in Ramat Gan.[3]
He served in the Israel Defense Forces as an artillery combat soldier during the First Intifada.
Golden holds a bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature from Bar-Ilan University, and a master's degree in Hebrew Literature from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Golden began his journalism career in the culture and sports sections of the Walla! web portal. He then became a television critic for Yedioth Ahronoth, culture supplement editor for Maariv, vice president of content and channels at Ananey Communications, and editor of the political supplement of Haaretz. Simultaneously, he wrote a weekly column for The Marker, and from 2009 to 2011, he edited the Haaretz supplement. In 2011, he returned to Maariv and served as deputy editor until the paper was sold to Shlomo Ben-Tzvi in 2012.[4] [5] [6]
Since 2011, Golden has co-hosted the weekly radio show "Drying the Swamp" on Radio Tel Aviv (Fridays 8:00-10:00 AM) with Sharon Kidon. The program won the "Best Talk Show" award in 2012.
Golden has authored several books, most with autobiographical backgrounds. His first book, a collection of stories titled The Love as an Incurable Disease, won the Bernstein Foundation Prize for debut works. His other books include Do You Want to Be God? (a novel), The Good Son (an autobiography),[7] The Cracker (a psychological thriller), and in 2013, he published A Pause Between Disasters, a collection of short stories.[8] The Good Son was adapted into a play directed by Itzik Weingarten, which was performed at the Habima Theatre in 2015.
In 2010, he appeared on the reality television show Connected, where he revealed his life to the cameras, sharing his story of orphanhood and adoption, his complex relationships with his family, and his search for his biological mother. In 2011, he participated as a panelist on the show Direct Talk on Channel 2 for the Keshet franchise.
In 2012, Golden acted in the daily drama series Rest on HOT3. In November of that year, he began co-hosting the current affairs program Talking About It on Channel 2 with Sharon Kidon.[9]
In May 2018, he began hosting the show Closing the Matter, a kind of news summary, on Reshet 13. The show aired for a year until May 2019. In 2018, Golden also acted in the series Shadow Government.[10]
From March to April 2021, he hosted the current affairs program Before the News on Reshet 13 with Sharon Kidon.
In March 2021, he began hosting a daily radio program on Galey Israel.[11]
Since November 2021, Golden has been hosting the Israeli television program Israel This Morning from the studios of Channel Now 14. Additionally, Golden frequently appears as a panelist on various Channel 14 news programs.[12]
Golden married Michal at the age of 26, and they had two children in Binyamina. After 18 years of marriage, they divorced. He resides in Or Akiva.[16]