Sue Johanson was a Canadian sex educator known for her popular TV show, “Sunday Night Sex Show.”
- Died: June 28, 2023 (Who else died on June 28?)
- Details of death: Died at a long-term care facility in Thornhill, Ontario, at the age of 93.
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Sue Johanson’s legacy
Johanson began her career as a registered nurse in the 1950s. In 1970, she opened a pioneering birth control clinic at a Toronto high school, running it for 18 years. While counseling students about birth control, she continued her own education, becoming a sex educator. It was then that she began speaking to the broader public about sex, debuting her “Sunday Night Sex Show” as a radio talk show in the early 1980s. As listeners increasingly tuned in for her practical advice, the show was moved to TV.
“Sunday Night Sex Show” debuted on community TV in 1985 and moved to a national broadcast in 1996. U.S. audiences also found their way to Johanson’s show via rebroadcasts, but they couldn’t call in. This problem was solved with the new U.S. version of Johanson’s advice, “Talk Sex with Sue Johanson,” debuting on Oxygen in 2002.
Johanson became known for her frank, down-to-earth advice, using terms and gestures that some were surprised to hear and see on TV. Her grandmotherly appearance made her advice even more surprising to some, but Johanson believed that her age gave her credibility that a younger sex educator might not have. She always kept her sense of humor while she dispensed advice, and she was a hit on talk shows like “Late Show with David Letterman” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” She also appeared on several episodes of “Degrassi Junior High” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” playing a fictionalized version of herself. Johanson was featured in the 2022 documentary “Sex with Sue.”
Notable quote
“I’m not embarrassed, I’m not uptight. I’m not scared of it.” —from “Sex with Sue”
Tributes to Sue Johanson
Full obituary: Toronto Star
