Sue Johanson, Canada’s most loved and celebrated sex educator, has died. She was 93 years old.
Johanson first rose to prominence in Canada with her radio and television shows, both titled Sunday night sex show. An American spin-off followed, called Talk about sex with Sue Johanson.
According to reports, Johanson died in a long-term care facility in Thornhill, Ontario surrounded by family.
Chances are, if you grew up in the late 80s and early 2000s, you’re familiar with Johanson.
Through her programs, she has taught many Canadians how to have safe sex and, too, how to enjoy it. No subject was too harsh or taboo for Johanson, and fans found his boundless style refreshing and entertaining.
Johanson would launch into conversations, sometimes to the network’s chagrin, about gay and anal sex, fetishes, and sexual issues in the queer community, which were often considered taboo topics when his show was on the air.
Adding to her allure and propelling her to stardom was Johanson’s no-nonsense approach to awkward sex talk, paired with her granny-like looks and razor-sharp sense of humor. (She DGAF before the acronym even became a thing.)
What began as a small and sometimes controversial radio show eventually shot Johanson to international fame. He has made appearances on the nightly talk shows of Arsenio Hall, David Letterman and Conan O’Briens. She was a recurring guest of the beloved Canadian Degrassi TV franchise. And she has traveled across the country, appearing as a guest speaker at countless college and university events.
Johanson made a name for herself in Canada and the United States by speaking about sex on radio and TV, but she got her start by opening a birth control clinic at a Toronto high school in 1970.
In 1974, he began traveling to schools across Ontario to offer sex education, and the radio show reached the Toronto airwaves a decade later.
Last fall, Johanson was the subject of a feature-length documentary, titled Sex with Suewho took a look at how her decades-long career has helped shape the way we talk about sex and sexuality today.
The documentary was a collaboration between Johanson’s daughter Jane and Canadian filmmaker Lisa Rideout, which came together after Jane began videotaping conversations with her mother in 2016 as a way to preserve some of her memories. .
“I grew up on the Sunday Night Sex Show and Sue was my primary source of education,” Rideout explained to Global News at the time, adding that she eventually ended up emailing Sue’s outdated website , but didn’t think anyone would answer. But it so happened that Jane was shooting a movie and needed someone. So we like to think that the universe brought us together to make this movie.”
Rideout said that while making the documentary, she was surprised to learn how much people still need sex educators, despite the sheer amount of sexual content online.
“I thought today everyone can just Google whatever they want, they don’t necessarily need these entries. But I’ve learned that people still need people to answer their questions and really assure them that they’re okay in their sexual desires.
Sue Johanson, portrayed in a still from the documentary, lived a quiet, simple life and enjoyed her retirement before her death.
Courtesy / Network W
Jane told Global News that her mother’s decision to put her show on hold came in 2008, when she realized two things: that her energy was starting to wane and also that the rise of the internet, including the world of online dating and pornography, he was starting to outgrow his knowledge and understanding of many sexual topics.
“I think she’s very happy to be stepping out of the limelight so she can finally rest after the whirlwind marathon she was in,” Jane said at the time.
Many of the documentary’s laughter moments come from the musings of the crew who worked alongside Johanson Sunday night sex show. They recount how Johanson allegedly offered them sex toys, urging them to try them and report their findings.
He spun those crew reviews into a Consumer Reports-style segment at the end of each telecast, diving into his flame-covered black bag to dig out dildos, vibrators, and anal beads of every style and size.
“He just wanted to talk about sex and make people laugh,” said Jane. “She may have been famous, but she didn’t care. She liked meeting new people. That’s all. It’s pretty simple, really.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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