Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell) is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated The Bobby Bones Show, originating at KISS-FM in Austin, TX, and for his role as a full-time mentor on American Idol on ABC. He was the winner of season 27 of Dancing with the Stars with partner Sharna Burgess. He has also written two New York Times best sellers.
Bones was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 2, 1980, and raised in the small community of Mountain Pine, Arkansas. He has said his mother became pregnant with him at age 15, when his father was 17. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother. His biological father was with him until the age of five, but then left the family. Bones began dreaming of a radio career around the age of 5. His mother died at age 49 after battling addiction problems in 2014. He grew up poor, and often viewed radio as a way of escaping poverty. Bones began his radio career at age 17 at the campus station of Henderson State University, KSWH-FM "The Pulse". He graduated with a B.A. in Radio/Television from Henderson in 2002.[citation needed]
While still in college, Bones went to work as a station hand at KLAZ in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but was put on the air within a few days of being hired. A manager there gave him the choice of going on the air as Bobby Z or Bobby Bones of which he chose the latter. Bones' first full-time radio contract paid him $17,000. In 2002, Bones was hired by Q100/KQAR in Little Rock, Arkansas. He then worked for radio station (KLAL), which led to his hosting The Bobby Bones Show on KHFI-FM in Austin, Texas.

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