Avirgan majored in American studies at Wesleyan University, graduating in 2002. His senior thesis was a film and essay about the life of folk singer and labor activist Joe Hill. After he graduated, he spent a year building houses with Habitat for Humanity before beginning to explore documentary filmmaking and radio.[5]
In June 2015, Avirgan joined FiveThirtyEight as host of the podcast What's the Point, about the impacts of data science on daily life.[6][7] In 2016, he began hosting the site's flagship FiveThirtyEightPolitics Podcast.[5] In 2017, Avirgan became senior producer and host of ESPN's 30 for 30Podcasts, a series of audio documentaries about sports history.[5][8]
On March 31, 2020, Avirgan began hosting the new Radiotopia podcast This Day in Esoteric Political History, which uses events from American political history to explore present-day issues. Avirgan co-hosts with political historians Kellie Carter Jackson and Nicole Hemmer.[9][10]
In January 2023, TED premiered the podcast Good Sport, hosted by Avirgan and featuring interviews with athletes and other professionals in the sports industry.[11][12]
Avirgan owns Roulette Productions, a podcast production company whose shows have included Oprahdemics and collaborations with the Audacy studio 2400Sports.[13][14]
Personal life
Avirgan is married and lives in Brooklyn. He has a daughter.[3]
In 2016, while hiking Mount Roberts in Juneau, Alaska, Avirgan and his wife became stranded on steep terrain after exiting the main trail. The couple was rescued by helicopter.[1][7]