Joseph Lovett

Joseph Lovett (1945-2025) was an award-winning television producer, director and documentary filmmaker known for his work shedding light on the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Working at CBS and ABC News, he was an openly gay producer in broadcast news in the 1970s and 1980s. He worked to destigmatize gay life through his news segments, taking on subjects other outlets avoided, including bathhouses, sexual liberation and anonymous sex. His early AIDS reporting is particularly significant because it challenged both government indifference and media reluctance while the epidemic was still poorly understood. In the 1990s, he created “In a New Light,” an annual series to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention. Through his production company he produced a series of documentaries, including “Cancer: Evolution to Revolution,” which won a Peabody Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. His later work preserved pre-AIDS gay sexual history rather than allowing the era to be remembered solely through tragedy. Lovett died at his Manhattan home on July 14, 2025, at age 80.