He has been reviewing the arts since 1967. He has written for magazines such as "Look" magazine, "Ladies' Home Journal" (for 12 years), "Cosmopolitan", "TV Guide", "Seventeen", "Glamour", "McCall's", and "The New York Times". From 1970–1982 he had a daily report on NBC Radio. In 1987, he published "Laughing Matters—A Treasury of American Humor", a humor anthology. Since 2009, he lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, with his cat Fellini. Shalit's children include the artist and entrepreneur Willa Shalit.