Bryant Gumbel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bryant Gumbel
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Gumbel in 2013
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| Born |
Bryant Charles Gumbel
September 29, 1948 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Bates College |
| Occupation | Television personality, sportscaster |
| Years active | 1972–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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The Today Show The Early Show Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel |
| Spouse(s) |
June Baranco
(m. 1973; div. 2001)Hilary Quinlan
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Greg Gumbel (brother) |
Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is well-known for being a co-host of NBC's Today show for 15 years. His older brother, Greg Gumbel, is also a famous sportscaster.
From 1995 to 2023, Bryant Gumbel hosted HBO's investigative series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. This show was called "TV's best sports program" by the Los Angeles Times. It even won a special award called a Peabody Award in 2012.
Gumbel started working for NBC Sports in 1975. He co-hosted a football pre-game show called GrandStand. Before joining The Today Show in 1982, he hosted many sports events for NBC. These included Major League Baseball, college basketball, and the National Football League. He returned to sports broadcasting for NBC to cover the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul and the PGA Tour in 1990.
NBC News made Gumbel the main anchor of Today starting in 1982. He broadcast from many places around the world, like Vietnam, Vatican City, Europe, and South America. His work on Today earned him several Emmy Awards and many fans. He is the third longest-serving co-host of Today. He left the show in 1997 after 15 years.
Gumbel later moved to CBS. He hosted different shows there before becoming a co-host of The Early Show in 1999. He was hosting The Early Show on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was the first to tell CBS viewers about the September 11 attacks. Gumbel left CBS in 2002.
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Early Life and Education
Bryant Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, Rhea Alice, was a city clerk. His father, Richard Dunbar Gumbel, was a judge. His family moved to Chicago when he was a child. He grew up on the South Side of the city.
He went to De La Salle Institute in Chicago and graduated from there. In 1970, he graduated from Bates College with a degree in Russian history. He has two sisters and an older brother, Greg Gumbel, who also became a well-known sports broadcaster.
Career Highlights
In 1971, Bryant Gumbel became an editor for Black Sports magazine. He started his television career in October 1972. He became a sportscaster for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.
Working at NBC
NBC Sports Coverage
Gumbel started appearing on NBC Sports shows in 1975. He co-hosted the National Football League pre-game show GrandStand. From 1975 until 1982, he hosted many sporting events for NBC. These included Major League Baseball, college basketball, and the National Football League.
He returned to sports broadcasting for NBC in 1988. He hosted the prime time coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul. He also covered the PGA Tour in 1990.
One famous moment for Gumbel at NBC Sports happened during a football playoff game. It was between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins. At the end of the game, he told viewers, "If you didn't like this football game then you don't like football!" This was one of his last sports assignments before he started co-hosting Today.
Hosting Today
Gumbel first joined Today as the show's main sports reporter. He contributed features twice a week. In 1981, he filled in for co-anchor Jane Pauley at the last minute. He impressed the show's producers so much that he became a top choice to replace Tom Brokaw as anchor.
Gumbel officially became the co-anchor of Today on January 4, 1982. He worked with Jane Pauley. They traveled a lot for the show. They broadcast live from places like the Soviet Union, Vietnam, Vatican City, Europe, and South America. This travel helped Today become the top-rated morning show again by 1986.
After Pauley left Today in 1989, Gumbel worked with Deborah Norville. Later, Katie Couric joined him in 1991. The team of Gumbel and Couric helped Today focus on important news during the 1992 presidential election. The show returned to first place in the ratings in 1995.
Gumbel's work on Today earned him several Emmy Awards. He is the third longest-serving co-host of the show. He left Today on January 3, 1997, after 15 years. Since then, he has made a few guest appearances on Today. He appeared for the show's 60th anniversary and hosted with Matt Lauer and Jane Pauley in 2013.
Working at CBS
Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel
After leaving Today, Gumbel moved to CBS. He hosted a new news show called Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel in 1997. One episode of the show won a Peabody Award in 1998. The show lasted for one season.
The Early Show
After Public Eye ended, Gumbel hosted other shows for CBS. He then became a co-host of the network's morning show The Early Show on November 1, 1999. Gumbel left The Early Show on May 17, 2002. He was hosting the show on the morning of September 11, 2001, and was the first to announce the September 11 attacks to CBS viewers.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Gumbel has spent most of his recent time hosting HBO's investigative series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He has hosted this show since 1995. HBO's website says Real Sports has been called "TV's best sports program" by the Los Angeles Times. It won a Peabody Award in 2012.
Movie and TV Appearances
Gumbel has made cameo appearances in movies and TV shows.
- In the 2005 film The Weather Man, he appeared alongside Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine. He played a co-host of a morning show called Hello America.
- He appeared on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. He interviewed Jerry Seinfeld on Today in the episode "The Puffy Shirt".
- He also made a cameo on the sitcom The Nanny. He gave Fran Fine an audition for a TV job in the episode "Fair Weather Fran".
NFL Network Work
In 2006, NFL Network announced that Gumbel would comment on its new NFL games. Unlike his brother Greg, Bryant Gumbel had not called live sports games before. He called the Patriots-Giants game in 2007. This game was shown on three networks at once: NFL Network, CBS, and NBC. Gumbel had worked for all three networks during his career.
Gumbel stepped down as a play-by-play announcer in April 2008.
Brain Surgery Live
In 2015, Gumbel hosted the first live televised brain surgery. This was part of a two-hour special on National Geographic called Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss. Viewers could see an awake deep brain stimulation surgery up close. Cameras showed live images as the brain was being operated on.
Personal Life
Bryant Gumbel has two children with his first wife, June. They lived in Waccabuc, north of New York City. In 2001, he divorced June and married Hilary Quinlan in 2002. Around 2002, he lost 55 pounds in seven months. In October 2009, he had surgery to remove a tumor near one of his lungs.
Awards and Honors
Bryant Gumbel has received many awards for his work:
- 4 Emmy Awards
- Frederick D. Patterson Award from the United Negro College Fund
- Martin Luther King Award from the Congress of Racial Equality
- Three NAACP Image Awards, including the President's Award
- Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Foreign Affairs work from the Overseas Press Club in 1984
- Edward Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting
- Peabody Award for his reporting in Vietnam
- International Journalism Award from TransAfrica
- Africa's Future Award from the U.S. Committee for UNICEF
- Leadership Award from the African-American Institute
- Best Morning TV News Interviewer from the Washington Journalism Review in 1986
- National Association of Black Journalists, Journalist of the Year Award in 1993
- Trumpet Award of the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
- Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for outstanding broadcast journalism for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO) in 2005
