Keith Olbermann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Olbermann
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Olbermann in 2008
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Keith Theodore Olbermann
January 27, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Cornell University (BS) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Television |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Awards | Edward R. Murrow Awards (3) |
| YouTube information | |
| Subscribers | 194 thousand |
| Total views | 30.4 million |
| Subscriber and view counts updated as of June 14, 2024. | |
Keith Theodore Olbermann (born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. He spent the first 20 years of his career reporting on sports. He worked as a sports reporter for CNN and for local TV and radio stations in the 1980s. He won the Best Sportscaster award from the California Associated Press three times.
From 1992 to 1997, he was a co-host for ESPN's SportsCenter. Later, from 1998 to 2001, he worked as a producer and anchor for Fox Sports Net. He also hosted Fox Sports' coverage of Major League Baseball.
From March 2003 to January 2011, Olbermann hosted Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. This was a political commentary show. He became known for his strong opinions and criticism of some politicians. He has often been called a "liberal". However, he has said, "I'm not a liberal. I'm an American."
After MSNBC, Olbermann hosted a show called Olbermann on ESPN2 and TSN2 from 2013 to 2015. He also covered Major League Baseball postseason for TBS. From 2016 to 2017, he hosted a web series for GQ called The Closer with Keith Olbermann. This series covered the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It was later renamed The Resistance with Keith Olbermann.
In January 2018, Olbermann returned to ESPN's SportsCenter. He also did some baseball play-by-play announcing. On October 6, 2020, he left ESPN again. He started a political commentary show on his YouTube channel. On August 1, 2022, Olbermann brought back Countdown with Keith Olbermann as a daily podcast with iHeartRadio. This podcast features his political analysis and a segment called "The Worst Persons in the World."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Keith Olbermann was born on January 27, 1959, in New York City. His mother, Marie Katherine, was a preschool teacher. His father, Theodore, was an architect. Keith and his younger sister, Jenna, grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson.
A Love for Baseball
Olbermann loved baseball from a young age. He got this love from his mother, who was a big fan of the New York Yankees. As a teenager, he often wrote about baseball card-collecting. He appeared in many sports card magazines in the mid-1970s.
Starting in Broadcasting
While attending the Hackley School, Olbermann began his broadcasting career. He was a play-by-play announcer for WHTR. After graduating in 1975, he went to Cornell University at age 16. At college, he was the sports director for WVBR, a student radio station. He graduated from Cornell in 1979 with a degree in communication.
Sports Reporting Career
Olbermann started his professional career at UPI and the RKO Radio Network. He then joined CNN in 1981. One of his first big stories was the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Winter Olympics. In the early 1980s, he was a sportscaster for WNEW 1130-AM radio in New York City.
In 1984, he worked briefly at WCVB-TV in Boston. Then he moved to Los Angeles to work at KTLA and KCBS. His work there earned him 11 Golden Mike Awards. He was named best sportscaster by the California Associated Press three times.
Working at ESPN
In 1992, Olbermann joined ESPN's SportsCenter. He stayed there until 1997, except for a short time at ESPN2. He helped launch ESPN2 as a main personality. He often co-hosted the 11:00 p.m. SportsCenter show with Dan Patrick. They became a very popular anchor team.
In 1995, Olbermann won a Cable ACE award for Best Sportscaster. He later wrote a book with Patrick called The Big Show. It was about their experiences at SportsCenter. He also said that the TV show Sports Night was based on his time with Patrick at SportsCenter.
Olbermann left ESPN in 1997. There were some disagreements with the network's management. This led to a long-running rivalry between Olbermann and ESPN.
After SportsCenter
In 1999, Olbermann joined Fox Sports Net. He was the main anchor for their sports news show, Fox Sports News Primetime. He later hosted The Keith Olbermann Evening News. While at Fox, he hosted the 2000 World Series and Fox Broadcasting's baseball Game of the Week.
After leaving Fox Sports in 2001, he provided daily sports commentary for the ABC Radio Network. In 2005, Olbermann returned to ESPN Radio. He co-hosted an hour of The Dan Patrick Show until 2007. This segment was called "The Big Show." In 2007, Olbermann became a co-host of Football Night in America, NBC's NFL pre-game show. He left the show before the 2010 season.
Before rejoining ESPN, Olbermann signed a contract with TBS. He hosted the studio show for their coverage of the Division Series and National League Championship Series.
Return to ESPN
On July 17, 2013, it was announced that Olbermann would host his own nightly show on ESPN2. The show was called Olbermann. It covered sports, pop culture, and current events.
In 2015, ESPN suspended Olbermann for a week. This was due to comments he made on Twitter about students from Penn State University. He later apologized on his program. In July 2015, ESPN announced that it would be Olbermann's last month with the network. ESPN said it was a "business decision."
Third Time at ESPN
In January 2018, Olbermann returned to ESPN again. He gave occasional commentaries on SportsCenter. In May 2018, he also returned to hosting SportsCenter and did some ESPN Major League Baseball play-by-play announcing.
News Reporting Career
In 1997, Olbermann left ESPN to host a prime-time show on MSNBC. It was called The Big Show with Keith Olbermann. This show focused on news and discussions. Olbermann also hosted two Sunday editions of NBC Nightly News. He also co-anchored a Saturday edition of the Today show.
Olbermann left MSNBC for Fox Sports Net. After leaving Fox Sports in 2001, he returned to news reporting. In 2003, he won an Edward R. Murrow Award for his writing on the "Keith Olbermann Speaking of Everything" show. He also wrote a weekly column for Salon.com. He worked for CNN as a freelance reporter. In 2003, he returned to MSNBC as a substitute host and anchor for their coverage of the war in Iraq.
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Olbermann's own show, Countdown, started on MSNBC on March 31, 2003. The show's format involved Olbermann ranking the five biggest news stories of the day. He would count down from five to one. The top stories were usually about government, politics, and world events. The lighter stories sometimes included celebrities, sports, and unusual events in a segment called "Oddball."
Olbermann also had a blog for Countdown called Bloggermann. He used it to share more facts and personal thoughts. Later, in 2007, he launched a new blog called The News Hole.
For the last six years of the program, Olbermann ended every show by saying how many days had passed since President George W. Bush declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq. He would then crumple his notes and say "Good night and good luck."
In February 2007, Olbermann signed a four-year contract extension with MSNBC. This included hosting two Countdown specials on NBC. He also contributed essays to NBC's Nightly News.
During the 2008 United States presidential election, Olbermann co-anchored MSNBC's coverage with Chris Matthews. They also led MSNBC's coverage of President Barack Obama's inauguration. In November 2008, Olbermann signed another four-year contract.
Rivalry with Bill O'Reilly
Olbermann had a well-known rivalry with Bill O'Reilly, who hosted The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Olbermann often named O'Reilly the "Worst Person in the World" on his show. This rivalry was a big media story.
Suspension and Departure
On October 28, 2010, Olbermann donated money to three Democratic candidates for Congress. MSNBC has a policy that requires employees to get approval before making political donations. Because he did not get approval, MSNBC suspended him without pay on November 5. After many people signed an online petition, Olbermann returned to the air on November 9.
On January 21, 2011, Olbermann announced he was leaving MSNBC. That episode was the final Countdown show on the network.
Current TV and GQ
On February 8, 2011, Olbermann became the chief news officer for Current TV. He also hosted a new show called Countdown with Keith Olbermann, which started on June 20, 2011.
Olbermann was fired from Current TV on March 30, 2012. Current TV stated that their values were "no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann." Olbermann said the claims against him were untrue. The two sides later settled their legal dispute.
In September 2016, GQ magazine announced that Olbermann would host a web series. It was called The Closer with Keith Olbermann and covered the 2016 United States presidential election. After Donald Trump's victory, it was renamed The Resistance. In November 2017, Olbermann announced he was retiring from political commentary.
Countdown with Keith Olbermann Podcast
On August 1, 2022, Olbermann began producing and hosting a weekday podcast. It is titled "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and is for iHeart Media. The podcast has a similar format to his old TV show. It includes a headlines section, "Worst Person," and a sports rundown.
Acting Appearances
Olbermann has appeared in several TV shows and movies. He usually plays himself or a sportscaster/newscaster. A notable role is as Tom Jumbo-Grumbo, a whale newscaster, in the animated series BoJack Horseman.
Political Views
While Countdown with Keith Olbermann started as a traditional newscast, it became more opinion-focused. Olbermann's program often strongly criticized some Republicans and right-leaning figures.
In a 2007 interview, Olbermann said that Fox News was "dangerous for our society." In November 2007, a British newspaper listed Olbermann as one of the most influential US liberals. It said he used his MSNBC show to promote a "liberal agenda." Olbermann himself has said, "I don't think in these issues that I'm a liberal; I think that I'm an American."
In October 2020, Olbermann made strong comments about supporters of Donald Trump. He called Trump "a terrorist" and his supporters "a blight." In March 2024, Olbermann called for the United States Supreme Court to be dissolved. This was after the court's decision to allow Trump to remain on the ballot for the 2024 election.
Personal Life
Olbermann has a mild case of celiac disease. He also has restless legs syndrome. In 1980, he had a head injury that affected his balance. Because of this, he avoids driving. He supports the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Olbermann's father, Theodore, passed away on March 13, 2010. His mother had passed away several months before. Olbermann has dated several women who work in politics and journalism.
Olbermann is a big baseball fan and a historian of the sport. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. In 1973, when he was 14, he published a book about baseball coaches. He also helped start one of the first expert fantasy baseball leagues. He has written articles about baseball cards.
Career Timeline
- United Press International Radio Network, sports reporter (1979)
- RKO Radio Network, sports reporter (1980)
- CNN, sports reporter (1981–1984)
- WCVB-TV Boston, sports reporter (1984)
- KTLA-TV Los Angeles, sports director (1985–1988)
- KCBS-TV Los Angeles, sports director (1988–1992)
- SportsCenter, co-anchor (ESPN, 1992–1997)
- The Big Show, anchor (MSNBC, 1997–1998)
- White House in Crisis, anchor (MSNBC, 1997–1998)
- Major League Baseball on Fox, studio host (1999–2000)
- National Sports Report, co-anchor (Fox Sports Net, 1999–2000)
- The Keith Olbermann Evening News, anchor (Fox Sports Net, 2000–2001)
- Speaking of Sports and Speaking of Everything, commentator (ABC Radio, 2001)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, anchor (MSNBC, 2003–2011)
- The Dan Patrick Show, co-host (ESPN Radio, 2005–2007)
- Football Night in America, co-host (NBC, 2007–2010)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, anchor (Current TV: 2011–2012)
- MLB on TBS, studio host (2013)
- Olbermann, host (ESPN2, 2013–2015)
- The Resistance with Keith Olbermann, host (GQ, 2016–2017)
- SportsCenter, anchor and ESPN Major League Baseball, play-by-play (2018–2020)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, host (iHeart Radio, 2022–present)
See also
In Spanish: Keith Olbermann para niños
- New Yorkers in journalism
