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Tom Bergeron
TomBergeronApr09.jpg
Bergeron in 2009
Born
Thomas Raymond Bergeron

(1955-05-06) May 6, 1955 (age 70)
Occupation
  • Television personality
  • game show host
  • comedian
Years active 1980–present
Known for Breakfast Time (1994–1997)
Good Morning America (1997–1998)
Hollywood Squares (1998–2004)
America's Funniest Home Videos (2001–2015)
Dancing with the Stars (2005–2019)
60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008)
Spouse(s)
Lois Bergeron
(m. 1982)
Children 2

Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is a famous American television host, comedian, and game show host. He is best known for hosting popular shows like Breakfast Time, Hollywood Squares, America's Funniest Home Videos, and Dancing with the Stars. He also worked as an anchor on Good Morning America and co-hosted the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Tom Bergeron's Early Life and Career Beginnings

Tom Bergeron was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His parents were Adrian Raymond "Ray" Bergeron Jr. and Mary Catherine “Kay” Costello. Tom has both French Canadian and Irish family roots. When he was 17, he even got to interview Larry Fine and Moe Howard from the famous comedy group, the Three Stooges.

First Steps in Broadcasting

Tom's first job in broadcasting was as a disc jockey (DJ) at a local radio station called WHAV in his hometown. In the early 1980s, he became a popular radio DJ in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire on Portsmouth's WHEB. He played funny records, music, and did unique interviews. His popularity helped him get more auditions for TV and radio jobs.

Moving to Television

One of Tom's first TV jobs was hosting a local game show called Granite State Challenge on New Hampshire Public Television. In 1982, he moved to Boston and joined WBZ-TV. He was a general on-air personality there. He contributed to Evening Magazine and hosted short informational segments. In 1984, he started hosting Lottery Live, which showed the nightly drawings of the Massachusetts State Lottery games.

By 1987, Tom also began hosting People Are Talking, an afternoon talk show. This show made him even more popular. He also hosted Rap-Around, a weekend morning show for teenagers.

In the early 1990s, Tom was a well-known TV personality in Boston. He even had his own early-morning radio show called The Tom Bergeron Show on WBZ Radio.

Tom says that practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 35 years has helped him a lot in his TV career.

Tom Bergeron's National TV Shows

Tom Bergeron became a familiar face on national television with many popular shows.

Hosting Breakfast Time and Good Morning America

From 1994 to 1997, Tom co-hosted a morning show called Breakfast Time on FX. Later, it was renamed Fox After Breakfast when it moved to the Fox Network.

In 1997, Tom joined ABC and worked as a guest host for Good Morning America.

Leading Hollywood Squares

From 1998 to 2004, Tom was the host of Hollywood Squares. This was a popular game show where celebrities sat in a giant tic-tac-toe board. For his work on this show, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 2000.

Todd Thicke and Tom Bergeron at AFV headquarters;
Bergeron and Todd Thicke at the America's Funniest Home Videos headquarters

Laughing with America's Funniest Home Videos

In February 2001, Tom became the new host of the ABC series America's Funniest Home Videos (AFV). This show features funny home videos sent in by viewers. He hosted AFV for many years, until May 17, 2015. After he left, Alfonso Ribeiro took over as host.

Dancing with the Stars Host

In June 2005, Tom started hosting the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars, also on ABC. On this show, celebrities are paired with professional dancers and compete against each other. Tom was the host for many seasons. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award nine times for his hosting on Dancing with the Stars, and he won the award once in 2012. In July 2020, Tom announced that he would no longer be hosting the show.

Emmy Awards and The Masked Singer

On September 20, 2008, Tom Bergeron co-hosted the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. He hosted alongside other famous TV personalities like Heidi Klum and Ryan Seacrest.

In 2020, Tom appeared on the third season of The Masked Singer. On this show, celebrities sing while wearing elaborate costumes, and judges try to guess who they are. Tom competed as "Taco".

Tom Bergeron's Personal Life

Tom Bergeron has been married to his wife, Lois, since 1982. They have two daughters together.

In 2009, Tom wrote a book about his life called I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!: Zen and the Art of Staying Sane in Hollywood.

Images for kids

See also

In Spanish: Tom Bergeron para niños

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