WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.540 Okay, so if you close your eyes, right, and picture, 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:06.000 like, the perfect American TV host, you know, 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:07.919 the one who's always got a quick line, seems 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:10.779 genuinely kind, but can also handle, I don't 00:00:10.779 --> 00:00:13.539 know, total chaos live on air. Yeah, like dancing 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:17.339 disasters or exploding appliances on those clip 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:20.940 shows. Exactly. Chances are you're probably picturing 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:25.160 Thomas Raymond Bergeron. Tom Bergeron. Mm -hmm. 00:00:25.560 --> 00:00:27.699 Absolutely. And this is a guy who it wasn't just 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:31.039 one big show. He was the face of multiple huge 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:34.960 shows for like decades. Yeah. And across totally 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:36.740 different genres, too. You've got game shows, 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:39.520 cliff shows. Right. And then that massive reality 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.179 competition juggernaut. It's an incredible range, 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:43.979 honestly. And that's really what we want to dig 00:00:43.979 --> 00:00:46.310 into for you. listener in this deep dive yeah 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:48.570 we want to understand how he did it this uh this 00:00:48.570 --> 00:00:50.929 deliberate journey he took exactly we're tracing 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:53.850 it all the way from his start as a local dj up 00:00:53.850 --> 00:00:56.090 in massachusetts right all the way to being this 00:00:56.090 --> 00:00:59.030 you know super decorated national host we're 00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:01.990 connecting those local roots some frankly amazing 00:01:01.990 --> 00:01:04.230 early stories oh yeah that stooge's story is 00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:07.159 wild right And linking it to this specific practice, 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:09.780 he actually credits for keeping him sane and, 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:12.000 well, quick on his feet. So we've pulled together 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.140 a whole biographical sketch, really looked at 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:16.239 the sources on his career. And the big question 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:20.239 we're asking is, how? Yeah. How does one person, 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:24.299 one personality, successfully jump between formats 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:26.120 that are so different? You know, talk shows, 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.500 game shows, those clip shows, reality competitions. 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:33.040 And not just jump, but master them. And stick 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:35.799 around for so long. That's the key, the longevity. 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:37.879 It's not just getting the job. It's, like you 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.140 said, mastering maybe five different kinds of 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:42.480 jobs over 40 years. Incredible. It really is. 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:45.319 A career that starts way back, early 80s, local 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:47.939 stuff. And he's still relevant today, still part 00:01:47.939 --> 00:01:50.079 of pop culture. So I think to really get it, 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:51.680 we absolutely have to start at the beginning, 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:54.439 those foundations in local broadcasting. Totally 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:57.060 agree. You have to understand the training ground. 00:01:57.299 --> 00:01:59.239 Okay, so let's go back. Haverhill, Massachusetts. 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:02.579 That's where he was born. May 6, 1955. Right. 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:05.959 And the sources mention his background, French 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.860 -Canadian and Irish heritage. Gives him that, 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.900 you know, maybe that New England kind of sensibility. 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:14.919 Yeah. Fast -paced. Maybe, yeah. But what really 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:16.800 jumps out, the thing that kind of foreshadows 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.360 everything, is this story from when he was just 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.960 17. Oh, this is gold. It shows incredible initiative, 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:24.939 right? Absolutely. It's like a mini master class 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:28.740 in just doing it. He interviewed Larry Fine and 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.009 Moe Howard. The Three Stooges. That's 17. And 00:02:32.009 --> 00:02:33.789 this wasn't some school project where the teacher 00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:35.849 set it up. The sources say he basically just, 00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:39.069 like, tracked Larry Fine down. Yeah, he contacted 00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:41.129 the nursing home where Fine was living, just 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:43.750 cold -called them. Think about that hustle. A 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.490 teenager going after this iconic comedy act. 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:49.210 Forget college essays. He's chasing down legends. 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:53.319 It shows that ambition, right? That comfort with 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:55.360 just reaching out, with the unscripted moment, 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:57.580 talking to these guys whose careers span, what, 00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:00.219 decades? Exactly. That confidence, that willingness 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:03.000 to just try it, that's the stuff that pays off 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:04.699 down the line when you're doing live TV, and 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:06.599 anything can happen. And it seems like it paid 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:08.460 off pretty quickly back then, too. It led right 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:10.520 into his first broadcasting job. Yep. Pretty 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:12.479 much immediately after. And it was the classic 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:17.379 starting point. Radio. Disc jockey. At WHAV, 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:19.500 the local station there in Haverhill. The proving 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:21.340 ground. Totally. You got to learn to command 00:03:21.340 --> 00:03:23.759 attention with just your voice. And he didn't 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:27.460 stay just local for long. He moved up. He did. 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.840 Moved over to WHEB in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:34.280 This was early 80s. And that's where, according 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.520 to the sources, he really started to build that 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.819 persona we recognize. Okay. How so? He got popular 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:42.439 by mixing things up. Not just music, but comedy 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:44.460 records, and importantly, these kind of offbeat 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:46.479 interviews. He was learning to play with different 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:49.539 formats, keep it funny, keep it engaging. Ah, 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:52.699 so embracing the unexpected even back then. Learning 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:55.430 to roll with it. Exactly. Mixing the music, the 00:03:55.430 --> 00:03:58.069 laughs, the real, if maybe slightly weird, conversations. 00:03:58.449 --> 00:04:01.110 Radio forces you to be on constantly, right? 00:04:01.189 --> 00:04:03.349 No visuals to rely on. A skill he definitely 00:04:03.349 --> 00:04:06.430 transferred to TV later. Absolutely. And that 00:04:06.430 --> 00:04:08.530 success in New Hampshire radio, that's what led 00:04:08.530 --> 00:04:11.229 to the really big jump. February 1982, he lands 00:04:11.229 --> 00:04:14.669 at WBZ TV in Boston. Major market. Okay, now 00:04:14.669 --> 00:04:18.009 this period at WBZ, this is crucial. Because 00:04:18.009 --> 00:04:20.730 it wasn't just one job, was it? The workload 00:04:20.730 --> 00:04:25.310 sounds... Intense. Intense is an understatement. 00:04:25.350 --> 00:04:28.589 It was staggering. This is where he really forged 00:04:28.589 --> 00:04:30.910 that adaptability, that ability to juggle completely 00:04:30.910 --> 00:04:33.149 different things simultaneously. He was like 00:04:33.149 --> 00:04:35.250 a Swiss army knife for the station. Pretty much. 00:04:35.310 --> 00:04:38.449 A multi -platform utility player before anyone 00:04:38.449 --> 00:04:40.910 used that term. Yeah. So, okay, check this out. 00:04:40.930 --> 00:04:44.089 1982 to 87. He's a contributor on Evening Magazine. 00:04:44.310 --> 00:04:46.589 Okay, so feature segments, more in -depth stuff. 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:49.410 Right. Longer form. At the same time, from 83 00:04:49.410 --> 00:04:52.889 to 87, he's hosting four today. And for today, 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:55.069 explain that because the pacing sounds nuts. 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:57.610 It was. These were super short segments like 00:04:57.610 --> 00:05:00.310 informational bids, previewing shows. They aired 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:02.209 every 30 minutes during the day. Every 30 minutes. 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:04.149 Yeah. Think about that discipline. You got to 00:05:04.149 --> 00:05:06.410 switch gears constantly, deliver something energetic, 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:09.230 professional, maybe only 60 seconds long. Then 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:11.329 boom, back to whatever else you were doing, like 00:05:11.329 --> 00:05:14.029 prepping for evening magazine. That's like broadcast 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:16.709 boot camp for timing and hitting your mark instantly. 00:05:16.889 --> 00:05:20.560 Totally. Absolute mastery of just. connecting 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.180 fast. But wait, there's more. Of course there 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:28.240 is. In 1984, he adds Lottery Live, hosting the 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:30.480 nightly Massachusetts state lottery drawings. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:32.879 Okay, now that's high pressure in a different 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.800 way. Live, money on the line, zero room for error. 00:05:36.019 --> 00:05:38.990 Exactly. Legal implications. Everything has to 00:05:38.990 --> 00:05:41.350 be perfect. He's the anchor for that nightly 00:05:41.350 --> 00:05:44.230 tension. He did that until August 87 when the 00:05:44.230 --> 00:05:46.870 drawings moved stations. OK, so magazine features, 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:49.930 rapid fire updates, high stakes lottery drawings. 00:05:50.250 --> 00:05:52.470 Surely that's it for one guy. Not even close. 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:55.170 January 87, he takes over. People are talking. 00:05:55.290 --> 00:05:57.629 The afternoon talk show. Big local show. Huge. 00:05:58.230 --> 00:06:00.810 Replace Buzz Luttrell. Now he's doing long form 00:06:00.810 --> 00:06:03.329 interviews again, managing a live studio audience. 00:06:03.870 --> 00:06:06.550 Daily talk format. Total shift from, you know, 00:06:06.550 --> 00:06:08.129 reading lottery numbers. And the sources say 00:06:08.129 --> 00:06:10.329 he got even more popular doing this. Yeah, he 00:06:10.329 --> 00:06:12.370 clearly connected with the audience in that format, 00:06:12.449 --> 00:06:14.769 too. Proved he could handle the deeper conversations. 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:17.329 This is exhausting, just listing it all. And 00:06:17.329 --> 00:06:19.709 we're still not done. He was also the original 00:06:19.709 --> 00:06:22.410 host for a weekend show, Wrap Around. What was 00:06:22.410 --> 00:06:24.689 that? Teenage Discussion Series. He did that 00:06:24.689 --> 00:06:27.240 from 87 to 89. Okay, stop. Let's just recap. 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:30.160 At one point, simultaneously, he's doing features, 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:33.339 minute -long updates every half hour, lottery 00:06:33.339 --> 00:06:36.519 drawings, a daily hour -long talk show, and a 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:40.199 weekend teen panel. Yep. That's the mix. No wonder 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:43.560 he seems so calm handling chaos later on. He 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:45.899 lived it. Daily. That's exactly the foundation. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:48.300 He just got used to juggling everything to constant 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:50.810 pressure. So what happened after People Are Talking 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.470 ended? It had a long run, right? 13 years, yeah. 00:06:53.569 --> 00:06:57.649 Ended in June 93. But he didn't disappear from 00:06:57.649 --> 00:07:00.350 WBZ. He shifted roles, became a commentator, 00:07:00.410 --> 00:07:02.689 did lifestyle reporting for the New News. Still 00:07:02.689 --> 00:07:05.009 visible, still connected. Right. And even balanced 00:07:05.009 --> 00:07:06.930 that with a bit of radio again, a morning gig 00:07:06.930 --> 00:07:12.149 on WMJX, Magic 106 .7, early 94. Wow. He was 00:07:12.149 --> 00:07:14.129 truly a Boston media fixture before breaking 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:16.329 out nationally. Absolutely. A local institution. 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:19.209 okay so we have this picture incredibly busy 00:07:19.209 --> 00:07:22.850 highly skilled handling immense pressure especially 00:07:22.850 --> 00:07:27.110 live tv pressure but how did he manage it like 00:07:27.110 --> 00:07:31.009 mentally that leads us to the aha moment right 00:07:31.009 --> 00:07:33.389 the zen master part exactly this is the crucial 00:07:33.389 --> 00:07:36.209 piece the thing he points to himself transcendental 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:39.819 meditation tm right He credits TM for a lot of 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:42.680 his success. Yeah. And his sanity. A huge amount. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.600 He's been practicing for over 35 years, he says, 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:48.000 which means. He must have started right around 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:50.420 that insane Boston period or maybe just after. 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.259 That seems likely. Yeah. And it's not like a 00:07:52.259 --> 00:07:54.660 secret he keeps guarded. He talks about it openly. 00:07:54.819 --> 00:07:57.680 He's discussed it on podcasts like 10 percent 00:07:57.680 --> 00:07:59.500 happier with Dan Harris. Right. And the Fifth 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:01.660 Dimension podcast, too, I think. Yeah. He directly 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:04.120 links the practice to handling his career. And 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.279 his autobiography title basically spells it out, 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.449 doesn't it? It really does. I'm hosting as fast 00:08:08.449 --> 00:08:10.649 as I can. That's the pace, the pressure. Zen 00:08:10.649 --> 00:08:13.290 and the art of staying sane in Hollywood. It's 00:08:13.290 --> 00:08:15.189 right there. It connects the dots explicitly. 00:08:15.529 --> 00:08:17.870 The practice isn't just, you know, a sideline. 00:08:18.110 --> 00:08:21.170 It's integral to how he approached the job. It 00:08:21.170 --> 00:08:22.709 makes sense. If you're hosting something like 00:08:22.709 --> 00:08:26.389 Dancing with the Stars live and someone falls 00:08:26.389 --> 00:08:28.769 or there's a tech glitch or a judge says something 00:08:28.769 --> 00:08:32.679 wild. You need to react instantly, but stay calm. 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.500 Exactly. TM fosters that, that sense of being 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:38.200 present, but not getting swept away by the chaos. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:40.799 It lets them stay quick, stay focused, not look 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.639 slustered. Huge asset. You can almost see that 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:46.120 calm carrying through from those early high pressure 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.659 gigs, like the lottery drawing. Totally. That 00:08:48.659 --> 00:08:51.080 need to be centered when the stakes are real, 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:53.240 even financially real, like with the lottery. 00:08:53.379 --> 00:08:55.580 Yeah. That's not just nice to have, it's essential. 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:58.460 And that internal grounding, that practice, probably 00:08:58.460 --> 00:09:01.039 made the transition to the national state feel 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:03.480 maybe not easy, but manageable. I think that's 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.259 a fair assumption. Yeah. Which leads us right 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:07.879 into that next phase, section two, going national. 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:11.139 Okay, so the mid-'90s, he's already got this 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:13.879 incredible local resume, this internal practice. 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:16.460 Now he makes the leap. Yeah, starting in 1994, 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:19.620 his first big national gig was on cable, FX. 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:22.960 Remember Breakfast Time? Vaguely. It was kind 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.139 of quirky, right? Different from standard morning 00:09:25.139 --> 00:09:29.460 shows. Very quirky. Ran 94 to 97. It was a good 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:31.039 way to introduce his personality nationally, 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.639 but maybe outside the really intense glare of 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:35.740 the big networks. It actually did well enough 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:37.779 that it moved to the Fox network later, became 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:40.419 Fox after breakfast. Ah, okay. So a stepping 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:42.980 stone. And then he did land on a major network 00:09:42.980 --> 00:09:45.659 morning show. He did. Brief stint, but important. 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.659 1997 to 98, he was an anchor on ABC's Good Morning 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:53.299 America. GMA. Okay, so that establishes him firmly 00:09:53.299 --> 00:09:55.399 in the network world. Shows he can handle the 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:57.899 serious news side, too. Right. Proves his range 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.399 beyond just quirky talk or local features. Yeah. 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:02.799 But the role that really, really put him on the 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:05.360 map nationally, that gave him that title. That 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:07.740 was next. Game shows. Game shows. Specifically, 00:10:07.860 --> 00:10:10.220 Hollywood Squares. And Revival, yeah. That was 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:13.019 huge. He hosted that from 98 to 2004. That's 00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:15.580 right. And get this number, the sources list. 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.139 1 ,047 episodes he hosted. Over 1 ,000 episodes. 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:23.480 Wow. Six years of that daily grind. Daily grind, 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:26.019 yeah. And think about that format. You're managing 00:10:26.019 --> 00:10:28.500 nine celebrities, usually comedians or big personalities. 00:10:28.820 --> 00:10:30.539 Trying to keep them funny but on track. Exactly. 00:10:30.779 --> 00:10:33.360 Plus, running the actual game, interacting with 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:36.320 the contestants. It's a lot to juggle live to 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.000 tape. Totally different from news anchoring or 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.220 even a one -on -one talk show. Nine potential 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:44.480 sources of chaos. Pretty much. And he mastered 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:47.299 it so quickly that he got major recognition almost 00:10:47.299 --> 00:10:49.519 immediately. At Emmy. The Daytime Emmy, yeah. 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:52.200 Outstanding game show host. Won it in 2000. Okay, 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:55.480 let's pause on that win. Because a Daytime Emmy 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:57.659 for game show host, that puts you in legendary 00:10:57.659 --> 00:10:59.879 company, right? Absolutely. We're talking Bob 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:02.159 Barker, Alex Trebek, Regis Philbin territory, 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:05.779 icons of that daily syndicated world. And didn't 00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:08.039 he share that win? He did, actually. The sources 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:10.440 note he shared the 2000 award with Bob Barker 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:14.799 himself. Wow. Just two years into hosting Hollywood 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:17.679 Squares, he's sharing an Emmy with the guy from 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:20.919 Price is Right. That's a statement. Huge validation. 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:23.039 It showed he wasn't just a flash in the pan. 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:25.220 He could handle the relentless rhythm of daily 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:28.100 syndication and excel at it. That's what builds 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:30.340 those long careers. But here's where his path 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:33.279 gets kind of weird and wonderful. While he's 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:35.980 ruling the daytime game show world, he's also 00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:39.559 doing other stuff. Unexpected stuff. Yeah, this 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:41.019 is the part that always makes me do a double 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:43.600 take. His sci -fi work. Right. While hosting 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:47.200 Hollywood Squares, he pops up on Star Trek Enterprise. 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.220 Not just pops up. Multiple episodes between 2002 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:53.620 and 2005. Okay, but was it like a wink wink cameo? 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:56.019 Like, hey, it's Tom Bergeron on the bridge. Or 00:11:56.019 --> 00:11:59.240 actual acting? No, actual acting. Full on character 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:01.679 roles. The sources are specific. He played a 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:04.340 court and ambassador. Okay. And an alien trader 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:07.519 named Damar. Required prosthetics, the whole 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:09.960 deal. Get out. So he's buried under makeup doing 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.440 dramatic scenes on a starship while also being 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:14.679 the funny guy asking celebrities trivia questions 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:16.860 five days a week. Exactly. It's this amazing, 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:19.500 slightly bizarre demonstration of versatility. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:21.919 He wasn't just playing himself. He was willing 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:25.200 to completely disappear into a role way outside 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:27.220 his usual lane. Shows he could really commit 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:29.460 to anything. That's wild. And he did other cameos 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:31.759 too, right? More in the comedy zone. Yeah, like 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.039 an appearance on The Nanny back in 98. So he's 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:35.720 comfortable doing the quick comedic bit. too. 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:39.139 That range handling the high comedy, the game 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:41.980 show pressure, even the serious sci -fi acting, 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:44.399 it really sets the stage for what came next, 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:47.039 which arguably became his biggest phase. Absolutely. 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:49.279 Yeah. Which takes us into section three, the 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:52.799 reality era. Basically, the early 2000s up to 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:56.039 2020. This is where he becomes Mr. Sunday Night, 00:12:56.100 --> 00:12:58.240 pretty much. Right. Anchoring these massive, 00:12:58.299 --> 00:13:01.539 long -running ABC franchises, often at the same 00:13:01.539 --> 00:13:04.419 time. Yep. First up. America's Funniest Home 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:08.000 Videos. Huh? AFV. A TV institution. He took over 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.879 in 2001. February 2001, yeah. Replaced the previous 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:12.940 host. And this wasn't just a side gig. This was 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:15.559 a cornerstone of ABC's family -friendly programming. 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:18.059 And he stayed for a long time. 14 years. Posted 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:21.200 289 episodes, wrapping up in May 2015 after season 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:24.620 25. And critically, he wasn't just the host reading 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.600 jokes off a card. No. He was credited as a producer 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:31.340 on AFV. Ah, okay. That's important. For a clip 00:13:31.340 --> 00:13:33.659 show, the host producer really shapes the whole 00:13:33.659 --> 00:13:35.799 tone, right? The timing, the style of humor. 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:39.159 Exactly. He was a key creative force behind what 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:42.419 AFV became during his tenure. He owned that warm, 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.159 slightly sarcastic, but always good -natured 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:48.179 reaction to chaos. And his departure, how did 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:51.399 that happen? Was it sudden? Actually, no. It 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.139 was handled very publicly and professionally. 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:55.940 He announced it himself on Twitter back in March. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:00.080 2014, saying season 25 would be his last. Give 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.779 everyone plenty of notice. Classy. And he was 00:14:02.779 --> 00:14:06.080 replaced by Alfonso Ribeiro. Yep. Who had, maybe 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:09.600 ironically, just one season 19 of the other huge 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.039 show Bergeron was hosting simultaneously. Which 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.019 brings us to the big one. Dancing with the Stars. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.740 DWTS. The defining role, you could argue. Started 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:21.240 June 2005. Became the absolute centerpiece of 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.980 his career for, what, 15 years? An eternity in 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.490 TV time. And talk about needing that Zen master 00:14:26.490 --> 00:14:30.370 approach. EWTS is live, high stakes, emotional. 00:14:30.730 --> 00:14:32.710 Yeah, you're interviewing celebs right after 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:34.269 they've poured their hearts out and maybe gotten 00:14:34.269 --> 00:14:36.149 ripped by the judges. Right. You're managing 00:14:36.149 --> 00:14:38.309 the judges' comments, keeping the whole massive 00:14:38.309 --> 00:14:40.570 production moving on time, dealing with technical 00:14:40.570 --> 00:14:43.090 issues, wardrobe malfunctions. All while being 00:14:43.090 --> 00:14:45.809 warm and empathetic. It's a masterclass in live 00:14:45.809 --> 00:14:48.049 TV hosting. Totally. The source material lists 00:14:48.049 --> 00:14:52.190 443 episodes he hosted. Just staggering. And 00:14:52.190 --> 00:14:54.110 this is where he really started getting the Primetime 00:14:54.110 --> 00:14:56.769 Emmy attention, right? Not just daytime. Exactly. 00:14:56.909 --> 00:14:59.629 Nine Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding 00:14:59.629 --> 00:15:02.889 Host for a reality or competition program. Just 00:15:02.889 --> 00:15:05.789 being nominated that many times shows incredible 00:15:05.789 --> 00:15:08.330 consistency at the highest level. And he won 00:15:08.330 --> 00:15:10.870 it once. Yep. Took home the Primetime Emmy in 00:15:10.870 --> 00:15:13.460 2012. So let's just recap that again. A daytime 00:15:13.460 --> 00:15:15.379 Emmy for a game show. Hollywood Squares, yeah. 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:17.899 And a primetime Emmy for a reality competition. 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:22.080 BWTS. Mastering both those worlds, daily syndicated 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:26.240 comedy and massive live weekly reality. That's 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:28.860 incredibly rare. Speaks volumes about his versatility. 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:31.019 Absolutely. And there's a cool piece of Emmy 00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:33.080 history related to this, too. Remember back in 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:36.700 2008, the 60th primetime Emmys? Vaguely. Well, 00:15:36.759 --> 00:15:38.980 Tom Bergeron co -hosted the ceremony, but not 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:42.129 alone. He shared the stage with Heidi Klum, Jeff 00:15:42.129 --> 00:15:45.110 Probst, Ryan Seacrest, and Howie Mandel. Wow, 00:15:45.289 --> 00:15:47.509 that's like the Mount Rushmore of mid -2000s 00:15:47.509 --> 00:15:50.029 reality TV hosts. Why that group? Because they 00:15:50.029 --> 00:15:53.129 were the five nominees for the very first award 00:15:53.129 --> 00:15:56.029 given in that specific category, Outstanding 00:15:56.029 --> 00:15:58.850 Host for a Reality or Competition Program. Ah, 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:01.889 so he was literally there at the creation, recognized 00:16:01.889 --> 00:16:04.509 as one of the defining hosts, right when the 00:16:04.509 --> 00:16:06.750 Academy decided this was a distinct skill worth 00:16:06.750 --> 00:16:09.850 awarding. Exactly. a real historical marker for 00:16:09.850 --> 00:16:12.970 the genre and for him. But despite all that success, 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:16.190 all that recognition, the end of his DWTS run? 00:16:17.710 --> 00:16:20.470 It wasn't smooth, was it? No, not at all. It 00:16:20.470 --> 00:16:22.490 was pretty jarring, actually. Especially for 00:16:22.490 --> 00:16:24.049 someone who'd been the face of the show for so 00:16:24.049 --> 00:16:26.169 long. What happened? The sources say that on 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:28.950 July 13th, 2020, he announced on Twitter that 00:16:28.950 --> 00:16:31.009 he wouldn't be back. And his wording was specific. 00:16:31.190 --> 00:16:34.669 He said he'd been let go. Oof. So not his choice. 00:16:35.110 --> 00:16:38.350 A network decision. Seems that way. Ahead of 00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:41.590 season 29. It was a shock, really. After 15 years 00:16:41.590 --> 00:16:43.549 being such a core part of the show's identity 00:16:43.549 --> 00:16:46.929 to be let go like that, it felt abrupt. Yeah, 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:49.450 that's tough. End of an era. Kind of unceremoniously. 00:16:49.629 --> 00:16:52.029 Definitely. But, true to form, he didn't just 00:16:52.029 --> 00:16:54.809 disappear or complain endlessly. He pivoted. 00:16:54.830 --> 00:16:56.750 Right. Into something completely different and 00:16:56.750 --> 00:16:58.570 honestly kind of brilliant. The Masked Singer. 00:16:58.809 --> 00:17:03.429 Yes. 2020, right after the DWTS news, he competes 00:17:03.429 --> 00:17:07.009 as Taco. It was such a fun, smart move. Instead 00:17:07.009 --> 00:17:09.029 of being the ringmaster, he becomes one of the 00:17:09.029 --> 00:17:11.369 performers, completely hidden. He had a great 00:17:11.369 --> 00:17:13.609 sense of humor about himself and a willingness 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:15.829 to play in this new reality landscape. Totally. 00:17:15.990 --> 00:17:18.730 It was vulnerable, funny. He didn't win, got 00:17:18.730 --> 00:17:20.710 eliminated in the Group B championships, but 00:17:20.710 --> 00:17:23.269 just doing it was a statement. Like, I'm still 00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:25.700 here, still playing. And he did other hosting 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:28.960 gigs during that peak DWTS AFV era, too, didn't 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:31.259 he? Outside of those main two. Yeah, showcasing 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:33.660 that adaptability again. He had that show Supper 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:36.039 Club with Tom Bergeron back in 2008, only 13 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:38.640 episodes, kind of a talk dining hybrid. Okay. 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.539 And he repeatedly got tapped for one of the biggest, 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.750 most visible live hosting jobs there is. At Capitol 00:17:44.750 --> 00:17:47.690 4th. Ah, the big 4th of July concert from D .C. 00:17:47.730 --> 00:17:50.829 Exactly. Massive live event, huge audience, lots 00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:53.349 of moving parts. He hosted it four times, 2012, 00:17:53.670 --> 00:17:56.789 13, 14, and then again in 2016. That takes serious 00:17:56.789 --> 00:18:00.150 poise. Dealing with musicians, dignitaries, timing 00:18:00.150 --> 00:18:02.589 everything around fireworks. It really connects 00:18:02.589 --> 00:18:05.069 back to that early training, doesn't it? If you 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:08.170 can handle the chaos of live lottery drawings 00:18:08.170 --> 00:18:12.329 and multiple Boston TV shows at once. Then. managing 00:18:12.329 --> 00:18:15.049 a patriotic concert on the National Mall is maybe 00:18:15.049 --> 00:18:17.250 just a different kind of chaos. Pretty much. 00:18:17.369 --> 00:18:19.490 Scaling up the chaos management. Which brings 00:18:19.490 --> 00:18:21.750 us to thinking about the person behind the host 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:25.069 persona. Section 4, the personal side, and just 00:18:25.069 --> 00:18:27.609 the sheer variety of roles he took on. Right. 00:18:27.710 --> 00:18:29.690 And you can't talk about his professional stability 00:18:29.690 --> 00:18:32.269 without mentioning his personal stability, which 00:18:32.269 --> 00:18:34.630 seems remarkable for Hollywood. It really does. 00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:38.089 Married to Lois since 1982. Over 40 years. Yeah. 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:40.880 And they have two daughters. That kind of consistency 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:43.400 in his personal life runs right alongside that 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:45.599 long -term commitment to TM we talked about. 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:48.400 And it feels linked, doesn't it? Like that personal 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:50.460 grounding allowed him to handle the professional 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.579 whirlwind. His autobiography really hammers this 00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:56.619 theme. Zen and the art of staying sane. Exactly. 00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:59.279 It wasn't just a relaxation technique for him. 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:02.180 The sources suggest it was a core part of the 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.299 mental and emotional resilience needed to do 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:06.940 those high -pressure jobs so well for so long. 00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:11.220 It's the how. How he stayed present, witty, calm, 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.660 even when things went sideways on live TV. Right. 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:15.200 And then you look at all the other things he 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:18.480 did, the cameos, the acting roles. It paints 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.240 a picture of someone just willing to try anything, 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:23.980 play in any sandbox. Totally. He popped up as 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:26.859 yourself a lot, like on The Muppets in 2015, 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:29.660 which adds instant credibility, you know? Yeah. 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:32.859 But he also did voice work, like on Phineas and 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:35.980 Ferb. Right. And Sesame Street. He played a character 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:38.619 named Johnny Gotcha. Which shows that commitment 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:41.299 to family entertainment reaching across generations. 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:43.539 Not just comedy. We mentioned Star Trek, but 00:19:43.539 --> 00:19:46.099 he did other dramatic stuff, too. Yep. Played 00:19:46.099 --> 00:19:48.279 a character, Bobby Mann, on the crime show Castle 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.400 in 2010. And he had actual film roles, too. Rock 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:55.759 Slide in 2009. And a film called Candy Jar in 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:58.339 2018, playing a principal. So definitely willing 00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:00.359 to step outside the host persona and just be 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:02.339 an actor. What I find really interesting, though, 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:04.980 is how he stayed connected to game shows even 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.619 after Hollywood Squares. Oh, yeah. How so? Well, 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.819 in 2017, years later, he showed up as a panelist 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:15.220 on shows like the new The $100 ,000 Pyramid and 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:19.119 To Tell the Truth. Oh, that's cool. Coming full 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:21.380 circle, not just hosting, but playing the game 00:20:21.380 --> 00:20:24.579 as a celebrity guest shows a real love for the 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:26.420 format, doesn't it? Yeah, respect for the genre 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:28.640 that gave him his first big national break and 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.859 that first Emmy. Absolutely. He stays engaged 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:33.220 with it. And speaking of staying engaged, even 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:36.400 after leaving DWTS, he's still leveraging that 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.279 connection, right? There's that upcoming project. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:40.460 Yeah, this is great. Dancing with Sharks for 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:44.019 Shark Week 2025. Perfect, isn't it? Total self 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:47.059 -referential pop culture genius. The title alone 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:49.410 tells you everything. It shows that even years 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.650 after leaving DWTS, his association is so strong 00:20:52.650 --> 00:20:55.289 and he's smart enough to lean into it for something 00:20:55.289 --> 00:20:58.230 as big as Shark Week. Great branding. Built on 00:20:58.230 --> 00:21:00.609 decades of audience goodwill. So when you pull 00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:02.529 it all together, the awards really underscore 00:21:02.529 --> 00:21:04.430 the achievement, don't they? It's not just the 00:21:04.430 --> 00:21:07.210 longevity, it's the critical acclaim across different 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:09.450 formats. Definitely. You've got the Primetime 00:21:09.450 --> 00:21:12.549 Emmy for Reality Host in 2012. The Daytime Emmy 00:21:12.549 --> 00:21:14.849 for Game Show Host in 2000. And then the Critics' 00:21:14.849 --> 00:21:17.490 Choice Awards, too. Best Reality Show Host in 00:21:17.490 --> 00:21:20.349 2012, shared with Cat Deely. And won it again 00:21:20.349 --> 00:21:23.750 solo in 2013. Right. So peer recognition from 00:21:23.750 --> 00:21:26.150 the Television Academy and recognition from critics, 00:21:26.309 --> 00:21:29.089 that combination across game shows and reality 00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:32.029 really cements his place as one of the greats. 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:35.849 Versatile, decorated, enduring. So, okay, let's 00:21:35.849 --> 00:21:38.190 try to synthesize this whole journey, the Tom 00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:40.809 Bergeron story. It's more complex than just... 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:43.450 Nice guy who hosted dance show. Much more. The 00:21:43.450 --> 00:21:45.690 main takeaway seems to be that this wasn't luck 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:49.569 or overnight success. It was a long, slow, deliberate 00:21:49.569 --> 00:21:52.230 build. Rooted in that incredibly intense local 00:21:52.230 --> 00:21:55.089 TV experience in Boston, that multitasking nightmare 00:21:55.089 --> 00:21:57.509 was actually the best training imaginable. Totally. 00:21:57.549 --> 00:21:59.710 It forged that adaptability, that grace under 00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:01.670 pressure, which then allowed him to conquer national 00:22:01.670 --> 00:22:04.269 TV across completely different genres. Comedy, 00:22:04.450 --> 00:22:07.480 game shows, reality. And the essential insight 00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:09.640 here, maybe for you, the listener, too, is that 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.440 kind of long term success. It seems to come from 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:14.400 that willingness to learn and master different 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:16.220 things. He wasn't just a radio guy or a talk 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:18.460 show guy or a game show guy. He was all of them. 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:22.319 He mastered the pacing, the wit, the connection 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:25.160 needed for each specific format. That dedication 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:28.339 is key. And underpinning it all, that secret 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:31.259 sauce seems to be that combination of personal 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:34.500 stability. Married since 82. Yeah. And that consistent 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:37.279 practice, the transcendental meditation, that 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:39.720 internal anchor. It allowed him to bring that 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:42.460 emotional stability to the job, to react with 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:44.819 poise in the middle of live TV chaos instead 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:47.279 of panic. That seems to be the recurring theme 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.859 from the sources in his own words. Finding Zen 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:52.640 in Hollywood, as his book title says. We've definitely 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:55.039 seen how he navigated that high stress world 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:58.059 for decades, leaning on that practice. Which 00:22:58.059 --> 00:22:59.740 kind of leads to a final thought, maybe something 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:02.140 for you to chew on. We see the media landscape 00:23:02.140 --> 00:23:05.420 today, right? It's faster, more pressure, instant 00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:07.940 criticism online. Oh, yeah. The spotlight is 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:10.680 intense and unforgiving. So does someone like 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:14.099 Bergeron, with his longevity, his ability to 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:17.079 handle decades of pressure, partly through finding 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:20.539 that internal zen, does his career suggest that 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:22.640 maybe that kind of groundedness isn't just a 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:24.759 nice to have anymore? You mean it's becoming 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:28.119 essential? Yeah. Is finding that calm amidst 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:30.339 the storm, that internal stability, becoming 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:33.079 a non -negotiable tool if you want to survive, 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.000 let alone thrive, in the modern media spotlight 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:38.019 or maybe even in any high -pressure career today? 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:39.940 That's a really interesting question. Is Zen 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:42.539 no longer a luxury but a professional necessity 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:45.940 for long -term success? Something to think about 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:47.619 next time things feel chaotic, right? How do 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:48.240 you find your anchor?