Former Today Host and Veteran Sportscaster Bryant Gumbel Hospitalized Following Medical Emergency
Sportscaster Bryant Gumbel has been hospitalized after suffering a “medical emergency” in New York City, TMZ reports.
The 77-year-old former Today and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel host was taken from his Manhattan apartment building to a nearby hospital around 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20. Witnesses told TMZ that Gumbel was seen leaving his building on a gurney as first responders assisted him.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the outlet says Gumbel remains under medical care. A family member told TMZ that he is “okay,” but no further details about his condition or the cause of the emergency have been released.
Bryant Gumbel is an award-winning American television journalist and sportscaster best known for his groundbreaking work on NBC’s Today show and HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. Born on September 29, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gumbel graduated from Bates College with a degree in Russian history before beginning his broadcasting career in the early 1970s.
He gained national recognition in 1975 as the co-host of NBC’s Today show, where he became one of the most prominent figures in morning television. During his 15-year tenure, Gumbel was known for his professionalism, sharp interviewing skills, and calm on-air demeanor, helping Today become the top-rated morning program.
In 1995, he moved to HBO to launch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, a monthly investigative sports magazine show that earned widespread critical acclaim for its in-depth reporting on social, ethical, and human-interest issues in sports. The program won dozens of Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards under his leadership, solidifying Gumbel’s reputation as one of the most respected voices in sports journalism.
Throughout his career, Gumbel has received numerous honors, including multiple Emmys, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and induction into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.
Off-screen, Gumbel has been open about his health, revealing in 2009 that he underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his lung. He has been married to his second wife, Hilary Quinlan, since 2002, and has two children from his first marriage to June Baranco.