Bryant Gumbel: Confidence or Arrogance?

Bryant was host of the Today Show for 15 years. His career was not without controversy. He put his dislike of Willard Scott and Gene Shalit on paper and sent the comments to NBC executives. Here are a few of his controversial comments:

- A CBS camera caught a disgusted Gumbel blurting out "What a fucking idiot" just after he had finished a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC). The incident occurred at about 7:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 29, 2000 following Knight's appearance to defend the Boy Scout policy of excluding gays from being leaders. The Media Research Center reported that he uttered those words; Gumbel openly admitted to saying so when guest-hosting a June 2007 episode of Live with Regis and Kelly.
- In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks regarding the Winter Olympics and the lack of African-American participation. “So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. ”
- On the August 15, 2006 episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Players' Union president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissioner Roger Goodell: “Before he cleans out his office have Paul Tagliabue show you where he keeps Upshaw's leash. By making the docile head of the players union his personal pet, your predecessor has kept the peace without giving players the kind of guarantees other pros take for granted. Try to make sure no one competent ever replaces Upshaw on your watch.”
In response, Tagliabue said: “What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time.”
- On the October 18, 2011 episode, Gumbel evoked slavery in his criticism of NBA Commissioner David Stern over the league's lockout.
“His efforts are typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern-day plantation overseer, treating (National Basketball Association) men as if they were his boys. ... His moves are intended to do little more than show how he's the one keeping the hired hands in their place.”
- In a Rolling Stone article dated January 20, 2015, Gumbel said: "There are a few things I hate more than the (National Rifle Association). I mean truly. I think they're pigs. I think they don't care about human life. I think they are a curse upon the American landscape. So we got that on the record".