Former Today co-anchor Katie Couric has accused her ex-colleague Bryant Gumbel of having a “sexist attitude” towards her maternity leave from ‘The Morning Show‘. Opening up about her experience on ‘Club Random’ podcast with Bill Maher, the TV personality recalled how Gumbel reacted negatively when she took time off to give birth to her first child.
“He got mad at me because I was doing something on maternity leave,” Couric said, expressing her frustration with Gumbel’s lack of support when she needed it. “And he was giving me endless s** for taking like a month or two off. I was having my first baby,” she added.
Couric further elaborated on Gumbel’s reaction, stating, “He was like, ‘Why don’t you just drop it in the field and come back to work right away or something?'” Bill Maher acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and asserted that he empathizes with Couric’s perspective.
Related: BBC News Anchor Shows Middle Finger On-Air, Issues Apology Later
Katie Couric Says She Finds Bryant Gumbel To Be “Prickly” But Talented
However, the podcast host Bill Maher noted that Bryant Gumbel could have been joking when he made those remarks, to which Katie Couric agreed to some extent. “No, he was kidding. He was goofing on me but giving me a lot of s***,” she explained, asserting that the underlying issue was what she perceived as a deeply ingrained sexist attitude.
Speaking of Gumbel’s personality further, Couric described him as a “guy’s guy“. She acknowledged his talent and professionalism as a broadcaster but also noted his occasionally prickly demeanor. “He was prickly but I mean, what a talent. He’s such a seamless broadcaster, eloquent. When that countdown would happen, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, he would just hit it perfect,” she said.
Deadline reached out to Gumbel’s representatives for comment after Couric’s allegations, but there hasn’t been any response so far. Couric’s comments were yet another proof of the prevailing sexism even in progressive industries like entertainment and journalism.
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