Few have embodied that lesson more steadily than journalist Bryant Gumbel (1948–). Born in New Orleans and raised in Chicago, he broke barriers as one of the first African American broadcasters to rise to national prominence. His intelligence and precision shaped Today for sixteen years, where he interviewed more than 12,000 guests and brought morning conversation into millions of homes.

He later hosted CBS’s Early Show and, beginning in 1995, anchored HBO’s acclaimed Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. For nearly three decades, the program explored the humanity within sports — stories of perseverance, integrity, and heart.

In 2023, Gumbel closed that chapter with quiet gratitude, saying it was time to move on and do something else with his life. His retirement felt less like an ending than a gentle return to stillness — proof that talent can coexist with rest.

As Gumbel once said, “Success takes the courage to know who you really are and be comfortable with that.” His life reminds us that confidence is quiet integrity, lived out daily.

So what will he begin again? Perhaps something simple, or unexpected. Whatever it is, we can trust it will carry the same vision and truth that have guided his voice — and his heart, with warmth and wonder.