Pat O'Brien (television)
Encyclopedia
Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio
as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster
with CBS Sports
(1981–1997) and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood
(1997–2004) and The Insider
(2004–2008).
O'Brien covered five Olympic Games
, two for CBS (1992 Winter and 1994) and three for NBC
(2000, 2002 and 2004). He has also covered the World Series
, Super Bowl
, NBA Finals
, and Final Four
as a pregame host while at CBS.
He authored the book Talkin' Sports: A B.S.-er's Guide, published in 1998,and will release an autobiography in 2011.
and graduated from Washington High School in 1966. He is a 1970 graduate of the University of South Dakota
in Vermillion
, where he was a Government major. He was also a member of the Delta Tau Delta
fraternity
. O'Brien also studied international economics at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
at Johns Hopkins University
in Washington, D.C.
O'Brien was a member of Sioux Falls area rock and roll band Dale Gregory and the Shouters, from 1964-1967 for which he was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 25,2010.
TV-Radio in his hometown of Sioux Falls. After graduating from college in 1970, he worked as a researcher at NBC News
in Washington, D.C. and was a production assistant for The Huntley-Brinkley Report. He then served as an anchor and reporter for WMAQ-TV
in Chicago
. In 1977 he moved to KNXT-TV (now KCBS-TV
) in Los Angeles
, where he earned four local Emmy Awards.
, which he joined in 1981. While at CBS
, O'Brien covered the Super Bowl
, World Series
, NBA Draft
, NBA Finals
, Winter Olympic Games
, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
, NCAA Football Championship and the Final Four
. He has also hosted VH1
's Fairway to Heaven and Lift Ticket to Ride. In 1990
, he was a regular on The NFL Today
with Greg Gumbel
, Terry Bradshaw
and Lesley Visser
.
. His co-hosts included Giselle Fernandez
until 1999, and then Nancy O'Dell through 2004. He became the lead host of the Entertainment Tonight
spin-off The Insider
from its inception in 2004 until 2008.
Fox Sports Radio
On August 18, 2010, O'Brien joined Steve Hartman
and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs
on the Loose Cannons show on Fox Sports Radio
, which can be heard from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. EST.
in Sydney
for NBC
, appearing on the CNBC
channel. He also covered the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City, Utah
appearing on MSNBC
. He also anchored the 2004 Games
in Athens
, Greece
for NBC, this time appearing on both the Network and MSNBC
. In addition to the Olympics, he also hosted the late night edition of the 2006 U.S. Open Tennis Championships for CBS Sports
which was his return to CBS after a 9 year hiatus.
In 2001, O'Brien had a cameo appearance in P. Diddy's Bad Boy For Life music video. In early 2003, Pat O'Brien filled in for Casey Kasem
three times on Kasem's radio programs American Top 40
and American Top 20, once in January
, once in February
, and once in March
when Kasem took vacation time. O'Brien also voice-acted
in an episode of The Twilight Zone
entitled Mr. Motivation. His voice is used for a doll named "Mr. Motivation."
O'Brien has been parodied or targeted on shows like The Simpsons
, Home Movies
, The Howard Stern Show, South Park
, The Soup
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, Best Week Ever
, The Adam Carolla Show, The Opie and Anthony
Show, The Boondocks, Cheap Seats
, The Showbiz Show with David Spade
, and by Jimmy Fallon
on Saturday Night Live
. He was also the subject of a TV Funhouse
cartoon by Robert Smigel
. In 2005 O'Brien appeared on the Adult Swim
program Robot Chicken
, lampooning himself and his hosting of The Insider.
It was announced on June 29, that O'Brien was planning to write an autobiography to be released in the Fall of 2011.
In July 2008, O'Brien announced his engagement to his girlfriend of five years, Betsy Hoyt Stephens, a clothing and accessories designer.
facility for alcoholism
. Around the announcement of O'Brien entering rehab, a string of sexually graphic voicemail
messages that contained O'Brien's voice started to make the rounds, particularly within the internet community and radio programs The Bubba the Love Sponge Show, The Wendy Williams Experience, The Howard Stern Show and The Opie and Anthony show. The drunk dialing
incident consisted primarily of O'Brien, in a state of arousal, repeatedly recording sexually graphic messages, complete with suggestions of drug use, on the cellular voice mailbox of a woman who continues to remain anonymous.
On May 4, 2005, O'Brien was interviewed by talk show therapist Phil McGraw
, which was featured during a prime time
special on CBS
. He disclosed the reasons behind his alcohol and drug abuse since the 1960s, as well as his experiences during rehabilitation. O'Brien also expressed remorse for the voicemail incident and apologized for what his substance abuse
did to his family. O'Brien returned to The Insider the next day, and reports from newsblues.com said that O'Brien had been signed to a new deal as host of the show.
On February 8, 2008, it was reported that O'Brien re-entered rehab and Donny Osmond
would be 'filling in' as the co-host of The Insider alongside Lara Spencer
. On March 5, 2008, it was reported that O'Brien had been removed from The Insider, with Osmond taking his place However, a month later O'Brien resumed his hosting duties after Osmond declined to take a permanent hosting role. On September 18, 2008, O'Brien was officially fired from The Insider for writing a controversial e-mail to co-workers which insulted Lara Spencer, his replacement as anchor.
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
with CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
(1981–1997) and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
(1997–2004) and The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
(2004–2008).
O'Brien covered five Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, two for CBS (1992 Winter and 1994) and three for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(2000, 2002 and 2004). He has also covered the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
, and Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
as a pregame host while at CBS.
He authored the book Talkin' Sports: A B.S.-er's Guide, published in 1998,and will release an autobiography in 2011.
Education
Pat O'Brien grew up in Sioux FallsSioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
and graduated from Washington High School in 1966. He is a 1970 graduate of the University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
in Vermillion
Vermillion, South Dakota
Vermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the tenth largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. Vermillion lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.The area has been home to...
, where he was a Government major. He was also a member of the Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
. O'Brien also studied international economics at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
O'Brien was a member of Sioux Falls area rock and roll band Dale Gregory and the Shouters, from 1964-1967 for which he was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 25,2010.
Early career (1970–1981)
O'Brien started his career working for KSOOKSFY-TV
KSFY-TV is the ABC television affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It broadcasts on ATSC Channel 13 . Its transmitter is located near Rowena, South Dakota. KSFY is currently owned by Hoak Media Corporation of Dallas, Texas.-Station history:...
TV-Radio in his hometown of Sioux Falls. After graduating from college in 1970, he worked as a researcher at NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
in Washington, D.C. and was a production assistant for The Huntley-Brinkley Report. He then served as an anchor and reporter for WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1977 he moved to KNXT-TV (now KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he earned four local Emmy Awards.
CBS Sports (1981–1997)
Pat O'Brien is perhaps best known for his 16 year association with CBS SportsCBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
, which he joined in 1981. While at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, O'Brien covered the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
, NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
, Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, NCAA Football Championship and the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
. He has also hosted VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Fairway to Heaven and Lift Ticket to Ride. In 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, he was a regular on The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
with Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
, Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
and Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
.
Entertainment anchor (1997–2008)
From 1997 to 2004 he was the co-host of Access HollywoodAccess Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
. His co-hosts included Giselle Fernandez
Giselle Fernández
-External links:...
until 1999, and then Nancy O'Dell through 2004. He became the lead host of the Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
spin-off The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
from its inception in 2004 until 2008.
Fox Sports RadioFox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
(2010)
On August 18, 2010, O'Brien joined Steve HartmanSteve Hartman (sportscaster)
Steve Hartman is currently the host of a national sports talk show on Fox Sports Radio based in Los Angeles, California. He is also the weekend sports anchor on KTLA television in L.A....
and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs
Vic Jacobs
Victor Jacobs , also known as Vic "The Brick" Jacobs, is an American radio and television sportscaster. He is best known as a current co-host of The Loose Cannons, a sports radio talk airing nationally on Fox Sports Radio...
on the Loose Cannons show on Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
, which can be heard from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. EST.
Other appearances
In 2000, O'Brien returned to the sports world when he covered the Summer Olympic Games2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, appearing on the CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
channel. He also covered the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
appearing on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. He also anchored the 2004 Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
for NBC, this time appearing on both the Network and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. In addition to the Olympics, he also hosted the late night edition of the 2006 U.S. Open Tennis Championships for CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
which was his return to CBS after a 9 year hiatus.
In 2001, O'Brien had a cameo appearance in P. Diddy's Bad Boy For Life music video. In early 2003, Pat O'Brien filled in for Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
three times on Kasem's radio programs American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
and American Top 20, once in January
January 2003
January 2003: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:-January 1, 2003:...
, once in February
February 2003
February 2003: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:-February 1, 2003:...
, and once in March
March 2003
March 2003: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →-Events:-March 1, 2003:...
when Kasem took vacation time. O'Brien also voice-acted
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
in an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
entitled Mr. Motivation. His voice is used for a doll named "Mr. Motivation."
O'Brien has been parodied or targeted on shows like The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, Home Movies
Home Movies (TV series)
Home Movies is a dialogue-driven American animated series that originally aired from 1999 to 2004. The plot surrounds eight-year-old Brendon Small , who makes films with his friends Melissa Robbins and Jason Penopolis in his spare time...
, The Howard Stern Show, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, The Soup
The Soup
The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
, The Adam Carolla Show, The Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
Show, The Boondocks, Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar...
, The Showbiz Show with David Spade
The Showbiz Show with David Spade
The Showbiz Show with David Spade was a weekly television program on Comedy Central that starred comedian David Spade. It is a comedic parody of celebrity news programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood...
, and by Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. He was also the subject of a TV Funhouse
TV Funhouse
Saturday TV Funhouse is the title of a recurring skit on NBC's Saturday Night Live featuring cartoons created by longtime SNL writer Robert Smigel as well as a short-lived spinoff series TV Funhouse that ran on Comedy Central...
cartoon by Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel is an American actor, humorist, comedian and writer known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.-Early life:...
. In 2005 O'Brien appeared on the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
program Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, lampooning himself and his hosting of The Insider.
It was announced on June 29, that O'Brien was planning to write an autobiography to be released in the Fall of 2011.
Family
O'Brien filed for divorce from Linda, his wife of 30 years, in August 2004. They have one son named Sean (age 22 as of May 2010).In July 2008, O'Brien announced his engagement to his girlfriend of five years, Betsy Hoyt Stephens, a clothing and accessories designer.
Alcoholism and voicemail episode
On March 20, 2005, O'Brien issued a written statement announcing that he had been admitted to a rehabDrug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
facility for alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. Around the announcement of O'Brien entering rehab, a string of sexually graphic voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
messages that contained O'Brien's voice started to make the rounds, particularly within the internet community and radio programs The Bubba the Love Sponge Show, The Wendy Williams Experience, The Howard Stern Show and The Opie and Anthony show. The drunk dialing
Drunk dialing
Drunk dialing is a pop-culture term denoting an instance in which an intoxicated individual places phone calls that he or she would not likely place if sober...
incident consisted primarily of O'Brien, in a state of arousal, repeatedly recording sexually graphic messages, complete with suggestions of drug use, on the cellular voice mailbox of a woman who continues to remain anonymous.
On May 4, 2005, O'Brien was interviewed by talk show therapist Phil McGraw
Phil McGraw
Phillip Calvin McGraw best known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality, author, former psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil, which debuted in 2002...
, which was featured during a prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
special on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. He disclosed the reasons behind his alcohol and drug abuse since the 1960s, as well as his experiences during rehabilitation. O'Brien also expressed remorse for the voicemail incident and apologized for what his substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
did to his family. O'Brien returned to The Insider the next day, and reports from newsblues.com said that O'Brien had been signed to a new deal as host of the show.
On February 8, 2008, it was reported that O'Brien re-entered rehab and Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
would be 'filling in' as the co-host of The Insider alongside Lara Spencer
Lara Spencer
Lara Spencer is the lifestyle anchor for Good Morning America. She is also a correspondent for Nightline and ABC News. Previously, she was the host of the syndicated television newsmagazine The Insider and was a regular contributor to CBS's The Early Show...
. On March 5, 2008, it was reported that O'Brien had been removed from The Insider, with Osmond taking his place However, a month later O'Brien resumed his hosting duties after Osmond declined to take a permanent hosting role. On September 18, 2008, O'Brien was officially fired from The Insider for writing a controversial e-mail to co-workers which insulted Lara Spencer, his replacement as anchor.
External links
- Pat O'Brien sexual harassment answering machine messages. ScribeMedia.org. November 8, 2006.