Edward Lansing Gordon III (born August 17, 1960) is an American television journalist known for his association with BET over four different decades. A native of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Ed Gordon is the son of an Olympic athlete also named Ed Gordon. The younger Gordon was BET's main news anchor from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2001 before hosting the interview show ''BET Tonight'' from 2001 to 2002 and another interview show, ''Weekly with Ed Gordon'', from 2010 to 2011. In addition to his work with BET, Gordon also worked for

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

from 1996 to 2000,

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

from 2004 to 2005, and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2010, he hosted the syndicated talk show '' Our World with Black Enterprise''.

Personal background

Gordon was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. His father Ed Gordon Jr. (1908–1971) was a schoolteacher who won gold in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

for competing in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, and his mother Jimmie (née Hunt) (1920–2015) was also a teacher. After graduating from

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a four-year Public magnet high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. from the University Cultural Center Association, retrieved June 9, 1001 It was established in 19 ...

in Detroit, the younger Gordon graduated from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

in 1982 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Career

Early career in Detroit (1983–1988)

Although Gordon considered law school, Gordon aspired to be a television journalist and took an unpaid internship at WTVS, the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

affiliate in Detroit. At WTVS, he worked as a production assistant from 1983 to 1985. In 1986, Gordon became host of a local weekly talk show, ''Detroit Black Journal'', which had a yearly salary of $11,000. On the side, Gordon worked as a freelance journalist at the then-fledgling cable network

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

(BET).

First stint with BET (1988–1996)

In 1988, Gordon joined BET full-time as anchor of the weekly program ''BET News'', which covered African-American social issues and popular culture. While Gordon worked at BET, its news staff had only around 20 people, and Gordon produced most of his interviews with only one or two assistants. Beginning in 1990, Gordon also hosted hour-long interviews on several occasions in the series ''Conversation with Ed Gordon''. His subjects have included President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, actor/director, rapper

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...

, and singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

. Following the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

, Gordon hosted a BET special, ''L.A. Aftermath: Black Men Speak Out'' and conducted the first interview with U.S. President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

after the riots. On January 25, 1996, Gordon became the first journalist to interview former NFL star

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname "the Juice", was an American professional American football, football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) ...

since Simpson was acquitted of murder the previous year.

Career with NBC (1996–2000)

In July 1996, Gordon left BET to join

, where he began as a daytime anchor and host of weekly talk and interview program ''Internight'' on NBC's cable network

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

as well as a contributor to NBC's morning show ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

''. At MSNBC, Gordon covered major news events of the late 1990s such as the Republican and

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, the

impeachment of Bill Clinton Bill Clinton, the List of presidents of the United States, 42nd president of the United States, was Federal impeachment in the United States, impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on Decem ...

, the crash of Swissair Flight 111, and

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

's 1998 visit to Cuba. Beginning in March 1999, Gordon became a regular correspondent on ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...

''.

Second stint with BET (2000–2004)

Gordon returned to BET in 2000 to host ''BET News'', this time on a nightly basis. In 2001, Gordon replaced

Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (; born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, he worked durin ...

as host of interview program ''BET Tonight''. Two interviews Gordon conducted for ''BET Tonight'' in 2002 attracted outside attention. The May 8 edition broadcast an interview by Gordon with popular R&B singer R. Kelly, who was facing charges for child pornography. In the interview, Kelly denied the accusations of child abuse. Kelly told Gordon: "I've done a lot of wrong things in my life, but I'm not a criminal." Then on December 16, the program showed his interview with outgoing

Senate Minority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...

Trent Lott Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, author, and politician who represented Mississippi in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1989 and in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2007. ...

( Republican of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

) following Lott's controversial remarks at the 100th birthday party for fellow Senator

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

that the nation would have been better off had Thurmond, a

segregationist Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...

, been elected for president in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. Howard Rosenberg of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described Gordon as "polite but firm" in the interview: "Without being a bully, he held Lott's tongue to the fire...not allowing the senator to dodge, finesse or answer questions that weren't asked." As part of a reorganization focusing on entertainment productions, BET cut its news staff and canceled ''BET Tonight'' in December 2002 along with other public affairs shows hosted by Gordon, ''Lead Story'' and ''Teen Summit''. Gordon continued to be a contributor to BET through 2004, when he interviewed Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

for a ''Speak Now'' special broadcast October 8.

CBS and NPR (2004–2006)

Gordon became a correspondent for the

program ''

60 Minutes II ''60 Minutes II'' (also known as ''60 Minutes Wednesday'' and ''60 Minutes'') is an American weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the origin ...

'' in November 2004; the show ran until 2005. After Tavis Smiley left

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(NPR), Gordon began hosting a show on NPR titled '' News & Notes'', a show with a similar focus on African-American issues that he hosted from 2005 to 2006.

Recent work (Since 2006)

From 2006 to 2010, Gordon hosted the syndicated talk show '' Our World with Black Enterprise''. BET announced in March 2010 that Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials." Gordon's latest series ''Weekly with Ed Gordon'' premiered on October 3, 2010, with a one-on-one interview with Representative Charles B. Rangel, who was undergoing an ethics issues at the time. In the program, Gordon also discusses news and culture with a four-member panel. The show ran until March 2011. In the fall of 2016, Gordon hosted a weekly primetime newsmagazine on

Bounce TV Bounce TV is an American digital terrestrial television, digital broadcast television network owned by Scripps Networks, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. It launched on September 26, 2011, and was promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multic ...

, ''Ed Gordon''. In 2020, Gordon released a book, ''Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership''. In 2023, he returned to BET as a reporter for the newsmagazine America in Black, a co-production with the CBS News. He also appeared several times on the second season, released in 2024. He interviewed President Joe Biden in July 2024.

Awards

* Emmy Award * NAACP Image Award * National Association of Black Journalists Journalist of the Year award * Communication Excellence to Black Audiences Award for Merit * Named in People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" list

Personal life

Gordon has a daughter, Taylor (born 1993), from his previous marriage to Karen Haney. During his career with

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

–based BET, he lived in nearby

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. Now married to Leslie Howard, Gordon is the stepfather of two children.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Ed (journalist) 1960 births Living people African-American journalists African-American television personalities American television news anchors American television talk show hosts Cass Technical High School alumni Television personalities from Detroit Western Michigan University alumni Journalists from Alexandria, Virginia 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people