Metro columnist John Bolaris
Jenna Wolfe of the NBC show “Today,” announced she was pregnant this past week.
Normally this news is met with not much fanfare, just many hugs and congratulations. But this was not your so-called “normal” pregnancy announcement.
She is a network figure, a soon-to-be mom, and no, it’s not Matt Lauer’s love child; she is expecting with NBC foreign correspondent Stephanie Gosk.
So in one fell swoop on network television, Jenna comes out of the closet and tells the nation she is pregnant and gay.
For full disclosure, I got to know Jenna when I was working for CBS News in New York and as a person (away from the camera), I respected her passion to succeed. She was a hard worker, we both had the Philly connection (she worked for WPHL), she is beautiful inside and out.
Did I know she was gay? I couldn’t care less even if I knew or thought so. I truly liked her as a person. I actually tried to get her an interview with CBS News but they passed and NBC got rewarded and the rest is history. Well, not history yet.
The television industry can be brutal at times and one needs many layers of skin to absorb the criticism, pressures and demands. And if you’re driven to succeed and make it work to be the very best, it can and it does steel your life away.
You become married to the industry. Yes, the paychecks are nice, but in a flash, your livelihood can be taken away. Nobody in this business is bulletproof—just ask Matt Lauer. He’s going through television hell and he is one of the nicest guys I ever met in this crazy industry.
Jenna Wolfe is one strong woman, trust me. By openly admitting she is gay and pregnant on national TV, she instantly becomes a target for those who don’t have the same beliefs as Jenna and her partner.
I know on face value it all looks like peaches and cream, but I can almost guarantee you inside, there are people with a lot of power wondering if this is a good thing for the network.
Jenna put a lot on the line and one must admire her honesty with herself and her viewers as she now takes you through her personal journey. She will be in the crosshairs of social media haters who hide behind the cloak of anonymity but Jenna will navigate through all this. And at the end, she will be burping her beautiful little girl and smiling from ear to ear.
She is one courageous women and I congratulate Jenna on her pregnancy and most of all her honesty.
