Born in Haverhill, MA in 1955, Bergeron got an early start in broadcasting by joining a local radio station while still in high school, making him the youngest professional DJ in the state. He also showed an aptitude for a humorous approach to news by contributing editorial cartoons to several local newspapers. After his late night comedy/talk show, “The Tom Bergeron Show,” scored impressive ratings for its station, Bergeron moved into television at WBZ-TV in Boston. His adaptability to all manner of TV programming was put to the test at WBZ, and Bergeron rose to the occasion – his stint as the host of the children’s magazine series “Super Kids” earned an Emmy, and allowed him to branch out into other programs at the station, including the daily news broadcast “4 Today,” and a teen series, “Rap Around.” In 1987, Bergeron became the host of a widely viewed morning talk show, “People Are Talking,” and in 1990, returned to radio to host the city’s top-rated morning show on WBZ-AM. Bergeron also served as the host of the long-running “Granite State Challenge,” a PBS quiz show from New Hampshire.
In 1993, Bergeron made the leap to national television with the quirky morning show “Breakfast Time” (FX, 1994-1996), which took a loose and informal approach to the standard talk show format (including a puppet as co-host). Bergeron stayed with the program after it moved to Fox for its final season, during which it morphed into “The Vicki Lawrence Show.” Bergeron was then tapped by the revamped “Hollywood Squares” (syndicated, 1998-2004) to serve as host and capable foil for its co-producer and center square, Whoopi Goldberg. “Squares” gave Bergeron his widest exposure to date, as well as recognition in the form of three Emmy nominations and one win in 2000, which he shared with Bob Barker of “The Price is Right” (CBS, 1972- ). Bergeron found time to appear as himself on an episode of the CBS sitcom “The Nanny” (1993-99).
In 2001, Bergeron signed on to serve as host of the long-running comedy show “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (ABC, 1989), which had been added to the networks’ primetime lineup as a replacement. However, the show proved a success with viewers, and Bergeron became its fulltime host. Bergeron’s likable personality and comic gifts got their best showcase here; his dry delivery was well-served by the wrap-around segments, and he even contributed to one recurring bit, “Tom’s Home Movies,” in which oversized photographs of his head were inserted into a contributed video. In 2002, Bergeron made his dramatic debut on the syndicated series “Enterprise” (UPN, 2001-05), returning to the show again in a different role in 2005.
Following the demise of “Hollywood Squares,” Bergeron continued with his duties at “America’s Funniest Home Videos” while hosting a wide variety of other specials and programs, including the “Miss America Pageant” in 2003. In 2005, Bergeron was tapped to co-host “Dancing with the Stars,” (ABC, 2005- ), the American version of the BBC television series “Strictly Come Dancing.” A substantial ratings hit and pop cultural touchstone during its run, the show began its third season in 2006. That same year, Bergeron guest-hosted “Good Morning America” (ABC, 1975- ) and was briefly considered to be in the running to replace Charles Gibson, who was moving to the anchor chair for “ABC World News Tonight” (1953- ) following the death of long-time anchor, Peter Jennings.
Instead, Bergeron continued his "Dancing" duties and proved so winning with the wisecracks and an uncanny ability to navigate any situation – including helping fainting contestants or taking the sting out of the judges' rulings – that Bergeron was honored with a nomination for the newly minted Emmy, Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in 2008. Although he lost to "Survivor" (CBS, 2000- ) host, Jeff Probst, Bergeron was easily one of the more relaxed and humorous of the nominees, including Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel, who were also tapped to host the prestigious awards show only one day before the seventh season premiere of "DWTS." But the five-host experiment proved to be a disaster when critics savaged the program the following day, including their cringe-worthy opening monologue that rambled on without point or laughs. The following year, he returned to the ceremony strictly as a nominee after earning another nod in the same category.