David Gregory

David Gregory established himself as one of America's hardest working journalists within his first year at NBC News, covering such major events as the Oklahoma City bombing and the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. At 6'5" with his shock of prematurely gray hair, Gregory became a recognizable figure in broadcast news, particularly as a contentious White House correspondent to the administration of President George W. Bush.

Despite the frequently heated rhetoric between Gregory and the White House press secretaries, he was the only reporter invited to travel to Ground Zero with the president three days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Gregory would also become one of television's most prominent personalities, serving as a correspondent on "NBC Nightly News" (NBC, 1970- ) and backup co-host on "Today" (NBC, 1952- ), as well as making regular appearances on such talk shows as "The Tonight Show" (NBC, 1962- ) and "The Daily Show" (Comedy Central, 1996- ).

In 2007, Gregory was named in the trial of vice presidential advisor, "Scooter" Libby as one of the reporters to whom Libby had leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Nevertheless, in 2008, Gregory was tapped as the new host of the long-running political news program, "Meet the Press" (NBC, 1947- ).

Through the years, Gregory proved to be that rare combination of serious newsman and entertainer, whose witty and light-hearted observations of popular culture never detracted from the intelligence and gravitas of his reporting.

David Michael Gregory was born on Aug. 24, 1970, in Los Angeles. A career in broadcast journalism was Gregory's ambition from an early age. His first job out of high school was a summer reporter position for a local news program in Tucson, AZ. He also worked for the campus television station while earning a degree in international studies from American University.
Throughout 1995, Gregory's first year with the NBC news department, he covered such major news stories as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, OK. Gregory's aggressive reporting style and rigorous work ethic would take him to the anchor chair for MSNBC News just three years later.

In 2000, Gregory was assigned to the press corps covering the presidential campaign of George W. Bush. Bush, who had a propensity for giving people nicknames, named the 6'5" Gregory "Stretch," and hosted a party for Gregory's 30th birthday while on the campaign trail.

In 2000, Gregory married Beth Wilkinson, a federal prosecutor who he had met while covering the trail of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, a case that Wilkinson was prosecuting.

Following the election which put Bush into his first term in office, Gregory was appointed a White House correspondent. He was with President Bush in Florida when news broke of the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and was the only reporter to travel with him to Ground Zero three days after the event. Despite, or perhaps, because of Gregory's access to President Bush, his relationship with Bush' press secretaries, and President Bush himself, was often contentious.
Gregory had numerous on-air confrontations with press secretary Ari Fleischer, and was even subjected to Bush' contemptuous sarcasm for directing a question to France's President Jacques Chirac in French. Nevertheless, Gregory remained popular with the public and with NBC, which appointed Gregory as the substitute co-anchor for "Weekend Today" (NBC, 1987- ) in 2003, and a regular correspondent for "NBC Nightly News" (NBC, 1970- ) in 2004.

The hardworking Gregory also began making appearances on "The Chris Matthews Show" (MSNBC, 2002- ), "Meet the Press" (NBC, 1947- ) and "Today" (NBC, 1952- ), where he became a regular substitute host for Matt Lauer in 2005, and where he would often display his predilection for dancing, never shying away from an opportunity to groove on camera to the show's frequent musical guests out on the plaza.

A witty raconteur, Gregory also became a popular guest on such talk shows as "The Daily Show" (Comedy Central, 1996- ) and "The Tonight Show" (NBC, 1962- ), and even played himself in an episode of the sitcom, "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013), a show in direct line with his own sense of humor.

Unfortunately, his days as a Bush administration whipping boy were not behind him, however. In 2007, Gregory was named as a reporter to whom vice presidential advisor Scooter Libby had leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Gregory remained untainted by the scandal, but stepped down from his role as NBC White House correspondent in 2008 to become the regular host of "Meet the Press." He would cover the 2008 presidential election with an MSNBC series, "The Race for the White House" (NBC, 2008) and reported on the 2012 Republican National Convention for "Rock Center with Brian Williams" (NBC, 2011-13).

In December 2012, during in an episode of "Meet the Press" which was addressing issues of gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Gregory displayed a high-capacity ammunition magazine, which was illegal to possess in Washington, D.C. where the series was recorded. No legal action was taken against Gregory for the breach, which many conservative pundits decried as an example of the hypocrisy of the "liberal media."

By John Crye