Pat O'Brien

O’Brien has been Anchor of the show since its inception in fall 2004, when it premiered as the highest-rated debut of any newsmagazine in syndication since 1996. Based on the popular "Entertainment Tonight" segment of the same name, THE INSIDER reports on the world of celebrity from a unique "insider" perspective, using first-person interviews, special "inside" access, "behind-closed-door" reports and "inside information" from knowledgeable sources and contacts.

Since the debut of THE INSIDER, O’Brien has interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities and most prominent political leaders. In 2007, O’Brien interviewed Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and George Clooney, Donald Trump and Anna Nicole Smith prior to her sudden death in February.

In January 2005, he received exclusive access to cover Donald Trump’s wedding in West Palm Beach, Fla. In 2004, THE INSIDER was the only newsmagazine granted access inside the White House, which allowed O’Brien to sit down with First Lady, Laura Bush, for an exclusive interview. O’Brien also joined the 2004 presidential election campaign trail, covering politicians such as Vice President Dick Cheney and presidential candidate John Kerry and his runningmate Sen. John Edwards.

O’Brien began his 20-year broadcasting career working as an anchor and reporter for KNXT-TV (now KCBS-TV) in Los Angeles in 1977, where he impressively earned four local Emmy Awards for his news coverage. Prior to joining the station, he also spent time working for WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

In 1981, O’Brien joined CBS Sports, where he covered premiere sporting events including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals and the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

In 1990, O’Brien began a six-year broadcasting run as a part of the "Entertainment Tonight" team, where he served as a substitute anchor and correspondent.

In 1996, he hosted a series of syndicated television shows entitled "The Road to Olympic Gold," interviewing such athletes as gymnastic champion Mary Lou Retton. During the same period, he was also the co-host of the reality-based primetime series "How’d They Do That?" which aired for two seasons on CBS and The Learning Channel. Classic episodes can still be seen on TLC.

From 1997 to 2004, O’Brien was co-anchor of "Access Hollywood." During that time, O’Brien also covered the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney for CNBC, marking the first complete coverage of the games by a cable network. He continued his Olympic coverage in Athens, Greece, in the summer of 2004 for MSNBC and NBC late night.

A consummate writer, O’Brien’s first book, entitled "Talkin’ Sports; A B.S.-er’s Guide", was published by Villard Books in 1998. He has composed regular sports columns for the New York Daily News; monthly columns for Inside Sports and Live! Magazines; and a guest column for TV Guide. He is currently the Gadget Editor for L.A. Confidential and has written several articles for Men’s Health.

O’Brien graduated from the University of South Dakota. He also studied International Economics at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., and currently sits on the Board of the Special Olympics.