‘It is an absolute honor to be joining The Talk as a host,’ says Akbar Gbajabiamila

Television host and former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila has been tapped as the new co-host of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show ‘The Talk.” Gbajabiamila, who appeared as a guest co-host on multiple episodes in June and July, will now join Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots and Jerry O’Connell for the next season of the show which premieres Monday, Sept. 13.

Akbar Gbajabiamila

“It is an absolute honor to be joining ‘The Talk’ as a host! I am so excited for this new generation of such a long-standing establishment, and I look forward to showing up as my fun and authentic self every day and advocating for conversation over confrontation,” says Gbajabiamila.

Gbajabiamila, who also hosts the NBC’s competition series “American Ninja Warrior” and “American Ninja Warrior Junior,” is the author of “Everyone Can Be a Ninja: Find Your Inner Warrior and Achieve Your Dreams” and served as executive producer on the Amazon Prime film “Sylvie’s Love.”

As a professional athlete, he played five years in the NFL as a linebacker and defensive end with the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins, before retiring in 2008.

The Los Angeles native whose parents hail from Nigeria has a long history of volunteering and social consciousness and serves as a board member for the Asomugha Foundation, an organization aimed at creating better educational opportunities for impoverished communities. He also founded Rush The Passer, a year-round athletic, academic and life skills program for youth in Southern California and serves on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

‘The Talk,” which airs weekdays on the CBS Television Network and streams on Paramount+ features a panel of well-known entertainment personalities discussing current events, pop culture, family, celebrity, and trending topics of the day.

by Samantha Ofole-Prince/ Photo by Royalty Image

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