Entertainment anchor Steve Kmetko,tells his story....

Didn't realize he'd been gone that long. Not that I missed him.

He cannot stand being interviewed and Amy is a terrible interviewer. I lasted 18 minutes but then I had to give up.

Does she ever shut up?

I had a huge crush on Steve. Always wondered why he disappeared. Now we know.

He was fired for being gay? In that industry?

Sounds like he asked his readers to write letters to E! to keep his job, which was a no-no.

Why did he get fired? I can't bare to sit through this podcast.

Did Steve ask Amy why she hasn't had an acting job since the 90s?

Who, who, and what's an E!?

I loved Kmetko. He was so hot. In his final year/s on E! he loosened up considerably and showed he had a great personality.

I 👀what you did there^

Loosened up?!😜

I couldn't get thru this either / wiki link below fills in a bit

Puzzled why he couldn't transition into something /

really more appealing than so many others

Drunk and working in the local Apple Store.

Always liked him and he was so handsome. It’s a hard realization that, unless you work for yourself, you only have so much control over your career. I wish him well.

Hard to get through because of the many interruptions. But he was a blackout drunk. That was part of the problem. After 9/11 there was a recession, the recession and his substance abuse appear to be responsible for his career setback.

Bottom line... Is he Polish? Hung with a thick kielbasa? Tell me!!

Isn't the bigger question WHET Jules Asner?

He really was hot back in the day.

I had such a crush on him back then. He's still a good looking guy - just needs to get back in to shape and lose the alcohol fat.

R17 - She married Ed and is living off his estate now.

He must have had terrible representation.

I love how he just casually outs Ann Curry.

Yasbeck doesn’t seem to understand the first rule of being a good interviewer which is to let the guest talk. Her constant interruptions made me quit watching.

His her show some sort of local cable access thing?

He's the gay Edgar R. Murrow!!!!

His body was sick back in the day. He seemed so uptight though. Met him more than once and much more personable in person than on screen. Quite a big dick from what I heard.

Kmetko and MSNBC Thomas Roberts had a very similar on air quality.

Any Thomas Roberts updates?? The two of 'em should start a gay travel show for seniors.

Thomas Roberts is gorgeous and he and his husband have been married for 23 years. Their wedding was officiated by Gavin Newsom.

R17 according to google.com Jules Asner is a screenwriter. I knew she married Steven Soderbergh.

I’m not sure Thomas Roberts and his partner are still together. They haven’t been pictured together in quite a while.

I had a co-worker back in the '80s who claimed that she was a friend of Steve Kmetko. She wanted to hook me up with him. Said he had a big dick. Unfortunately, I demurred.

He asked for too much money during the recession and had a pushy agent who did not follow through

R16. Kmetko is a Ukrainian name.

But if he's a bottom, R31, you never would have seen it anyway. His ass would have been up in the air while he murmured, "I want to have your baby."

he looks ok for 71 , needs to hit the gym and lose a few though

A 71-year-old no longer regularly in the public eye "needs to hit the gym"?

Why?

No wonder John Ritter killed himself.

Steve is doing the same podcast as interviewer. Here he is interviewing Jerry O’Connell.

Maybe I missed it, but didn’t see any “hot Steve” photos?

Did you not understand that it is his podcast, but he asked to switch roles for an episode and invited Amy to play inquisitor?

oh my gahd she’s old now

Omg Steve aged like crap. But he's still lovable so who cares?

R40: whatever. She's a terrible review.

YouTube commenters agree…..STFU fraucunt!!

People who overtalk others irritate. Please. Shut up.

Deadline has a bit from Kmetko interviewing Yasbeck.

Hot Steve

Back in the dark ages of the World Wide Web I loved his weekly online chat in which he never really revealed any good gossip—but he had a way of reeling people into his cutesy blind item schtick.

He really has turned into an unrecognizable old man.

When you see him with Eric Roberts, I guess Roberts is a bit more recognizable but not by much.

There has got to be more to this story of why he got fired AND why he couldn't get another job.

The idea that he was too closely associated with E! sounds like complete rubbish. If anything another channel would want to use that to steal E!'s audience to build their own.

R51 I agree, you don't go from being one of the top entertainment reporters to being so radioactive you can't even work in the industry overnight. There was never any public controversies so it all had to happen behind the scenes.

Does this interview out John Ritter

At 22:00

[quote]There was never any public controversies so it all had to happen behind the scenes.

Yeah, even me-too controversies all became public - a la Spacey.

It's gotta be something specific that everyone involved is willing to keep it quiet.

The only situation that might even come close is if he hooked up with someone's partner, and that partner took revenge. The person would have had to be so powerful that no one would want to piss them off for someone as low on the totem pole as Kmetko. In turn, that type of situation would also be kept quiet by everyone involved. Perhaps throw in closet homo action, and you've got yourself crime and punishment that folks want to keep quiet.

Back in 2002, the big power players were folks like Spielberg or Weinstein.

The real T is Kmetko thought he was E and his agent was asking for 1 million from a network that barely paid on-air talent 100K. He used the fan site to get his fans to write E how much they wanted him and loved him on E. This is early Internet where fan outrage was not a thing. He tried to make it a thing and E did not respond well. It got him a rep as difficult. No one would hire him.

^ —

This has been another edition of …Occam’s Razor.

We now return control of your television set to you.

Wait, they fired him and outed him for being gay? I can't be bothered to listen to that shit.

R56 I believe your story but it doesn't fully explain why he became persona non grata among entertainment shows.

If his over the top negotiations didn't work out at E, I don't think he'd try that at all the other outlets and if he was at the end of his rope I'm sure he'd take less than what he was paid at E because he was desperate.

The only way it works is if it's combined with other factors like being known as a cutthroat bitch or fucking with the wrong person in power.

He had a gravitas then that others would have needed time to build which is why I can't see him being completely shut out in one fell swoop.

R53. Joking, right?

He’s a very nice guy who made a mistake while negotiating a contract. We had mutual friends in LA in the late 80s when he worked for CBS- one in particular who he worked with who was a serious alcoholic, now deceased from the drinking. Just how much his substance abuse hurt his career is hard to know. He had a long relationship with Greg Louganis.

Awful interview- she’s as bad as his old beard Ann Curry doing all the talking. But he nevertheless comes off as very honest and brave, a bit reserved. I remember him as very handsome, very nice, and fun- and yes we partied. I was in a relationship with a guy (also with substance abuse issues) who was at least as good looking as Steve. Those were the days. Anyway- Steve was nice to me- come to think of it we saw a bit of him in NYC as well as LA- came over to our apt.

Anyone have an ID on Steve's sweater? I want it.

Was he ever seen in the vicinity of a Days Inn? Or in Glendale or thereabouts?

R62 the Big & Tall section of Macy’s Beverly Center

Ann Curry, the former Today Show anchor, is a lesbian? She’s been married to the same guy for 30+ years and they have a couple of kids. I’m sure it’s possible she’s gay, but she’s going to a lot of trouble to hide it.

Yes to above ^^^ another shoe is going to drop here.

Damn, Steve Kmetko got puffy and fat.

Steve Kmetko was the best there ever was doing what he did in the entertainment business.

I never said he was not talented, but you get a reputation for being difficult in a tiny business, it is hard to get a job.

[quote]Steve Kmetko was the best there ever was doing what he did in the entertainment business.

Ahem.

[quote]There has got to be more to this story of why he got fired AND why he couldn't get another job.

He was an out Queer, Dear.

[quote] There has got to be more to this story

There is. He openly called John Henson, "Spot".

Steve was one of the most talented reporters ever. He also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout his life. Despite that, he had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with his struggles and he theirs.

[quote] Damn, Steve Kmetko got puffy and fat.

And OLD! she got so OLD!

After being fired and moving back home to Chicago to take care of elderly parents, Steve Kmetko had quite a bout with drinking on his spiral downward. Unable to get a broadcasting job, he ended up working at a Apple Store selling iPhone and iPads.

That must have been quite a comedown when people recognized him.

E! knew Kmetko was gay. However, it was contract renegotiation time. Kmetko's agent went to the E!/CBS bosses and asked for $1 million, which even Kmetko readily admitted was too much. Too bad he didn't try and stop his agent for putting such a financial figure on the line.

The bosses would not go along with $1 million and went after Kmetko on any excuse they could find. Kmetko was backed into a corner in a losing situation. Damn, what a fall from grace when he would have been willing to take less money.

It's not like there were lots of openings for an entertainment "reporter" at that time. He would have had to pivot to something else and he probably lacked the representation or personal skills for that. He could have done voice work, written for an entertainment rag, etc. but those would have paid less. he went back to Chicago when local media was dying, so he would have had limited opportunity there and he wasn't an actor, so the theater scene wouldn't have been an option. Maybe he could have done some sort of pr, but being a glorified greeter probably doesn't pay on a regular basis.

The Apple store itself was not necessarily a great pick---if he had been stocking shelves at Jewel, he at least would have been in a union and had benefits. His father had been some sort of fundie/evangelical pastor---very odd for a Ukrainian, so I'm sure it was no picnic dealing with the parents.

Good God, Kmetko and Yasbeck are both practically unrecognizable.

Literally!

Aw forgot about him. Loved him as a gayling.

They desperately need new chairs for that podcast. Yasbeck is fine in her chair, but that chair is far too small for Kmetko. He looks like he's sitting right on the edge of the seat. He wouldn't look nearly as fat in a bigger chair.

Wow, I grew up a few miles from Steve and never knew it. I wish I knew where to find the boys and the booze when it counted ☹️

Is Muriel accepting applications?

Something about all this doesn't pass the smell test. A guy like Steve with looks and experience shouldn't have ended up drinking himself into a stupor in his mom's basement. He crossed somebody who made sure he'd never eat lunch in this town again 😏

R77 Entertainment Tonight or The Today Show could have picked him up

R84, then how do you explain substance abuse among all manner of “successful” people. I knew Steve and some of his colleagues, one who worked with him on a daily basis at CBS. That guy is dead, from alcoholism despite a very successful career. Steve has survived.

KCBS? Who was it?

r85 there were very few Ancho jobs in Entertainment that were free at the time. KTLA had Sam, KCBS had Dorothy Lucy, John and Mary ruled ET. Kmetko was on par with them as far as Q ratings so putting him in a solt would threaten any talent they already had. At the time the morning shows were just that. Not what they are now an 3-5 hours of morning tv. He could have gotten a syndicated talkshow but again at the time it was Geraldo, Montel, Ricky, Rolanda. Steve was not a sensational guy who could lead a talk show about I dated my ex babysitter and now I have aids

He could clean up a bit and look pretty great, but the stroke does show a bit. Sounds like he just had a lot of wrong place wrong time going on after he got let go from E, and it jus and it just snowballed.

I genuinely like him — always have — and I hope he can get a few more good innings. At face value, he deserves better.

When he was still living in LA, he came home from work one day to find his visiting sister had drowned in his swimming pool. I imagine that the drinking and drugging had a lot to do with the trauma and grief from that as well as all the other issues.

I’m really enjoying his podcast. While asking questions of his guests, he reveals a lot about himself.

I think they scheduled the Yasbeck piece (they are clearly close) after realizing he needed to unburden himself. (In one ep with Peri Gilpin, he went into a lot of his mess.)

Seems like a good guy.

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the Days Inn - Glendale.

Steve can be the first anchor for our DataLounge Public Acces Channel.

Kmetko's show is surprisingly good for aughties nostalgia. I'm midstream with Jillian and it's good, as was Peri Gilpin.

[quote] Back in the dark ages of the World Wide Web I loved his weekly online chat in which he never really revealed any good gossip—but he had a way of reeling people into his cutesy blind item schtick.

That wasn't Steve Kmetko. That was Ted Casalabancas. But, yes, his weekly "Tea with Ted" chat was a lot of fun.

I wonder if Bruce (Ted) and Steve ever hooked up?