Cable news person turned internet news person is pretty much universally regarded as the world’s biggest d*ck, a hyper-intelligent, quick-witted being cursed with the temperament of the cobra in a bed of fire ants and a God complex whose petulant arrogance is only rivaled by the God portrayed in the Old Testament.
So it’s really no surprise that he comes off as, well, an epic d*ck in excerpts of a new book — Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN — about the early days of ESPN, specifically the Olbermann era, published online today by GQ. Some of the stories shared by his former co-workers in the book are just stunning in their as$holery. To wit…
Says Bob Ley:
I still remember the lunch when [executive vice presidents] John Walsh and Steve Anderson were deciding whether they were going to hire Keith. I said, “You’re aware of his reputation, aren’t you?” They said, “Oh, it’s not going to be like that. He’s not making all that much money.” I said, “It’s not a function of money. Know what you’re buying.” When he arrived, Keith had one thing in mind: It was Keith. That’s fine. Nothing wrong with that.
Says current NFL Network host Rich Eisen:
When I got there, I was obviously very much influenced by Keith’s style, and everything I did, I tried to make a joke. So I walked by Keith one day in the hallway, and he goes to me, “Nope, not yet,” and kept walking. About three days later, I walked past him again and he goes, “Nope, not yet.” So I finally asked him, “Keith, what do you mean?” He goes, “You’re not even close to doing this show the way you should be doing it or can do it.” So one day I get an interoffice envelope, and it’s a cover letter from Keith basically saying, “I got this letter from a fan.” It was a three-page letter to Keith essentially saying, “Who is this new guy on SportsCenter? Why has he hijacked my program?” And Keith’s cover letter said, “Don’t take this personally, but he has a point.” I was absolutely crestfallen.
Says Suzy Kolber:
The night before we went on the air, they were still making major, major changes. We were all in this giant room while they were doing it, and I vaguely remember Keith sitting on the floor in the corner. I just felt that Keith was an unhappy person. He made a lot of people unhappy around him. I’m sure he made me unhappy.
Olbermann, as is his proclivity, weighed in via Twitter, saying that everything about him in the book is “pretty much true,” though he did take issue with a couple of minor points.
Yep, even Keith Olbermann knows that Keith Olbermann is a total d*ck.