Did You Know This TV Legend Was Born and Raised in Haverhill, MA?

I had one of those “is this really happening?” moments this past weekend at the New Hampshire Film Festival when I had the chance to meet television legend Tom Bergeron.

Katie Killourhy with Tom Bergeron

Bergeron was part of the festival’s comedy panel, where he shared stories from his decades in the entertainment industry and reflected on his retirmenet. In fact, he shared with WMUR in 2025 that “retirement’s nice,” adding that he was enjoying life and doing the “offbeat, random things” that appealed to him.

But for me, one of the coolest parts of hearing Bergeron speak was realizing just how deep his New England roots run.

Bergeron was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and his broadcasting career began there in 1972, right out of Haverhill High School, when he joined WHAV. WHAV recently highlighted how Bergeron’s Hollywood career has its roots in his hometown.

From those humble beginnings, Bergeron became a household name as the longtime host of America’s Funniest Home Videos and Dancing with the Stars, along with Hollywood Squares. The Television Academy notes that he replaced Bob Saget on America’s Funniest Home Videos and later became the host of Dancing with the Stars.

As an aspiring host myself, I have always loved and looked up to Tom Bergeron and his career.

But then came my favorite surprise: Bergeron revealed that he had actually studied mime! He even gave the audience a little demonstration. The Television Academy confirms his career included mime, while WHAV recently shared a photo of Bergeron performing with a mime trio decades ago.

READ MORE: Independent Cinema Takes Center Stage At 24th New Hampshire Film Festival

Pretty incredible for a kid from Haverhill who went on to become one of television’s most recognizable hosts.