"Daily Blast Live," co-hosted by Brandon London, airs at 2 p.m. weekdays on WWBT (NBC 12). (Photo courtesy "Daily Blast Live")
Richmond native Brandon London, 34, grew up in a football household. His father, Mike London, coached at the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond, and the elder London is currently the head football coach at William & Mary. “Even my grandmother yells at the TV during Cowboys games, because she knows what’s going on, and she can talk football,” says London.
Her grandson was pretty good, too. London won two conference championships while at the University of Massachusetts and received a Super Bowl ring as a member of the practice squad for the New York Giants. He played for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, where he earned a Grey Cup championship ring. As he continued his professional football career, London also found that he had another passion — performing.
“This academic advisor [at the University of Massachusetts] was telling my coach how I needed to be a theater major, how football is only going to take me so far,” London says. “Being on camera was something that I was definitely blessed with, and that was what I was going to be for the majority of my life. I always look back at it, and I always wish that I would have taken that opportunity to go ahead and switch majors to theater.”
“When you speak your truth, our hosts are always willing and open to learn from another person’s experience.” —Brandon London
In 2012, London suffered a devastating leg injury. “I still remember I was laying on the ground, and I tried to get up, but my knee was locked in place. I just unsnapped my helmet and threw it, because I knew it right there. I told myself ... ‘I’m done with football.’ ”
Landon remained on the Alouettes roster while he recuperated. He obtained permission from his coach to enroll at the Montreal School of Performing Arts and also began on-camera training, traveling back and forth to Los Angeles. He launched a Web series called “Jersey Off Suit On,” where he interviews athletes about their lives off the field.
London retired from football in 2015 and last year auditioned for the national daytime news and entertainment talk show “Daily Blast Live,” which airs weekdays locally on WWBT (NBC 12). Out of approximately 6,000 entrants, London was one of a few finalists brought in to audition on air. “I told myself, ‘This is mine,’ and I walked in there like this is my gig,” he says. On Aug. 5, 2018, London joined the other seven co-hosts of the show (they rotate hosting duties in multiple time zones).
As its name suggests,“Daily Blast Live” is aired live. “Once you say it, it’s out there,” London says. The show has endured criticism for some of the panelists’ opinions on topics ranging from immigration to NFL players protesting racial inequality during the national anthem.
London says the candid nature of his co-hosts’ perspectives is one of his favorite aspects of the show. “One thing I love about this show is [the producers] don’t push us to push a narrative or an agenda. They want us to tell our truth, so if you’re on one side of the railroad track, they want you to speak about your experience. You may get flak for it on social media, or the fans might write in, but … when you speak your truth, our hosts are always willing and open to learn from another person’s experience.”
