June Baranco is an American artist and milliner who is also known as the former wife of television journalist Bryant Gumbel. However, her life includes much more than her connection to a famous broadcaster. She studied fine art, developed skills as a painter, and later explored hat making through her creative business, Geaux Chapeaux. June and Bryant were married for nearly three decades and raised two children together. This article covers her early life, education, artistic work, marriage, children, divorce, creative career, and what is publicly known about her life today.
Quick Bio
| Full Name | June Baranco |
| Also Known As | June Carlyn Baranco |
| Birthplace | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Louisiana State University |
| Graduation Year | 1971 |
| Degree | Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art |
| Profession | Artist and milliner |
| Known For | Art, Geaux Chapeaux, and former wife of Bryant Gumbel |
| Former Husband | Bryant Gumbel |
| Marriage | 1973–2001 |
| Children | Bradley Christopher Gumbel and Jillian Beth Gumbel |
| Art Mediums | Oil and pastel |
| Business/Creative Venture | Geaux Chapeaux |
| Public Profile | Relatively private |
Early Life and Education
June Baranco has strong roots in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she developed an interest in creative work at a young age. Sewing and art became important parts of her early life, and these interests later shaped her professional path. She attended Louisiana State University and graduated in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in fine art. Her college education gave her formal training and helped her develop her artistic abilities. June maintained a connection with Louisiana even after building much of her adult life elsewhere, and her Southern background later influenced her work in millinery.
Career as an Artist
June Baranco built an artistic identity through years of painting and creative study. She has worked with mediums including oil and pastel, using the skills she developed through her fine-art education. Painting remained an important part of her life even while family responsibilities occupied much of her time.
Her work shows that art was not simply a hobby connected to her later years. It was an interest supported by formal education and continued practice. June eventually expanded her creativity beyond traditional visual art and applied her eye for design to handmade hats and other forms of wearable art.
How June Baranco Met Bryant Gumbel
June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel met when they were young adults, before Bryant became one of America’s best-known television journalists. Published accounts indicate that their relationship developed during the early period of Bryant’s professional life. They eventually decided to build a future together and married on December 1, 1973. Because much of their early relationship took place before Bryant achieved national fame, detailed public information about their courtship remains limited. Their marriage would eventually last for more than 27 years and cover major changes in Bryant’s broadcasting career and their family life.
Who Is Bryant Gumbel?
Bryant Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster who became a major figure in national broadcasting. Born on September 29, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana, he began his television career in sports before moving into broader news and interview programs.
He became especially famous as a longtime co-host of NBC’s Today, where he worked from 1982 until 1997. He later became closely associated with HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. His successful career brought considerable public attention to his family, including his then-wife, June Baranco.
Marriage and Family Life
June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel married in 1973 and spent more than two decades together as husband and wife. During those years, Bryant’s broadcasting career grew rapidly and eventually made him a nationally recognized television personality. The couple built a family and had two children while dealing with the demands that came with his busy professional schedule.
June generally maintained a much lower public profile than her husband. Although she became known to the public because of the marriage, she continued to have her own interests in art, sewing, design, and other forms of creative expression.
June Baranco’s Children
June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel have two children, a son named Bradley Christopher Gumbel and a daughter named Jillian Beth Gumbel. Both grew up while their father was becoming one of the most familiar personalities on American television. June’s role as a mother formed an important part of her family life during the marriage.
Her daughter Jillian would also later play an indirect role in an important change in June’s creative career. Preparing for Jillian’s 2011 wedding encouraged June to explore hat making more seriously, eventually helping lead to her work as a milliner.
Divorce from Bryant Gumbel
After more than 27 years of marriage, June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel ended their relationship through divorce. Their marital problems became the subject of media coverage, partly because Bryant was such a prominent television figure. Contemporary reports discussed personal disagreements and allegations surrounding the breakdown of their marriage.
The divorce was finalized in August 2001. Because some details were disputed or deeply personal, they should be treated carefully rather than presented as facts. The divorce ended a relationship that had begun before Bryant’s rise to national fame and lasted through much of his broadcasting success.
Life After Divorce
Following her divorce from Bryant Gumbel, June Baranco continued building a life centered more clearly on her own interests and family. Her artistic background remained important, particularly her work with painting and design. Unlike Bryant, June did not pursue a career that required constant television appearances or widespread media attention. Public information about her personal life after the divorce is therefore limited.
What is better documented is her continued interest in creative work. Over time, she found another way to use the artistic skills she had developed since childhood by moving into the specialized craft of designing and making hats.
Geaux Chapeaux and Millinery Career
June’s move into millinery grew from preparations for her daughter Jillian’s wedding in 2011. While searching for suitable headwear, she became interested in making hats herself. She studied vintage designs, examined how hats were constructed, and began collecting millinery materials.
This interest developed into Geaux Chapeaux, a name that reflects her Louisiana roots through the familiar Cajun-style spelling of “go.” Hat making allowed June to combine sewing, design, texture, and color with her fine-art background. The project became another chapter in a creative life that had already included decades of painting.
Where Is June Baranco Now?
June Baranco has maintained a relatively private public profile in recent years. She has longstanding connections to both New York and her native Louisiana, but reliable current information about her exact residence and everyday activities is limited. For that reason, claims about precisely where she lives today should be treated carefully.
Her publicly documented story continues to center on her family, fine-art background, painting, and millinery work. There is also no reliable public figure for June Baranco’s current net worth. Her private approach makes confirmed information about her recent personal and financial life relatively scarce.
Conclusion
June Baranco’s story extends well beyond her marriage to Bryant Gumbel. Her life includes formal fine-art education, painting, motherhood, sewing, and the later development of her interest in millinery. She graduated from Louisiana State University in 1971 and maintained ties to the creative interests she developed when she was young.
Her marriage to Bryant lasted from 1973 until their divorce in 2001, and they raised two children together. Later, her daughter’s wedding helped inspire her work with Geaux Chapeaux. Today, June remains a relatively private figure with a documented creative background of her own.
(FAQs)
Who is June Baranco?
June Baranco is an American artist and milliner. She is also known as the former wife of television journalist Bryant Gumbel. She studied fine art and later developed her interest in handmade hats.
What does June Baranco do?
June Baranco has a background in fine art and has worked with painting, including oil and pastel. She later became interested in millinery and developed Geaux Chapeaux, combining art, sewing, and hat design.
When did June Baranco marry Bryant Gumbel?
June Baranco married Bryant Gumbel on December 1, 1973. Their marriage lasted for more than 27 years and covered much of Bryant’s rise to national fame as a television journalist and broadcaster.
How many children does June Baranco have?
June Baranco has two children with Bryant Gumbel. Their son is Bradley Christopher Gumbel, and their daughter is Jillian Beth Gumbel. June largely kept her family life outside the public spotlight.
When did June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel divorce?
June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel’s divorce was finalized in August 2001 after more than 27 years of marriage. Their separation received media attention because Bryant was already a nationally recognized television personality.
What is Geaux Chapeaux?
Geaux Chapeaux is associated with June Baranco’s work as a milliner. Her interest in serious hat making developed around her daughter Jillian’s 2011 wedding and allowed her to combine sewing with her artistic background.
