The first on-air promo for Friday's broadcast interview with Bruce Jenner didn't even show his face, an illustration of the line ABC News is walking in trying to drum up interest for the program while saying virtually nothing about it, the Associated Press reported.
The two-hour interview special, conducted by Diane Sawyer, airs at 9 p.m. on Friday. The 1976 Olympic decathlon champion and estranged patriarch of television's Kardashian clan is expected to touch on transgenderism and reports that he may be transitioning to a woman.
"In producing this special, one of our goals has been to respect Bruce's story," ABC News spokesman Van Scott told the Associated Press. "We want Bruce to speak for Bruce. We've had this top of mind throughout the process from the booking and interviews to the promotion and final product."
Here are some facts to know about Jenner before Friday's interview.
- October 28, 1949: Born in Mount Kisco, New York.
- 1972: Finished 10th place at 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.
- 1976: Won gold medal in decathlon at 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. Jenner appeared on Wheaties boxes and became a spokesman for the cereal brand.
- 1980s: Made movie and TV appearances including "CHiPs."
- 1986: Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame.
- 1991: Married Kris Jenner, a Kardashian. They had two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. Jenner became the stepfather from Kris' previous marriage to Kim, Kourtney, Robert, Khloe and Rob. Bruce and Kris separated in 2013. Jenner was married twice previously. He had four children from those two marriages.
- Jenner was on "The Weakest Link" in 2002 and "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!" in 2003.
- Since 2007, Jenner starred in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."
- In Februrary 2015, Jenner was involved in a serious crash in Malibu, California that killed one person. Jenner was not hurt. Friday's interview was conducted before Jenner was involved in the accident, the Associated Press reported.
*Facts were obtained from online sources.
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