Meet Nate Burleson, 'CBS Mornings' New Co-Host (Exclusive)

The NFL player-turned broadcaster joins Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil on the morning show.

"There's so much about Nate Burleson that people don't know," the new CBS Mornings co-host told ET, but audiences are about to get to know him. It was revealed last month that the former football player would be joining Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil on the morning show. 

In an interview with ET on Tuesday, the trio opened up about kicking off their new season -- and how Burleson has seamlessly fit into the group. 

"Being with these two, Gayle is incredible, [and] as soon as I met Tony, it was like that scene from Step Brothers," Burleson shared. "It was like, 'Did we just become best friends?'" 

"We've been joking since Day 1 that we're like Wesley [Snipes] and Woody [Harrelson] from White Men Can't Jump," Dokoupil added. 

There's clearly already camaraderie among the group, as Dokoupil couldn't help but sing Burleson's praises. 

"He's a father, he's a husband, he's a former NFL player," Dokoupil listed off. 

"I like leading with the father and husband," King interjected. "I like that." 

"He's an Emmy award winner," Dokoupil continued, "and as we learned just today -- in fact, we learned all kinds of secrets -- he has a tattoo of the Space Needle somewhere on his body." 

"It's on my ribcage," confirmed Burleson, who previously played for the Seattle Seahawks. "It's not in a place that I wouldn't tell you." 

Fans of Burleson may know him from his time on the Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings or Detroit Lions -- or for his transition to TV. In addition to working on CBS Mornings, he will continue being an analyst for CBS Sports' The NFL Today.

"At first glance, it's the football player. I've been working in entertainment, so [I'm] just an athlete who has transitioned into TV, but there's so much more to me," Burleson told ET. "It's not that I'm bringing so much to this show that hasn't been before, but I'm bringing a uniqueness and that's gonna add to the greatness that already is." 

"And I'm not just talking about these two," he said of King and Dokoupil. "There is a complete team -- we're talking correspondents, hosts, all the way through the weekend -- and that's what I love about CBS Mornings is that they're a symmetry, a common thread between what we do, which is true journalism and then the stories that we tell." 

King couldn't agree more. "To pick up on what Nate said, the continuation of what CBS does best we think is original storytelling and we like to say exquisite reporting." 

"That's how we like to start the day. We don't want you to feel that you wasted your time. And Nate does bring a different energy, a different flavor if you will, dare I say swagger," she quipped. "It's the first time that I've come to this show wondering, 'I wonder what Nate's gonna wear.'" 

"So, it's already fun," King expressed. "You can't fake chemistry!" 

CBS Mornings airs weekdays at 7 a.m. See Burleson give ET a tour of the new studio in the video player above. 

 

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