Search for June Baranco and the first thing you’ll probably see is “Bryant Gumbel’s ex-wife.” It’s accurate, but it’s about the smallest part of her story. She is a Baton Rouge-born fine artist, a milliner, a mother of two, and the founder of a handmade hat studio. Her life reads less like a celebrity sidebar and more like a long, quiet lesson in reinvention.
June Baranco at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | June Baranco (professionally also June Gumbel) |
| Born | 1948, Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree in fine art, Louisiana State University (1971) |
| Profession | Fine artist and milliner |
| Business | Geaux Chapeaux Millinery |
| Former spouse | Bryant Gumbel (married 1973, divorced 2001) |
| Children | Bradley and Jillian |
Early Life in Baton Rouge
June grew up in Baton Rouge, where hats weren’t a fashion statement. They were just part of getting dressed for church, weddings, and celebrations. Her Aunt Eura, a seamstress, taught her to sew by hand when she was around eight or nine. On her tenth birthday, her parents gave her a sewing machine, and she reportedly still has it.
It’s a small detail, but it explains a lot. Long before she studied art or made a single hat, she was learning how fabric behaves, how a stitch holds, and how clothing makes a person feel.
Her Art Education at LSU
June went on to Louisiana State University and graduated in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in fine art. She has worked in oils, pastels, and printmaking, and her professional profile also lists pottery, stained glass, and clothing design. Her work has been shown in New York, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, and even Great Britain. She has also been involved with groups like the Salmagundi Club, the Portrait Society, and the Artist Fellowship.
So when people describe her art as something she “took up after the divorce,” that’s not quite right. The training and the commitment came first.
Meeting and Marrying Bryant Gumbel
According to a Sports Illustrated profile, June was an LSU student when she visited a friend in Chicago in 1968. That’s where she met the Gumbel family, and Bryant’s father, Richard, reportedly took a liking to her. Bryant was still early in his career then. They married on December 1, 1973, in Baton Rouge, years before he became a household name on NBC’s Today and later led HBO’s Real Sports.
The couple raised two children, Bradley and Jillian, in the New York area while his career took off. Like many partners of high-profile people, June spent years in the background, supporting a demanding life of early mornings, travel, and public attention.
The Divorce: What We Know (and Don’t)
The couple separated in the late 1990s, and the divorce dragged on for roughly four years. Coverage at the time called it bitter and very public. June made allegations of infidelity, and money and property became major points of dispute.
It’s worth being careful here. Those were claims made during a legal fight, not facts proven at a public trial, and later reports said the final agreement was sealed. The divorce was finalized in a Westchester County courtroom in August 2001. Bryant later married Hilary Quinlan in 2002.
What stands out is what June did next. She didn’t turn the experience into a media campaign. She went back to her work.
June Baranco’s Net Worth
Plenty of sites throw out dollar figures, but there’s no reliable, verified number for June Baranco’s net worth. Since the settlement was sealed and she has never discussed her finances publicly, any precise estimate is a guess. The honest answer is simply that it isn’t publicly known.
How a Wedding Started Geaux Chapeaux
Here’s the part of the story I find most charming. In 2011, while shopping for something to wear to her daughter Jillian’s wedding, June found the options expensive and, frankly, boring. So she decided to make her own.
She already owned vintage hats, so she took some apart to see how they were built. She collected blocks, ribbons, lace, feathers, fabrics, and specialty tools. By the second year she was making hats full time. She has said it made her happy, as though she had finally found what she was meant to be doing.
The name she chose, Geaux Chapeaux, says a lot about her. “Geaux” is the playful Louisiana spelling of “go,” and “chapeaux” is French for hats. It carries her Creole and Cajun roots right into the brand. Her studio is based in Westchester County, New York, and focuses on handmade hats, headpieces, and bridal millinery that blend vintage charm with a modern eye. She’s also listed as a member of the Milliners Guild.
Smithsonian Recognition
The biggest milestone yet may be the Smithsonian. A leather hat by milliner June Gumbel was featured in “More Than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids,” tied to the orchid show at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Smithsonian’s profile notes that she works with fabrics, feathers, and faux flowers to make one-of-a-kind pieces meant to help women feel beautiful, happy, and confident.
For someone so often defined by her marriage, seeing her own work presented by a major cultural institution is a meaningful moment.
What Her Story Teaches
- Old skills can find new uses. Childhood sewing, art school, and a love of vintage hats all eventually came together in millinery.
- Frustration can be a starting point. A disappointing shopping trip became a business.
- Reinvention doesn’t mean erasing the past. She kept painting while building her hat studio.
- Privacy is a choice. She never needed to share everything to build something meaningful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is June Baranco?
She’s an American fine artist and milliner from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the first wife of broadcaster Bryant Gumbel.
How old is June Baranco?
The Smithsonian lists her birth year as 1948, which makes her about 78 in 2026. Exact birthdays on biography sites aren’t reliably sourced.
Who is Bryant Gumbel’s ex-wife?
June Baranco, also known professionally as June Gumbel.
When did June Baranco and Bryant Gumbel divorce?
Their divorce was finalized in August 2001, after they married in 1973.
How many children do they have?
Two: Bradley and Jillian.
What does June Baranco do now?
She works as a fine artist and designs handmade hats through Geaux Chapeaux Millinery.
What is June Baranco’s net worth?
It hasn’t been publicly verified.
Final Thoughts
June Baranco’s story is easy to flatten into a headline, but the fuller version is better. A girl who learned to sew from her aunt became an LSU-trained artist, then a mother, then a milliner whose work reached the Smithsonian. Her marriage may explain why people first searched her name, but her art and her hats explain why they keep reading.
