Thursday morning was rough. Woke up to a text that really ticked me off, and then I overreacted in my response and made it worse.
I decided to jump in my truck and go to the office. It was around 8:20 a.m. I never go to the office that early.
Clicked on 700 WLW, Thom Brennaman’s show. Is that Chris Seelbach talking? On Thom Brennaman’s show? And they’re having a light, positive discussion? No way.
They were talking about their love for rescuing and adopting dogs.
Made my day. For many reasons.
Two guys on opposite sides of the political spectrum finding common ground. We need more of that.
Two guys who’ve had to reinvent themselves after unceremonious endings to their previous careers, now thriving. Follow your passion and don’t give up.
One guy who once said something horrible about a community of which the other guy advocates now in the same room together, sharing about their deep passion for fostering and adopting pets. Forgiveness.
Neither Brennaman nor Seelbach may have realized the deeper impact of their short chat, beyond their hope that folks will consider adopting a dog or cat from the SPCA Cincinnati. But as someone who knows them and has followed their careers, this was a nice moment.
Look, these guys aren’t besties, and that’s OK. There’s a transactional nature between a radio show host and a guest, and that’s business. And most likely, listeners didn’t make the connection to Brennaman’s and Seelbach’s history. That’s OK, too.
But dang it, good for them. As someone who struggles at times with holding grudges and can get down the rabbit hole of negative real quick, thank you, Thom and Chris. You guys made me think about what’s important, well beyond the fact that I also love dogs.
I hate to even bring up their history and politics, but context is necessary.
Brennaman is a big Donald Trump supporter. Seelbach is a progressive Democrat. They are both outspoken about their political beliefs.
Brennaman lost his dream job calling Cincinnati Reds and NFL games on television nearly six years ago after voicing a homophobic slur into a hot mic. Seelbach is openly gay. He was a Cincinnati City Councilman at the time and publicly blasted Brennaman, who never returned to call Reds games on their then-network affiliate Fox Sports Ohio.
Brennaman spent a lot of time apologizing, meeting with leaders in the LGBTQ community to gain a better understanding. I believe he and Seelbach met. Brennaman fought hard to get his career back, never giving up on the fact that he’d not only get back to broadcasting, but do so as a genuinely changed man.
Lots of media companies said no. Then the CW Network hired Brennaman to call college games in 2024, four years to the month after he uttered that awful, three-letter f-word. And then Brennaman got his big break when WLW hired him to do its popular weekday morning show in April 2025. He’s kicking butt weaving back-and-forth between news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, traffic and weather weekdays from 5-9 a.m.
Seelbach never got fired from his dream job. He was term-limited off City Council in 2022, following a decade at City Hall. The latter years were tumultuous for Seelbach, who’d become known for his nasty tweets, being part of a text-messaging scandal and disdain for then-Mayor John Cranley. Seelbach’s reputation had taken a hit by all that.
But Seelbach got back to being who he truly is after leaving the City Hall cesspool – a passionate and caring advocate. He loves animals. He followed his passion to care for them. Seelbach was hired to lead the Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic in 2023. He parlayed that into being hired as president and CEO of SPCA Cincinnati, where he’s doing great work helping to get abandoned and neglected dogs and cats into loving homes.
Best part about Brennaman and Seelbach? They’re both happy. And that rubbed off on me – and I’m sure it also does for the thousands of Greater Cincinnatians they interact with in their jobs.
Great work, guys.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Thom Brennaman, Chris Seelbach find common ground | Williams
Reporting by Jason Williams, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Jason Williams, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
