If you think 17 elite NFL seasons define Tony Gonzalez, think again. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has spent his second act mastering just about everything: writing books, launching businesses, acting in films, and breaking down plays on national TV. He even took a spin in the audio world with his 2019 podcast, “Wide Open with Tony Gonzalez.” Now, hitting the big 5-0 milestone, Gonzalez is taking those polished media skills into a brand-new venture. Only this time, he’s teaming up with a very special co-host: his wife, October “Tobie” Gonzalez.
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“Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and October ‘Tobie’ Gonzalez are opening the doors on 20+ years of love, marriage, parenting, and life in the public eye, ” a post on the official Instagram account of the newly announced podcast read. “From the conversations couples usually have behind closed doors to the topics everyone has an opinion on — nothing is off limits. No Safe Words with October & Tony Gonzalez launches September 1. 🎙️🔥 Follow along. You’re going to want to hear this. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.”
Leo Gomez, who heads iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network, sees something special in what the Gonzalezes bring to the table. He described their bond as built on “honesty, growth and authenticity,” adding that pairing them up “creates something truly rare, and potentially as iconic as the two of them.”
After 19 years together, Tony and October learned a thing or two about making a marriage work. Now, they’re ready to pull back the curtain on their own.
“Relationships aren’t something you just get lucky with,” as the couple put it. “They’re actively built through constant hard work every single day with your partner, across all areas.”
They added that being open about difficult subjects has helped strengthen their relationship, while acknowledging they are still learning about communication themselves. Each episode, the couple will sit down with other well-known pairs to talk about love, parenting, and all the messy, real stuff in between. Expect the conversations to feel raw and genuine, not scripted.
“I hope that listeners have a good time, that it’s entertaining, fun, and that they learn something,” Gonzalez says. “We’ve done counseling, raised four kids together, and co-parented. We’ve been married a long time in this industry, and we’re pretty proud of that. We’ve realized you have to take it one day at a time.”
New episodes of No Safe Words with October and Tony Gonzalez drop every Tuesday starting September 1.
Honestly, this isn’t the first time the couple has joined forces on air. Across the 33-episode run of his Wide Open podcast, Tony brought October on for an episode dedicated entirely to candidly discussing the ups and downs of marriage.
“Marriage is what brings us together, though that doesn’t mean it’s always easy,” Tony said in the introduction of that episode. “In the second solo episode of Wide Open, I’m joined by my wife, October Gonzalez, for an intimate and fun conversation about the wonderfully winding road that is marriage.”
While their podcast promises fresh relationship insights, their own backstory is where that foundation was built.
The couple first crossed paths at a Newport Beach bar in California, where October was working. Though she initially turned him down because she was in a relationship, destiny had other plans, and the two eventually began dating.
Born in Southern California to a musical family, October’s father is Redbone musician Pat Vegas. However, she built her own multifaceted career as a TV personality, philanthropist, and actress before stepping into the podcast studio. By the time they held their 2007 commitment ceremony, Tony was already dad to his eldest son, Nicco (born from his previous relationship with media personality Lauren Sánchez).
Over nearly two decades together, Tony and October built a thriving blended family of their own, raising three children: daughter Malia and son River, who are 16 and 14 respectively, and toddler Sophia. Along with that, October being Nicco’s stepmom from the start has given the pair plenty of real-world practice. Those hard-earned lessons on co-parenting, communication, and family life are set to be front and center as they welcome guest couples to their new podcast venture.