Former Stutterer John Stossel Weighs In on ‘King’s Speech’

Ever since The King’s Speech took the Oscar for best picture, reporters have been asking John Stossel to weigh in.

The broadcast journalist who spent two decades with 20/20 at ABC before joining Fox Business Network has dealt with a stuttering problem — much like the lead character in King’s Speech — since childhood, and reporters want his story.

Stossel was on Mike Gallagher’s syndicated talk-radio show recently giving the film a tentative thumbs-up but warning that those who stutter might find the movie too painful because it will bring back humiliating memories.

On Wednesday, Stossel penned a column acknowledging reporters’ renewed interest in his speech problem and laid out how he went from someone who stammered and dreaded public speaking to becoming an Emmy-winning broadcaster.

Stossel began his TV career at KGW-TV in Oregon as a researcher, and one day was forced to cover a fire, he wrote in the article. He accomplished the task by avoiding words starting with positive sounds, like D, G and B.

He was made a live broadcaster on some days, and he was so fearful of stuttering on air that he quit.

He credits a three-week clinic in Roanoke, Va., at the Hollins Communications Research Center for finally helping him manage his stuttering — he says he’s not “cured” — and he hasn’t shut up since.