"I work best when people are here to puncture me"
About this Quote
"Puncture" is a loaded verb. It suggests ego as an inflatable thing: useful for shape and lift, dangerous when overfilled. In entertainment, especially live and semi-live formats, the biggest risk isn't failure; it's self-seriousness. Bergeron's wry confession signals a professional ethic: stay porous, stay interruptible, let the room edit you in real time. It's also a subtle jab at the culture of the untouchable brand. He frames critique as collaboration, not threat.
Context matters: Bergeron comes out of an era of network hosting where timing, humility, and controlled chaos were the product. A host is a public personality designed to disappear between bigger moments, to be both the glue and the pressure valve. This line is him crediting the backstage ecosystem writers, producers, fellow performers, even hecklers who keep a polished persona from hardening into caricature.
The subtext is almost managerial: don't leave me alone with my confidence. In a media economy that rewards certainty, Bergeron pitches a different kind of authority the kind that stays sharp because it stays puncturable.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bergeron, Tom. (2026, January 16). I work best when people are here to puncture me. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-work-best-when-people-are-here-to-puncture-me-112902/
Chicago Style
Bergeron, Tom. "I work best when people are here to puncture me." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-work-best-when-people-are-here-to-puncture-me-112902/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I work best when people are here to puncture me." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-work-best-when-people-are-here-to-puncture-me-112902/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



