Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan reflect on the ups and downs of this major milestone.
NEW YORK – The co-anchors of ABC’s “Good Morning America” are ready to throw a party. The show will celebrate its 50th anniversary on November 3rd.
Robin Roberts is proud of the show’s mission, and it’s all summed up in the title. “This is a great name for the show,” the co-anchor says. “We’re trying to say to the people watching, ‘We’re going to find the good, and it’s an honor to do everything we can to make someone’s day.'”
The tone will be to celebrate the show’s anniversary, and fortunately, the anchors and staff have a little bit of party experience. In at least one case, a “flashy” party was held at the apartment.
An unforgettable party took place 13 years ago. Roberts had just taken a break from the show after doctors diagnosed her with myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of cancer. The day after she took leave, Roberts’ mother, Lucilirian Tolliver, died. When Roberts returned to New York to prepare for a bone marrow transplant, her colleagues, including co-anchor George Stephanopoulos, were determined to lift her spirits.
“It was exactly what I needed. All we did was laugh and have a good time,” Roberts, 64, recalls. “I remember George bringing his two little girls. Ali[Wentworth]was out, so George brought the girls. It meant a lot.”
“We learn to trust each other,” Stephanopoulos, 64, says of his relationships with his Good Morning America colleagues, including Michael Strahan, who joined as co-anchor in 2016. “When they need you, if they need you, you’re there. You don’t necessarily have to impose yourself on them. But I think we all know that we’re all there for each other in more or less ways. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed it.” (A line in the show) Sometimes Robin or Michael picked it up, and vice versa. ”
Stephanopoulos, who worked in the Clinton administration before starting his journalism career, joined Roberts at the GMA anchor desk in December 2009. The co-anchor revealed that the most memorable moment on the show was when Mr Roberts returned from a bone marrow transplant in 2013.
“That was, for me, the most fun moment ever on the show, because it felt like a family reunion, both in the studio and connecting with the audience,” he says. “And the first time she said ‘Good morning America,’ it was a blast.”
Looking back on the 2013 broadcast, Roberts says, “It was a day where I didn’t know what was going to happen,” while holding back tears. She said that in addition to the live studio audience and colleagues, Roberts’ sisters and doctors welcomed her back. “I was proud to be able to show people, let me be a living example that this too shall pass.”
50-year-old ‘upstart’ celebrates golden jubilee
Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Briar Center for Television and Popular Culture, was 16 years old when “Good Morning America” aired in 1975. The “Today” show began in 1952.
“I still think of Good Morning America as a young upstart,” Thompson jokes. “When Good Morning America started, the Today show was almost a quarter-century old.” By comparison, GMA was “a challenger, a newcomer to the Today show.”
These days, “GMA” acts more as a champion than a challenger to its competitors. “Good Morning America” finished the 2024-2025 television season as the most-watched morning news program for the 13th consecutive year, averaging more than 2.6 million viewers per day, about 400,000 more than rival NBC, according to Nielsen data reported by AdWeek. The competition for the 25- to 54-year-old demographic that advertisers covet is fierce, with Today winning the latest round. 3rd place goes to CBS.
“Good Morning America” began on November 3, 1975, with actors David Hartman and Nancy Dussault as co-hosts. Dussault was replaced in April 1977 by Sandy Hill, who joined the program from ABC’s Los Angeles station. Hill remained in that position until 1980. Her departure cleared the way for Joanne Landen, then a reporter for ABC’s local New York station, to take her place. By 1986, Lunden was promoted to co-anchor. The following year, Hartman retired and Landen was paired with Charles Gibson.
Thompson calls the period from 1987 to 1997 a “definitive” era for “GMA” because the show spent most of that decade at the top of the ratings. Landen left in 1997, and Gibson followed a year later, returning in 1999 to team with Diane Sawyer. These two will bring further success to the show and have influence throughout the newsroom.
‘GMA’ anchor recalls history-making moments during difficult times
In 2002, Gibson and Sawyer took the helm of Good Morning America, and contributor Robin Roberts was promoted to news anchor. Roberts recalls two pieces of advice Sawyer gave her.
“She told me to always be curious,” Roberts says. “Another thing she said was, ‘Always strive for the stories you’re doing to create an actionable response.'” And I’ve never forgotten that.
“She was never intimidating and always welcoming,” Roberts continues. In 2006, the two became morning television’s first all-female anchor team. “People tell me not to meet my heroes. I’m glad I met her. She was exactly what I thought she was.”
Gibson also left his mark on Stephanopoulos in particular.
“I got some tough love from people like Charlie, Ted Koppel, and Peter Jennings,” the co-anchor recalls of his former colleagues at ABC News. “They were a little skeptical that someone from a political background could be an objective journalist, but they gave me a chance to prove I could do it.”
Strahan also started as an outsider and won a Super Bowl during a 15-season Hall of Fame career with the NFL’s New York Giants. But even as Mr. Strahan sits down with world leaders, Mr. Stephanopoulos fails to convey the tough love he received from his predecessors.
“He’s in the Hall of Fame for a reason,” Stephanopoulos says of Strahan. “He’s a real professional. Michael knows what he’s doing.”
Behind the scenes at the new “Good Morning America” studio
“Good Morning America” recently moved from its towering studio overlooking Times Square to a shinier building farther from downtown Tribeca. Midway through a commercial break, the cameraman repositions for the next block and Strahan, Roberts and Stephanopoulos are talking with reporter Will Reeve (son of the late actor Christopher Reeve) about the show’s viral video segment called “Today’s Play.” This video was taken of a beloved dog who served as an official witness at his owner’s wedding. It spurs a conversation about Reeve’s upcoming wedding. Strahan teases Reeve if it’s okay, insisting that his fiancée, Amanda, have a dog in their wedding party. The former NFL star then turned his attention to Stephanopoulos.
“Now you will do not have Stand up to your wife! ” Strahan joked to Stephanopoulos, telling him he should stand his ground.
“oh, you give myself jokes Stephanopoulos, who has been married to Wentworth for nearly 24 years. The studio erupted in laughter. In true mother hen fashion, Roberts quickly interjected, “Michael!” before things escalated further. The stage manager counted the group’s entrance from the intermission, and Strahan was tasked with introducing the corner.
“If only you could see what happens during commercial breaks around here,” he ad-libbed, his entire desk still covered in stitches. “Back to the topic, today’s play.” Take the heat off your back. ”
Executive producer Simone Swink says the trio’s sense of humor was one of the ways they were able to connect with viewers. She mentioned a recent episode of the YouTube series “Hot Ones” that the anchors recorded together.
“You see the chemistry, the camaraderie, the willingness to hurt each other, but you also see how they support each other,” Swink says. “That’s really important on-air and off-air.”
Strahan experienced that from Roberts before he landed at the “Good Morning America” desk. “Live! ” while co-hosting the event. Along with Kelly Ripa, Strahan attended his first Oscar Awards. Roberts, who was hosting the ABC interview, called out to him on the red carpet.
“She looked at me and said, ‘Are you scared?’ And I said, ‘To the death of me,’ and she said, ‘You belong here. I come from a sports background, too, so trust me, you belong here.'” And those simple words alone helped me in that moment, and many other moments as well. And Robin gave me the confidence that I deserved that red carpet and that I deserved GMA. ”
Strahan also credited Stephanopoulos with helping him grow, saying that sitting with him was like witnessing a “master’s degree in journalism.”
“One of the things I always say to George is, ‘Hey, if I have to do a really tough interview about something, I don’t want to talk to you,’ because George is very candid,” Strahan says. “That’s what I like and what I learned.”
