History of George Stephanopoulos in Timeline

George Stephanopoulos is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. He co-anchors Good Morning America and hosts ABC's This Week. He is a prominent figure in American political media, known for his roles both in front of and behind the camera.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

February 10, 1961: George Stephanopoulos Born

On February 10, 1961, George Robert Stephanopoulos was born. He is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor.

Others born on this day/year

1965: Reference to 1965 Supreme Court Ruling

On January 7, 2012, during a debate, George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asked Mitt Romney whether he believes the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn a 1965 ruling.

1978: Graduation from Orange High School

In 1978, George Stephanopoulos graduated from Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio, after moving to the eastern suburbs of Cleveland.

1982: Graduation from Columbia University

In 1982, George Stephanopoulos received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science summa cum laude from Columbia University and was the salutatorian of his class. During his time at Columbia, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year and was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship. He also worked as a sports broadcaster for 89.9 WKCR-FM.

1984: Earning Master of Arts in Theology

In 1984, George Stephanopoulos earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Balliol College at the University of Oxford in England, as a Rhodes Scholar.

1988: Work on Dukakis Presidential Campaign

In 1988, George Stephanopoulos worked on the Michael Dukakis U.S. presidential campaign.

September 1991: First Meeting with Bill Clinton

In September 1991, George Stephanopoulos first met Bill Clinton, marking the beginning of their association.

1992: Communications Director for Clinton's Presidential Campaign

In 1992, George Stephanopoulos rose to prominence as a communications director for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

1992: Leading Member of Clinton's Presidential Campaign

In 1992, George Stephanopoulos, along with David Wilhelm and James Carville, was a leading member of Bill Clinton's U.S. presidential campaign.

1993: Portrayal in The War Room

In 1993, George Stephanopoulos's role in Clinton's 1992 campaign was portrayed in the documentary film "The War Room", which was eventually nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award.

February 25, 1994: Conference Call Regarding Madison Guaranty Investigation

On February 25, 1994, George Stephanopoulos and Harold Ickes had a conference call with Roger Altman to discuss the Resolution Trust Corporation's choice of Republican lawyer Jay Stephens to head the Madison Guaranty investigation and whether Stephens could be removed.

October 1994: Appearance on Friends

In October 1994, George Stephanopoulos was referenced in the fourth episode of the first season of the NBC television series "Friends", titled "The One with George Stephanopoulos", where the female characters spy on him after receiving his pizza by mistake.

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1994: Commercial Real Estate Deal

In 1994, George Stephanopoulos signed an $835,000 commercial real estate deal with a below-market loan rate from a bank owned by Hugh McColl.

1994: Efforts to Discredit Paula Jones

In 1994, after Paula Jones accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment, George Stephanopoulos and James Carville sought to discredit her allegations. Stephanopoulos also successfully sought to keep Jones' news conference off television.

1995: Arrest for Traffic Incident

In 1995, George Stephanopoulos was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving with an expired license and license plates after a collision with a parked vehicle in Washington, D.C.

1995: Inspiration for The American President

In 1995, Michael J. Fox's character, Lewis Rothschild, in the film "The American President" was modeled after George Stephanopoulos.

December 1996: Departure from White House

In December 1996, George Stephanopoulos departed from his role as senior advisor for policy and strategy in the White House.

1996: Resignation from Clinton Administration

In 1996, George Stephanopoulos resigned from the Clinton administration shortly after Clinton was re-elected. He is credited with being among the first inside the White House to recognize the damage the Lewinsky affair could cause.

1996: Inspiration for Primary Colors

In 1996, George Stephanopoulos served as the inspiration for the character of Henry Burton in Joe Klein's novel "Primary Colors".

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics

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1998: Portrayal in Primary Colors film

In 1998, Adrian Lester portrayed the character Henry Burton in the film adaptation of "Primary Colors", which was inspired by George Stephanopoulos.

1999: Defamation Lawsuit by Gennifer Flowers

In 1999, George Stephanopoulos and James Carville were sued for defamation by Gennifer Flowers due to comments Stephanopoulos made about her allegations of an affair with Bill Clinton. The suit was dismissed.

1999: Publication of All Too Human: A Political Education

In 1999, George Stephanopoulos's memoir, "All Too Human: A Political Education", was published and quickly became a number-one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. In the book, Stephanopoulos spoke of his depression and how his face broke out into hives due to the pressures of conveying the Clinton White House message.

All Too Human: A Political Education

Check it on Amazon

2000: Most Wanted Bachelor

In 2000, George Stephanopoulos was featured in People magazine's "Most Wanted" list as one of the nineties' most eligible non-Hollywood bachelors, alongside George Clooney.

2001: Marriage to Ali Wentworth

In 2001, George Stephanopoulos married Ali Wentworth, an actress, comedian, and writer, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City.

September 2002: Host of This Week

In September 2002, George Stephanopoulos became the host of "This Week".

2002: Birth of First Daughter

In 2002, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth welcomed their first daughter.

2003: Keynote Speaker at Columbia University

In 2003, George Stephanopoulos returned to Columbia University, his alma mater, as the keynote speaker at Columbia College's Class Day.

December 2005: Named Chief Washington Correspondent

In December 2005, ABC News officially named George Stephanopoulos "Chief Washington Correspondent".

2005: Birth of Second Daughter

In 2005, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth had their second daughter.

2005: Offered This Week Host Job

In 2005, George Stephanopoulos was offered the "This Week" host job after the program's ratings declined.

May 2007: Honorary Doctor of Laws

In May 2007, George Stephanopoulos received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from St. John's University in New York City.

April 16, 2008: Co-Moderation of Democratic Presidential Debate

On April 16, 2008, George Stephanopoulos co-moderated the Democratic Party presidential debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton with Charles Gibson. They were criticized for focusing on campaign controversies rather than issues.

2008: Launch of George's Bottom Line Blog

During the 2008 presidential election campaign, George Stephanopoulos launched a blog called George's Bottom Line on the ABC News website, where he blogged about political news and analysis.

January 11, 2009: "This Week" Beats "Meet the Press"

On January 11, 2009, George Stephanopoulos interviewed president-elect Barack Obama and "This Week" beat "Meet the Press".

December 14, 2009: Began Co-anchoring GMA

On December 14, 2009, George Stephanopoulos began co-anchoring "Good Morning America".

December 2009: Offered Good Morning America Job

In December 2009, George Stephanopoulos was offered Diane Sawyer's job on "Good Morning America".

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2009: Spoke at Tri-C Presidential Scholarship Luncheon

In 2009, George Stephanopoulos spoke at the annual Tri-C Presidential Scholarship Luncheon held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and praised Cuyahoga Community College.

January 10, 2010: Last Broadcast as Permanent Host of This Week

On January 10, 2010, George Stephanopoulos announced that that would be his last broadcast as the permanent host of "This Week".

2010: Attended Dinner Party at Jeffrey Epstein's Home

In 2010, George Stephanopoulos attended a dinner party at the home of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

December 2011: Return as Host of This Week

In December 2011, it was announced that George Stephanopoulos would return as host of "This Week" after Christiane Amanpour left the show.

January 7, 2012: Co-moderator of Debate

On January 7, 2012, George Stephanopoulos was the co-moderator of a debate among Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

2012: Donation to Clinton Foundation

In 2012, George Stephanopoulos donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

2013: Donation to Clinton Foundation

In 2013, George Stephanopoulos donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

2013: Appearance in House of Cards

In 2013, George Stephanopoulos played himself in an episode of the television series "House of Cards".

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August 2014: Chief Anchor at ABC News

Following Diane Sawyer's departure from World News, in August 2014, George Stephanopoulos was the Chief Anchor at ABC News while retaining his roles on GMA and This Week.

2014: Donation to Clinton Foundation

In 2014, George Stephanopoulos donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

2014: Appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In 2014, George Stephanopoulos played himself in the "Shadows" episode of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.".

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April 26, 2015: Interview with Peter Schweizer

On April 26, 2015, George Stephanopoulos interviewed Peter Schweizer, the author of Clinton Cash, without disclosing his donations to the Clinton Foundation.

May 14, 2015: Exposure of Donations to Clinton Foundation

On May 14, 2015, after exposure of the donations by Politico, George Stephanopoulos apologized and admitted he should have disclosed the donations to ABC News and its viewers.

February 2016: Withdrawal from Moderating Debate

In February 2016, George Stephanopoulos agreed to drop out as a moderator of the scheduled Republican presidential primary debate due to concerns about bias and conflict of interest.

September 2016: Featured on Greek Postage Stamp

In September 2016, George Stephanopoulos was featured on a €1 Greek postage stamp, alongside other notable Greek-Americans.

July 2019: Backlash Following Epstein's Arrest

Following Jeffrey Epstein's arrest in July 2019, the guest list of a 2010 dinner party at his home was reported online, with those attending receiving backlash. George Stephanopoulos denied being friends with Epstein, with the party being the only encounter.

2020: End of Tenure as Chief Anchor at ABC News

George Stephanopoulos ended his tenure as Chief Anchor at ABC News in 2020, while retaining his roles on GMA and This Week.

2021: Deal to Stay with ABC

In 2021, George Stephanopoulos signed a deal to stay with ABC.

2021: Portrayal in Impeachment: American Crime Story

In 2021, George Stephanopoulos was portrayed by George H. Xanthis in two episodes of "Impeachment: American Crime Story", the third season of the FX true-crime anthology television series.

July 2022: Mention in Loot

In July 2022, George Stephanopoulos was mentioned in episode 4 of season 1 of the TV show "Loot", where the main character Molly Novak expresses a desire to pretend he is her husband.

March 19, 2024: Defamation Lawsuit Filed by Donald Trump

On March 19, 2024, Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit in Florida against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for an undisclosed sum, triggered by Stephanopoulos' remarks on the March 10th airing of 'This Week' concerning the E. Jean Carroll case.

July 2024: Motion to Dismiss Denied

In July 2024, Judge Cecilia Altonaga denied a motion to dismiss the defamation suit brought by Donald Trump against George Stephanopoulos, asserting that the technical definition used in the New York case did not fully examine the jury's findings of "sexual abuse."

December 14, 2024: Lawsuit Settlement

On December 14, 2024, George Stephanopoulos and ABC News settled the defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump, agreeing to pay $15 million to Trump's presidential library as a charitable donation, $1 million for Trump's legal fees, and issuing a public apology for false statements made during a March 10 interview.