History of Good Morning America in Timeline
Good Morning America (GMA) is an American morning television program broadcast on ABC. It premiered on November 3, 1975, and expanded to weekends starting with a Sunday edition in 1993, which was later canceled and then revived as Saturday and Sunday editions in 2004. The weekday and Saturday programs air from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. across all U.S. time zones. Sunday editions are an hour long and broadcast live at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with updated feeds for the Pacific Time Zone. A third hour of the weekday broadcast was available on ABC News Now from 2007 to 2008.
January 6, 1975: Launch of AM America
On January 6, 1975, ABC launched AM America, hosted by Bill Beutel and Stephanie Edwards, with Peter Jennings reading the news, in an attempt to compete with NBC's Today.
November 3, 1975: Good Morning America Debut
On November 3, 1975, Good Morning America debuted on ABC, expanding the network's morning television programming.
November 1975: Geraldo Rivera joins Good Morning America
In November 1975, after Good Night America went off the air, Geraldo Rivera joined Good Morning America, while still working for ABC News and its other shows such as Nightline and 20/20.
1975: Title Dispute
In 1975, after ABC launched Good Morning America, WCVB station manager Bob Bennett accused ABC entertainment president Fred Silverman of deliberately stealing the title of Good Morning!.
August 30, 1976: Tom Brokaw Anchors Today
On August 30, 1976, Tom Brokaw began anchoring Today, leading to increased competition with Good Morning America.
April 1977: Sandy Hill Replaces Nancy Dussault
In April 1977, Sandy Hill replaced Nancy Dussault as co-host of Good Morning America.
1980: Sandy Hill Leaves GMA
In 1980, Sandy Hill left Good Morning America after run-ins with David Hartman and was replaced by Joan Lunden.
1982: John Coleman Leaves GMA
In 1982, John Coleman, the weather forecaster for Good Morning America, left the show to start The Weather Channel.
1983: Dave Murray Provides Weather Forecasts
From 1983 to 1986, Dave Murray provided weather forecasts for both Good Morning America and ABC's early morning news program ABC News This Morning.
August 1986: Spencer Christian Replaces Dave Murray
In August 1986, Spencer Christian replaced Dave Murray as the weather forecaster for Good Morning America and ABC News This Morning.
1986: Joan Lunden Promoted
In 1986, Joan Lunden was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America, gaining more equal footing with David Hartman.
1986: Jerry Hodak forecasts
Prior to Spencer Christian's arrival in 1986, Jerry Hodak provided forecasts on Good Morning America via a split screen between the WXYZ studios in Detroit and the Good Morning America set in New York City.
February 20, 1987: David Hartman's Retirement
On February 20, 1987, David Hartman retired from Good Morning America after 3,189 broadcasts.
February 23, 1987: Lunden and Gibson Team Up
On February 23, 1987, Joan Lunden was paired with Charles Gibson on Good Morning America, which led to increased ratings for the program.
1992: Good Morning America wins Daytime Emmy Award
In 1992, Good Morning America won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk/Service Show.
January 3, 1993: Sunday Edition Debut
On January 3, 1993, Good Morning America expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition.
1993: Good Morning America wins Daytime Emmy Award
In 1993, Good Morning America won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk/Service Show.
December 11, 1995: GMA Falls to Second Place
Good Morning America stumbled from its top spot in late 1995, falling to second place behind Today, beginning a 16-year streak for Today as the top-rated morning news program, starting the week of December 11, 1995.
1995: GMA Places Second
From 1995 to 2012, Good Morning America generally placed second in the ratings, behind NBC's Today.
1996: Lunden to host new show
In 1996, ABC executives promised Joan Lunden that a prime time program Behind Closed Doors would premiere on the network.
September 5, 1997: Lisa McRee Replaces Joan Lunden
On September 5, 1997, Joan Lunden stepped down as host of Good Morning America after 17 years and was replaced by Lisa McRee.
May 1, 1998: Kevin Newman Joins GMA
On May 1, 1998, Charles Gibson left Good Morning America to make way for Kevin Newman, leading to a decline in ratings.
January 1999: Shelley Ross implements changes
In January 1999, Shelley Ross ousted the McRee-Newman team and lobbied to bring in Diane Sawyer and team her with Charles Gibson.
January 18, 1999: Gibson and Sawyer Team Up
On January 18, 1999, the team of Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer debuted on Good Morning America, leading to a dramatic increase in viewership.
September 13, 1999: Move to Times Square Studios
On September 13, 1999, Good Morning America moved to its present home at the Times Square Studios.
1999: Sunday Edition Cancellation
In 1999, the Sunday edition of Good Morning America was canceled.
2001: Shelley Ross leaves GMA
From 2001 to 2009, according to Linda McLoof, executive director of news research at ABC News, "When Shelley left, her viewing momentum was initially sustained, but a season later, the audience began to decline. It is like passing the baton in a relay race."
2001: Live from the Pentagon
In 2001, Good Morning America broadcasted live from The Pentagon for the reopening of the wing damaged during the September 11 attacks.
March 18, 2002: Robin Roberts Replaces Antonio Mora
On March 18, 2002, Robin Roberts replaced Antonio Mora as newsreader for Good Morning America.
2002: Original Resemblance of GMA logo
In 2002 the GMA logo loosely resemble the new logo that was unveiled on June 16, 2025.
September 4, 2004: Weekend Editions Return
On September 4, 2004, weekend editions of Good Morning America returned on both Saturdays and Sundays.
May 23, 2005: Robin Roberts Promoted to Co-Anchor
On May 23, 2005, Robin Roberts was promoted from newsreader to co-anchor of Good Morning America, joining Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer.
November 3, 2005: 30th Anniversary Celebration
On November 3, 2005, Good Morning America celebrated its 30th anniversary with retrospectives, clips, and guests of honor, also becoming the first network morning news program to begin broadcasting in high-definition television.
December 2, 2005: Tony Perkins Leaves GMA
On December 2, 2005, Tony Perkins left Good Morning America after six years to return to his family in Washington, D.C., and join Fox owned-and-operated station WTTG.
June 28, 2006: Charles Gibson Leaves GMA
On June 28, 2006, Charles Gibson left Good Morning America for the second time to become anchor of ABC World News Tonight.
September 5, 2006: Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion Join Good Morning America
On September 5, 2006, Chris Cuomo became the news anchor and Sam Champion became the weather anchor for Good Morning America. The show also debuted a new graphics package and news area for Cuomo.
September 13, 2006: Good Morning America Introduces New Logo
On September 13, 2006, Good Morning America introduced a new logo featuring gold Avant Garde font on a blue background, resembling the original logo used up to 1987.
June 29, 2007: Death of Joel Siegel
On June 29, 2007, Joel Siegel, the longtime film critic for Good Morning America, passed away due to complications from colorectal cancer at the age of 63.
July 31, 2007: Robin Roberts Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis
On July 31, 2007, Robin Roberts announced her breast cancer diagnosis after discovering a lump during a self-examination while preparing a tribute episode for Joel Siegel.
October 22, 2007: Good Morning America Unveils New On-Air Graphics Package
On October 22, 2007, Good Morning America introduced a new on-air graphics package, featuring a more orangish-gold setting and new opening music by DreamArtists Studios. The news ticker and time-and-temperature bug were also updated.
2007: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2007, Good Morning America won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Morning Program", sharing the award with Today.
2007: Third Hour on ABC News Now
In 2007, a third hour of the weekday broadcast of Good Morning America aired exclusively on ABC News Now.
January 15, 2008: Diane Keaton's Comment on Diane Sawyer's Appearance
On January 15, 2008, during an interview on Good Morning America, actress Diane Keaton made a comment about Diane Sawyer's physical appearance, which led to an apology and no action from the FCC.
March 28, 2008: Robin Roberts Completes Radiation Treatments
On March 28, 2008, Robin Roberts completed her radiation treatments while remaining as anchor for Good Morning America.
September 2008: Good Morning America's "50 States in 50 Days" Tour
In September 2008, Good Morning America's anchors traveled by Amtrak train across the United States as part of ABC News's "50 States in 50 Days" event, broadcasting from different locations daily. The tour's first stop on air was in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and included a musical guest performance by James Taylor.
2008: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2008, Good Morning America won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Morning Program" outright.
2008: Third Hour Ended
In 2008, the third hour of the weekday broadcast of Good Morning America on ABC News Now ended.
June 26, 2009: Charles Gibson Returns to Good Morning America
On June 26, 2009, following the death of Michael Jackson, Charles Gibson returned to the Good Morning America anchor desk with Robin Roberts while Diane Sawyer was away.
September 2, 2009: Diane Sawyer to Anchor ABC World News
On September 2, 2009, ABC announced that Diane Sawyer would replace Charles Gibson as anchor of ABC World News at the end of the year.
December 10, 2009: George Stephanopoulos Named as Sawyer's Replacement
On December 10, 2009, George Stephanopoulos was announced as Diane Sawyer's replacement on Good Morning America, with Juju Chang replacing Chris Cuomo as newsreader, effective December 14.
2009: Linda McLoof leaves ABC News
From 2001 to 2009, Linda McLoof served as executive director of news research at ABC News.
2009: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2009, Good Morning America won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Morning Program" outright.
May 3, 2010: Good Morning America Debuts New Graphics and Theme Music
On May 3, 2010, Good Morning America debuted new "light blue and sunny" graphics and new theme music by DreamArtists Studios.
January 31, 2011: New Set Introduced for Good Morning America
On January 31, 2011, Good Morning America introduced an entirely new set. It was the first major set change since the show upgraded to high definition in November 2005.
February 25, 2011: James Goldston Becomes Senior Executive Producer
On February 25, 2011, James Goldston transitioned from Nightline to assume the role of Senior Executive Producer for Good Morning America.
March 17, 2011: Lara Spencer Rejoins Good Morning America
On March 17, 2011, ABC News President Ben Sherwood announced that former GMA national correspondent Lara Spencer would rejoin the program in May as a lifestyle anchor.
March 29, 2011: Josh Elliott Named News Anchor
On March 29, 2011, ESPN anchor Josh Elliott was named news anchor of Good Morning America, succeeding Juju Chang.
September 6, 2011: Good Morning America Broadcasts From New Studio
On September 6, 2011, Good Morning America began broadcasting from a new studio set on the first floor of the Times Square studios, featuring a back-projection of Times Square view.
April 1, 2012: Katie Couric Fills in for Robin Roberts
During the week of April 1, 2012, Katie Couric, recently joined ABC News, filled in for Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, marking her return to morning news after six years. Couric previously hosted Today from 1991 to 2006.
April 9, 2012: Good Morning America Beats Today in Ratings
During the week of April 9, 2012, Good Morning America surpassed Today in viewership for the first time in 16 years, ending Today's 852-week streak as the most-watched network morning news program.
April 2012: GMA Overtakes Today in Ratings
In April 2012, Good Morning America overtook Today in the ratings with anchors Roberts and Stephanopoulos.
April 16, 2012: Good Morning America Beats Today Again
During the week of April 16, 2012, Good Morning America beat Today in viewership for the second consecutive week, by a larger margin of 166,000 viewers.
July 9, 2012: Premiere of Good Afternoon America
On July 9, 2012, a special summer afternoon edition of Good Morning America, titled Good Afternoon America, premiered as a temporary replacement for the canceled talk/lifestyle show The Revolution in the 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time weekday slot.
August 30, 2012: Robin Roberts Takes Medical Leave
On August 30, 2012, Robin Roberts began a medical leave following her diagnosis with myelodysplastic syndrome and subsequent bone marrow transplant.
September 7, 2012: End of Good Afternoon America's limited run
On September 7, 2012, the limited-run program Good Afternoon America, which premiered on July 9, 2012, ended. It was hosted by Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer and originated from Times Square Studios.
January 14, 2013: Robin Roberts Announces Hope to Return in February
On January 14, 2013, Robin Roberts announced her hope to return to Good Morning America sometime in February following her medical leave.
February 20, 2013: Robin Roberts Returns to Good Morning America Part-Time
On February 20, 2013, Robin Roberts returned to Good Morning America on a part-time basis after her medical leave.
August 2013: Robin Roberts Announces Full-Time Return
In August 2013, Robin Roberts announced that she would return to full-time hosting duties on Good Morning America on September 3 of that year.
December 4, 2013: Sam Champion Departs Good Morning America
On December 4, 2013, Sam Champion left Good Morning America and ABC News to join The Weather Channel as primary anchor of America's Morning Headquarters.
March 30, 2014: Josh Elliott Leaves ABC News
On March 30, 2014, Josh Elliott departed from ABC News after three years as news anchor of Good Morning America to become a correspondent for NBC Sports. Amy Robach replaced him later that week.
April 15, 2014: Michael Strahan Joins Good Morning America as Contributing Anchor
On April 15, 2014, Michael Strahan was introduced as the new contributing anchor on Good Morning America, while maintaining his co-host duties on Live! with Kelly and Michael.
April 18, 2014: Lara Spencer Promoted to Co-Anchor
On April 18, 2014, Lara Spencer was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America, receiving top billing alongside Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos.
September 15, 2014: Tim Tebow Debuts on "Motivate Me Mondays"
On September 15, 2014, Tim Tebow made his debut on Good Morning America as a part-time correspondent for the new segment "Motivate Me Mondays".
November 19, 2015: Good Morning America Celebrates 40th Anniversary
On November 19, 2015, Good Morning America celebrated its 40th anniversary with returning anchors and clips from all 40 years of the program.
April 19, 2016: Michael Strahan Announces Departure from Live!
On April 19, 2016, Michael Strahan announced that he would be leaving Live! with Kelly and Michael to join Good Morning America full-time.
September 6, 2016: Michael Strahan Becomes Full-Time Co-Anchor
On September 6, 2016, Michael Strahan began his run as a full-time co-anchor of Good Morning America alongside Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Lara Spencer. A new title sequence was debuted not including Spencer's name. The show features two hours, with the first hour focusing on news and the second hour focusing on "soft news" and entertainment.
2016: Nine Network begins broadcasting Good Morning America in Australia
In 2016, the Nine Network began broadcasting Good Morning America on all its regional affiliates in Australia. Nine Regional had begun broadcasting it before 2016.
May 23, 2018: GMA Day Announced as Replacement for The Chew
On May 23, 2018, it was announced that GMA Day, later known as GMA3, would replace the cancelled cooking series The Chew in the 1:00 p.m. ET timeslot in the fall of 2018.
July 3, 2018: Nine no longer airs Good Morning America
As of July 3, 2018, Nine in Australia no longer aired Good Morning America. The Nine broadcasts featured a map providing forecasts for Australia in place of the national U.S. weather map.
September 10, 2018: Premiere of GMA Day
On September 10, 2018, GMA3, a spinoff/third hour of GMA, premiered under the title of GMA Day, hosted by Michael Strahan and Sara Haines.
January 28, 2019: GMA Day becomes GMA3
On January 28, 2019, GMA Day became known as GMA3, with Strahan and Sara being the subtitle.
August 26, 2019: Keke Palmer joins GMA3
On August 26, 2019, Keke Palmer joined GMA3 as a permanent third co-host, and the show took the subtitle of Strahan, Sara and Keke.
March 2020: GMA3 becomes GMA3: What You Need to Know
In March 2020, GMA3 became GMA3: What You Need to Know, an hour-long news program hosted by Amy Robach that originally covered the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in 2020, the Strahan, Sara and Keke incarnation of the program was cancelled.
2021: WIN Television begins broadcasting Good Morning America in Australia
Since 2021, WIN Television in Australia has broadcast Good Morning America on a one-day delay every Tuesday through Friday from 3:30 to 5:00, Saturdays from 5:30 to 7:00, Sundays from 6:00 to 7:00 and Monday mornings from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m.
April 2022: Robin Roberts Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Good Morning America
In April 2022, Robin Roberts celebrated her 20th anniversary with Good Morning America, including an on-air celebration and a plaque featuring her name on the grounds of Times Square.
September 7, 2023: Introduction of Ray, the Mascot
On September 7, 2023, Good Morning America introduced Ray, an anthropomorphic sun-like creature, as its new show mascot.
October 2023: Announcement of GMA's relocation to 7 Hudson Square
In October 2023, it was announced that GMA, along with many of ABC News and WABC-TV's on-air studio operations, would relocate to a new Disney facility at 7 Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan.
June 16, 2025: GMA moves to 7 Hudson Square
On June 16, 2025, Good Morning America officially moved and began broadcasting out of Studio C in the new Disney facility at 7 Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan. At the same time, a new logo and graphics were unveiled, along with new studios featuring adaptable LED units.
Mentioned in this timeline
CBS is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio...
Michael Joseph Jackson the King of Pop was a highly...
George Stephanopoulos is an American television host political commentator and...
Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December th commemorating...
ABC News is the news division of the American television...
The National Broadcasting Company NBC is a major American commercial...
Trending
Joey Porter Jr is an American football cornerback currently playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers Drafted in the second round of...
53 minutes ago Jalen Ramsey's Steelers Safety Switch: Tomlin Intangibles and Echols' Role Highlighted.
Khalil Mack is a professional football linebacker currently playing for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL He was drafted...
6 months ago Manchester United defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in Europa League Semifinal Second Leg.
The modern Olympic Games are a leading international sporting event held every four years alternating between Summer and Winter editions...
4 months ago Terry Bradshaw critiques Tom Brady's Fox contract, admitting his past deal regrets.
Popular
Nancy Pelosi is a prominent American politician notably serving as...
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is an American politician currently serving as...
Chuck Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New...
William Franklin Graham III commonly known as Franklin Graham is...
Nicholas J Fuentes is a far-right political commentator and activist...
XXXTentacion born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was a controversial yet...