History of Good Morning America in Timeline
Good Morning America (GMA) is an American morning television program airing on ABC since November 3, 1975. Initially expanding to Sundays in 1993, weekend editions were reintroduced on Saturdays and Sundays in 2004 after a previous cancellation. The weekday and Saturday programs run from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. across all U.S. time zones, while Sunday editions are an hour long, broadcast live at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time with updates 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: ABC Launches AM America
On January 6, 1975, ABC launched AM America, hosted by Bill Beutel and Stephanie Edwards with Peter Jennings reading the news, to compete with NBC's Today.
November 3, 1975: Good Morning America Debut
On November 3, 1975, Good Morning America debuted on ABC as a morning television program.
November 1975: Geraldo Rivera Joins Good Morning America
In November 1975, Geraldo Rivera, after his show Good Night America went off the air, joined Good Morning America while still working for ABC News and other shows.
1975: Launch of Good Morning America
Late in 1975, ABC launched Good Morning America. The launch of Good Morning America led to the Boston morning show Good Morning! changing its name to Good Day!.
August 30, 1976: Tom Brokaw anchors Today
On August 30, 1976, Tom Brokaw began anchoring Today while the program began a search for a female co-host.
April 1977: Sandy Hill Replaces Nancy Dussault
In April 1977, Sandy Hill, previously at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, replaced Nancy Dussault as co-host of Good Morning America.
1980: Sandy Hill Leaves
In 1980, Sandy Hill left Good Morning America after run-ins with Hartman, and was replaced by Joan Lunden.
1982: John Coleman Leaves GMA
In 1982, John Coleman, weather forecaster for Good Morning America, left the show to start The Weather Channel with Landmark Communications CEO Frank Batten.
1983: Dave Murray Provides Forecasts
From 1983, Dave Murray provided the 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, who worked at WABC-TV in New York City, replaced Dave Murray as the forecaster for Good Morning America.
1986: Joan Lunden Promoted to Co-Anchor
In 1986, Joan Lunden was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America.
1986: Jerry Hodak Forecasts
Prior to Spencer Christian's arrival in 1986, Jerry Hodak provided forecasts via a split screen between WXYZ studios in Detroit and the Good Morning America set in New York City.
February 20, 1987: David Hartman Retires
On February 20, 1987, David Hartman retired from Good Morning America after 3,189 broadcasts.
February 23, 1987: Lunden Paired with Charles Gibson
On February 23, 1987, Joan Lunden was paired with ABC News correspondent Charles Gibson on Good Morning America, leading to skyrocketing ratings.
1992: Daytime Emmy Award Win
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: Daytime Emmy Award Win
In 1993, Good Morning America won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk/Service Show.
December 11, 1995: Good Morning America Falls to Second Place
On the week of December 11, 1995, Good Morning America fell from its top spot in ratings, beginning a 16-year streak as the top-rated morning news program for Today.
1995: GMA Placed Second in Ratings
From 1995, Good Morning America generally placed second in the ratings, behind NBC's Today.
1996: Behind Closed Doors
In 1996, ABC executives promised Lunden that a prime time program; Behind Closed Doors would premiere on the network.
September 5, 1997: Lunden Steps Down
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: Gibson Leaves the Show
On May 1, 1998, Charles Gibson left Good Morning America, making way for Kevin Newman.
January 1999: Ratings Fell to Third Place
In January 1999, Good Morning America briefly fell to third place among the morning shows.
January 18, 1999: Gibson and Sawyer Debut
On January 18, 1999, the Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer team debuted on Good Morning America, resulting in a dramatic increase in viewership.
September 13, 1999: Show Moved to Times Square Studios
On September 13, 1999, Good Morning America moved from the ABC News headquarters to its present home at the Times Square Studios.
1999: Sunday Edition Canceled
In 1999, the Sunday edition of Good Morning America was canceled.
2001: Shelley Ross Leaves
From 2001, after Shelley Ross left, the viewing momentum was initially sustained, but a season later, the audience began to decline for Good Morning America.
2001: Live Show From The Pentagon
In 2001, Good Morning America originated a live show 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.
September 4, 2004: Weekend Editions Return
On September 4, 2004, weekend editions of Good Morning America returned on both Saturdays and Sundays after being previously canceled.
May 23, 2005: Robin Roberts Promoted to Co-Anchor
On May 23, 2005, ABC News announced that Robin Roberts would be promoted from newsreader to co-anchor of Good Morning America, joining Gibson and Sawyer.
November 3, 2005: 30th Anniversary Celebration
On November 3, 2005, Good Morning America celebrated its 30th anniversary with retrospectives, clips, and by decorating Times Square. The show also became the first network morning news program to begin broadcasting in high-definition television.
December 2, 2005: Tony Perkins Leaves the Program
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: Gibson Leaves Good Morning America
On June 28, 2006, Charles Gibson left Good Morning America for the second time to become anchor of ABC World News Tonight. The day's edition was dedicated to his 19 years as anchor of the program.
August 2006: Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion Join GMA
In August 2006, Chris Cuomo was named news anchor and Sam Champion was named weather anchor and weather editor for ABC News.
September 5, 2006: New Graphics Package and News Area
On September 5, 2006, Good Morning America introduced a new graphics package and a new news area for Chris Cuomo to report headlines.
September 13, 2006: New Logo Introduced
On September 13, 2006, Good Morning America introduced a new logo with gold Avant Garde font on a blue background, resembling the original logo used up to early 1987.
June 29, 2007: Death of Joel Siegel
On June 29, 2007, Joel Siegel, Good Morning America's longtime film critic, passed away at the age of 63 due to complications from colorectal cancer.
July 31, 2007: Robin Roberts Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis
On July 31, 2007, Robin Roberts announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump in her breast.
October 22, 2007: 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. The opening changed with new music by DreamArtists Studios, and the news ticker and time-and-temperature bug were updated.
2007: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2007, Good Morning America shared the inaugural Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Morning Program" with Today.
2007: Third Hour of Weekday Broadcast
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 Expletive Remark
On January 15, 2008, during an interview with Diane Sawyer, actress Diane Keaton made a comment about Sawyer's appearance and quickly apologized for the remark.
March 28, 2008: Robin Roberts Completes Radiation Treatments
On March 28, 2008, Robin Roberts completed her radiation treatments while remaining as anchor.
September 2008: 50 States in 50 Days Tour
In September 2008, Good Morning America's anchors toured the United States by Amtrak train as part of ABC News's "50 States in 50 Days" event, broadcasting from different locations each day.
2008: Third Hour of Weekday Broadcast
In 2008, Good Morning America continued airing a third hour of the weekday broadcast, exclusively on ABC News Now.
2008: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2008, Good Morning America won the Daytime Emmy Award outright for "Outstanding Morning Program".
June 26, 2009: Charles Gibson Returns to Anchor Desk
On June 26, 2009, Charles Gibson returned to the Good Morning America anchor desk with Roberts, while Sawyer was away, following the death of Michael Jackson.
September 2, 2009: 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 that year.
December 10, 2009: 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. The changes took effect on December 14.
2009: Shelley Ross Leaves
From 2001 to 2009, According to Linda McLoof that when Shelley Ross left Good Morning America, her viewing momentum was initially sustained, but a season later, the audience began to decline.
2009: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2009, Good Morning America won the Daytime Emmy Award outright for "Outstanding Morning Program".
April 2010: Anchor Desk Relocated
In April 2010, the anchor desk in the studio was relocated back in front of the window overlooking Times Square.
May 3, 2010: 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
On January 31, 2011, an entirely new set for Good Morning America was introduced, with the weather monitor moved closer to the anchor desk.
February 25, 2011: James Goldston Becomes Senior Executive Producer
On February 25, 2011, James Goldston moved from Nightline to become Senior Executive Producer of GMA.
March 17, 2011: Lara Spencer Rejoins GMA
On March 17, 2011, Lara Spencer rejoined Good Morning America in May in a newly created lifestyle anchor position.
March 29, 2011: Josh Elliott Named News Anchor
On March 29, 2011, ESPN anchor Josh Elliott was named news anchor of Good Morning America, following the departure of Juju Chang.
September 6, 2011: New Studio Set on Ground Floor
On September 6, 2011, Good Morning America began broadcasting from a new studio set located on the first floor of the Times Square studios.
April 1, 2012: Katie Couric Fills in for Robin Roberts
During the week of April 1, 2012, Katie Couric, ABC News special correspondent, filled in for Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. Couric had previously hosted Today from 1991 to 2006.
April 9, 2012: GMA Beats Today in Ratings After 16 Years
During the week of April 9, 2012, Good Morning America surpassed Today in viewership for the first time in 16 years, ending Today's streak of 852 consecutive weeks as the most-watched network morning news program.
April 2012: Good Morning America Overtakes Today in Ratings
In April 2012, Good Morning America, with anchors Roberts and Stephanopoulos, overtook its rival Today in the ratings.
April 16, 2012: GMA Beats Today Again
During the week of April 16, 2012, Good Morning America beat Today once again in viewership, by a larger margin than the previous week.
July 9, 2012: Good Afternoon America Premieres
On July 9, 2012, Good Afternoon America, a special summer afternoon edition of Good Morning America, premiered as a temporary replacement for 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 went on medical leave after undergoing a bone marrow transplant following her diagnosis with myelodysplastic syndrome.
September 7, 2012: Good Afternoon America Ends
On September 7, 2012, the limited-run program Good Afternoon America, hosted by Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer, ended.
January 14, 2013: Roberts Announces Hope to Return
On January 14, 2013, Robin Roberts announced that she hoped to return to Good Morning America sometime in February.
February 20, 2013: Robin Roberts Returns Part-Time
On February 20, 2013, Robin Roberts returned to Good Morning America on a part-time basis.
August 2013: Roberts Announces Full-Time Return
In August 2013, Robin Roberts announced that she would return to full-time hosting duties on September 3 of that year.
December 4, 2013: Sam Champion Departs GMA
On December 4, 2013, weather anchor Sam Champion left Good Morning America and ABC News to join The Weather Channel.
March 2014: America's Morning Headquarters Debuts
In March 2014, America's Morning Headquarters, anchored by former GMA weather anchor Sam Champion, debuted on The Weather Channel.
March 30, 2014: Josh Elliott Leaves ABC News
On March 30, 2014, news anchor Josh Elliott left ABC News after three years as news anchor of GMA to become a correspondent for NBC Sports.
April 15, 2014: Michael Strahan Joins GMA
On April 15, 2014, Michael Strahan was introduced to the audience as the new contributing anchor on Good Morning America.
April 2014: Speculation of Michael Strahan Joining GMA
In early April 2014, media reports speculated that Michael Strahan would be joining Good Morning America as a contributing anchor.
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 on the program alongside Roberts and Stephanopoulos.
September 15, 2014: Tim Tebow Debuts on GMA
On September 15, 2014, Tim Tebow made his debut on Good Morning America.
September 2014: Tim Tebow to Join GMA
In September 2014, former NFL player Tim Tebow was announced to be joining Good Morning America as a part-time correspondent for the new segment, "Motivate Me Mondays".
November 19, 2015: 40th Anniversary Celebration
On November 19, 2015, Good Morning America celebrated its 40th anniversary, with main anchors and news/weather anchors returning to share their stories and clips from all 40 years being shown.
April 19, 2016: Michael Strahan to Leave Live! and Join GMA Full-Time
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 Begins as Full-Time Co-Anchor
On September 6, 2016, Michael Strahan began his run as official full-time co-anchor of Good Morning America, with a new title sequence debuting.
2016: Nine Network Begins Broadcasting GMA in Australia
In 2016, the Nine Network began broadcasting Good Morning America on all its regional affiliates in Australia.
April 2018: Lara Spencer Reduces GMA Hours
In April 2018, Lara Spencer announced that she would cut back on her hours on Good Morning America from five days a week to three to focus on her own projects.
May 23, 2018: GMA Day Announced
On May 23, 2018, GMA Day (now known as GMA3) was announced as a replacement in the fall of 2018 for the cancelled cooking series The Chew.
July 3, 2018: Nine No Longer Airs GMA
As of July 3, 2018, Nine in Australia no longer airs Good Morning America.
September 10, 2018: GMA Day Premieres
On September 10, 2018, GMA3, a spinoff of GMA, premiered under the title 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 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. The Strahan, Sara and Keke incarnation of the program was effectively cancelled.
2021: WIN Television Broadcasts GMA in Australia
Since 2021, WIN Television in Australia has broadcast Good Morning America on a one-day delay.
April 2022: Robin Roberts' 20th Anniversary
In April 2022, Robin Roberts celebrated her 20th anniversary with Good Morning America, with an on-air celebration and a plaque honoring her in Times Square.
September 7, 2023: Ray the Mascot Introduced
On September 7, 2023, Ray, an anthropomorphic sun-like mascot, was introduced to the viewers of Good Morning America.
October 2023: Relocation to 7 Hudson Square Announced
In October 2023, the announcement was made that GMA, along with other ABC News and WABC-TV on-air studio operations, would move to a new Disney facility at 7 Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan.
2024: Ratings Struggles
In the first half of 2024, Good Morning America struggled in the ratings, losing the demographic of adults under 54 to the Today show for several months.
June 16, 2025: GMA Relocates to 7 Hudson Square
On June 16, 2025, Good Morning America officially moved to a new Disney facility at 7 Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan, broadcasting from Studio C. A new logo, the first in 19 years, was unveiled, along with new graphics and studios featuring movable LED units.
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