Biography

ROBIN ROBERTS

Anchor, “Good Morning America”

Robin Roberts is anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Under her leadership, the broadcast has won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program. When not traveling around the country or the world covering breaking news events, Roberts is at “GMA’s” studio in Times Square conducting interviews with a diverse group of newsmakers. Her headline-making interviews include President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, actor Sidney Poitier, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his battle with leukemia, and Lisa Niemi on the loss of her beloved husband, Patrick Swayze.

She has also done extensive reporting around the globe. She traveled to the Middle East with former First Lady Laura Bush, who was on a mission to raise awareness about breast cancer in the Muslim world; to Africa with former President Bill Clinton for a first-hand look at the AIDS crisis in that part of the world; and to Mexico, where she scaled the Mayan Pyramids as part of “GMA’s” “The New 7 Wonders of the World” series.

Roberts also broadcast live from inside the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta in October 2009. It was the first time television cameras were permitted inside the CDC’s special command center tracking the H1N1 “swine flu” virus. In November 2009, she hosted her first primetime special, “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Lights. Big Stars. All Access Nashville.” The special took Roberts to Nashville, where she interviewed some of country music’s biggest stars. She followed that with another primetime hour featuring an exclusive interview with Janet Jackson, the performer’s first since the death of her brother, Michael. In February 2009, she made her red carpet debut as co-host of the ABC Television Network’s Oscar pre-show, reporting live from the 81st annual Academy Awards with fashion expert Tim Gunn.

She played an active role in ABC News’ coverage of the 2008 presidential race. She interviewed the candidates and a wide-range of political newsmakers for “GMA”; traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to moderate a town hall debate with then-candidate Hillary Clinton; and reported live from Washington, DC on Inauguration Day. She was the first journalist to interview President Barack Obama after he was sworn in as President. She also traveled the country by train with the “GMA” team as part of the network’s ambitious “50 States in 50 Days” initiative in September 2008.

Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2007. Her courageous and public battle has been recognized with awards and honors from organizations around the country, including The Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program, and Gilda’s Club, a non-profit organization founded by the late Joel Siegel.

In August 2005, Roberts found her personal and professional lives collide when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast – a part of the country Roberts called home for most of her life. In the days following, she traveled to the hurricane zone and reported live amid the devastation of the storm. She also launched “GMA” Gets It Done,” a year-long effort to rebuild her hometown of Pass Christian, Mississippi. She has returned to the Gulf Coast numerous times in the ensuing years to update viewers on how residents and businesses in the region are recovering post-Katrina.

Roberts was named co-anchor of “Good Morning America” in May 2005. She began contributing to the morning program in June 1995 and has worked in broadcasting for more than 20 years.

From 1990 to 2005, Roberts was a contributor to ESPN, where she was one of the network’s most versatile commentators. Her assignments there included hosting “SportsCenter” and contributing to “NFL PrimeTime.”

Prior to her work at ESPN, Roberts was a sports reporter and anchor at WAGA-TV in Atlanta. She was also a morning personality on WVEE-FM, Atlanta’s top-rated morning show. From 1986 to 1988, she served as sports anchor and reporter for WSMV-TV in Nashville, TN where she won the “Nashville Scene” Sportscaster of the Year Award in 1987. She also worked as a sports anchor and reporter at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, MS from 1984 to 1986 and WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, MS from 1983 to 1984.

Roberts began her broadcasting career while in college at WHMD/WFPR Radio in Hammond, LA, where she was the sports director. She also served as a special assignment sports reporter for KSLU-FM in 1982.

Robin Roberts graduated cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. She was a standout performer on the women’s basketball team, ending her career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,446 points) and rebounder (1,034). She is one of only three Lady Lions to score 1,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds. During her senior season, she averaged a career high 15.2 points per game.

In 2001 Roberts was named a “Louisiana Legend” by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, She was also named to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Advisory Board in January 1998, a board that includes Henry Kissinger, William Simon, Christine Whitman and Lamar Hunt. and in 1994, she was inducted in the Women’s Institute on Sport and the Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame. She is also active as a speaker for charity and civic functions. In March 2007, her first book, From the Heart: 7 Rules to Live By, was published by Hyperion. An updated version of the book, including an additional chapter on her battle with breast cancer, was released in 2008.

Roberts is a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and currently resides in New York City.