'I'm deeply honored': 'Good Morning America' host Gio Benitez gets teary as co-hosts surprise him with emotional live segment on his first day
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The hosts of ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ are crucially important as they help set the show’s tone and keep their audience engaged and interested. Recently, the show has officially welcomed its new co-host. TV personality Gio Benitez has joined ‘GMA’ for the weekend edition of the morning show and has received abundant love from his colleagues and fans.
Benitez, 37, is an American journalist and correspondent who works with ABC News. He is usually seen in ‘World News Tonight’, ‘20/20’, ‘Nightline’, and now in ‘Good Morning America’. Before joining ABC News, he worked as a correspondent for CBS News. Besides being a journalist, he also advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. He is replacing Eva Pilgrim on Saturday and Sunday’s ‘GMA’ broadcasts and will co-host alongside continuing anchors Whit Johnson and Jamai Norman.
RELATED ARTICLES
'GMA's Ginger Zee shuts down fan over AGONIZING question about Rob Marciano's whereabouts
Gio Benitez takes over as the new host of 'Good Morning America'
The announcement of Benitez's major career news was made last week. At the same time, it was revealed that anchors DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim are leaving the show and taking over ‘GMA3’ as the new co-anchors. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, broadcast of ‘GMA’, the previous trio announced the news to their viewers about the change before welcoming Benitez on the show. When he came out to give Eva Pilgrim, Whit Johnson, and Janai Norman a hug, confetti rained down, giving him an unforgettable welcome.
Benitez was also surprised with a sweet video from weekday ‘GMA’ hosts Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, and George Stephanopoulos. Well, the surprise didn’t end there as Eva passed him the torch by introducing another video that encompassed his journey to the anchor desk. These precious efforts of his hosts and moments of his old segments left Benitez teary-eyed. Not only this, he completely broke down when his mom and sister appeared in a video to congratulate him on his new journey and shared how much they “love” him.
While Benitez grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe away his tears, his co-host Jamai Norman and Whit Johnson were also left in tears. He then shared his gratitude and thanked his colleagues for such as sweet and loving welcome. He expressed what this new role means to him, adding, “I’m just so deeply, deeply honored.”
Why did DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim left ‘Good Morning America’?
When the news broke about Benitez becoming the new host of ‘GMA’ for weekend gigs, it was also revealed that Morgan and Pilgrim were leaving and joining ‘GMA3’ as new anchors. DeMarco and Eva have been anchoring ‘GMA’ for quite a few months following the exit of Amy Robach and TJ Holmes.
The network allowed Robach and Holmes to formally let go of their duties in January after news of their affair surfaced. Moreover, ABC News president Kim Godwin announced that all the hosts will change on Thursday through amemo. She shared a note saying, "I am incredibly proud of the reporting Eva, DeMarco and Gio have brought to ABC News. They join their colleagues Whit, Janai and Dr. Jen whose steadfast commitment to bold, straightforward journalism has been integral to their respective programs’ success. I must also acknowledge the incredible work of the teams led by executive producers Simone Swink and Cat McKenzie whose programs are the ones most Americans turn to for the day’s news, analysis and more. I know these programs and our viewers at home – will be well-served by all of their collective talents”.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.