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Tag: Sam Champion

  • Ginger Zee Continues Maternity Leave, “GMA” Alum Sam Champion To Help Out

    Ginger Zee is continuing her maternity leave this week with her new baby boy, Adrian, who was born on December 20th.

    However, Ginger Zee‘s position on GMA will not be neglected.

    GMA veteran Sam Champion, who last signed off in 2013, is taking her place this week.

    Ginger Zee left Champion with some advice and some to-do’s for when he takes over.

    When Ginger Zee called in on Monday’s show, she said of Champion, “He has to take full credit for the dip in the jet stream, all the cold air coming in right now.”

    She added, “Second, I have a tally of Lara’s puns [in ‘Pop News’], so if you can just keep that going. And finally, just take care of the audience because I am going to miss them probably just as much as anyone else.”

    Sam Champion seemed happy to “take care of the audience” while Ginger Zee stays home with her baby.

    He said, “[The audience] is the most fun part of the entire show, to get outside and spend some time with the people who come to see us.”

    He then said, “I think I have to buy a winter coat.”

    Ginger Zee is glad for the break provided by Sam Champion and others like ABC News Senior Meteorologist Rob Marciano, who will also fill in for her.

    In a hilarious New Year tweet, Ginger Zee showed a funny and very truthful glimpse into the life of a new parent.

    What do you think of Ginger Zee’s temporary replacement, Sam Champion?

  • Ginger Zee Out On Maternity Leave, Sam Champion Fills In For GMA Weather Forecast

    Weatherman Sam Champion will return to Good Morning America to deliver weather news while current GMA meteorologist Ginger Zee is on leave.

    Zee, 34, has been absent from the show ever since she gave birth to her first son, Adrian Benjamin on December 19 in New York City. ABC announced on Monday that Champion will take over her weather forecasting responsibilities starting January 11.

    Champion worked as an anchor on GMA for seven years before leaving 2013 after which Zee took over the weather department of the show. He then anchored a morning show AMHQ: America’s Morning Headquarters on The Weather Channel.

    However, the 54-year-old meteorologist had reportedly been cut from the program after the network made some changes on the content of the morning show. According to the Weather Channel, Champion will still be working on its programming, “taking the lead in expanding increased weather coverage into our primetime schedule.”

    Nevertheless, the former Good Morning America meteorologist is very much welcome to the show. He will be delivering weather updates for one week until Ginger Zee comes back.

    After learning that Champion would be relieving her for the week, Ginger Zee took the time to express her gratitude toward Rob Marciano and Champion.

    She also shared a To-Do list for the weatherman including taking care of the audience.

    Zee also let the GMA camera crew take a peek at her little bundle of joy while she was being interviewed by the show’s host. She said she and her little guy are doing well.

    “I think we’re both feeling good, and he’s eating and he’s burping and throwing up, and doing all the things he’s supposed to do,” Ginger Zee said of her baby.

  • Ginger Zee Is Taking Over The Weather On GMA

    Long-time Good Morning America weather anchor, Sam Champion, resigned from ABC on Wednesday to take a managing editor job at The Weather Channel. It was a sad goodbye since Champion is one of the main reasons that GMA has been the top-rated morning show for so many years.

    Champion and his co-anchors, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer said a tearful goodbye as Champion made his final weather broadcast on Wednesday. “I promise there’s happy on the inside but the tears,” Elliott said. “I’m going to miss you and you are the best live broadcaster I’ve ever worked with. Thank you for giving the gift to us and to everybody at home every day.”

    Although Champion will miss his GMA family, he says that taking the new job is just something that he has to do. “I think it’s something that people will go through in their life when you want to stay, doing something you want to, and there’s an opportunity that says you gotta take it,” Champion said. “I’m not going to leave you guys. I’m not going to leave you.”

    Champion ended his final GMA weather report with the phrase that he has said more than 7,000 times before. “That’s the weather around the nation, ladies and gentleman,” he said.

    Ginger Zee, 32, has been hired as his replacement and hopes that she can fill Champion’s shoes. Zee already has experience with the morning show since she has been Champion’s fill-in for the past two years, and has also been the weather anchor for the weekends. Zee talked about her excitement for her new position with reporters, saying that she never thought she would land this type of position at such a young age.

    “You know, some people will work their entire lives and at some point say maybe ‘that’s not the goal for me.’ I have just been so fortunate this whole way, and not to say that I haven’t worked hard,” she said. “There were so many times where I was in Flint, Michigan and I was seriously eating a bean burrito, just one every day because it was 79 cents and that’s all I could afford.”

    [Image via Twitter]