GOOD Morning America has broadcast its final weekday episode from its beloved New York City studio of over 25 years.
Viewers bid farewell to the show’s iconic Times Square studio on June 13 amid a big shake-up for the long-running show and ABC.
Good Morning America hosts Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts, and George Stephanopoulos[/caption]
Why is Good Morning America moving from Times Square?
The studio change comes just under 26 years after the first ever broadcast of Good Morning America from Times Square.
GMA is now broadcasting from the brand new ABC/Disney Studios in Hudson Square in lower Manhattan.
The new set is located in the Robert A. Iger building, named after the current CEO of Disney.
“Moving all ABC News teams to our new state-of-the-art building was a strategic decision that will allow for more collaboration and innovation,” an ABC spokesperson told USA Today.
Michael Strahan, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Ginger Zee, and Lara Spencer will all be continuing as co-anchors from the new studio, 55 blocks downtown from Times Square.
It was a quick turnaround for the presenters who began hosting from their new digs on June 16 and took viewers on a tour of the pristine set.
GMA has now joined Live with Kelly and Mark and The View in the building, with both shows already broadcasting from there.
The move will also relocate all of ABC and Disney’s New York City shows under one roof, including ESPN shows.
According to a December 2024 news release, the building is “a collaborative town square in the bustling city” that will be “home to news, editorial, live productions, streaming, technology, advertising, corporate, business support functions, and more.”
How long has GMA been filmed in Times Square?
It has been 26 years since GMA first broadcast in Times Square.
The View has already started broadcasting from the new studio[/caption]
Long-time viewers may remember that Serena Williams was the first guest to be welcomed into the famous studio on September 13, 1999.
Ever since, the world’s most famous and interesting guests have taken their turn to be interviewed by the GMA team.
The show achieved a bookend moment as Serena’s successor, young tennis star Coco Gauff, visited the studio at the start of the final week to talk about her French Open title.
On Friday, the studio hosted its last guest, with Alicia Keys making her final appearance in the venue, helping the GMA presenters bid farewell.
At the top of the show, Robin Roberts said, “It’s a big morning for us here at GMA as we say goodbye to our Times Square Studio.”
She added, “Alicia Keys is going to help us do that. She has been such a great friend through the years.”
To the GMA family, the 17-time Grammy winner said, “I’ve always felt welcomed and loved.”
How did the GMA hosts say goodbye to Times Square?
The final show on June 13 was a trip down memory lane as the co-anchors all reminisced about their time in the studio.
Robin, who joined as a co-anchor in 2005, said, “I just remember thinking, ‘I’m a little girl from Mississippi and I’m working in Times Square.’ It’s just so majestic.”
ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee said, “I mean truly, I pulled up and the stop light on 44th, I just remember looking up and thinking, ‘This cannot be my life.”
