Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts is co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Under her leadership, the broadcast has won four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program.
When not traveling around 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, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, First Lady Michelle Obama and NBA Superstar LeBron James. In her role, she has conducted interviews with countless musicians, authors, athletes and celebrities worldwide.
Roberts has also done extensive reporting around the globe. She has traveled to Brussels with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; 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 London for the historic wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton; to Africa with former President Bill Clinton for a first-hand look at the AIDS crisis in that part of the world; to Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake; to South Africa to report on the 2010 World Cup and to St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City where she and former co-anchor Josh Elliott were greeted by Pope Francis.
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 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 March 2007, Roberts’ first book, “From the Heart: 7 Rules to Live By,” was published. An updated version of the book, including an additional chapter on her battle with breast cancer, was released in 2008.
In June 2012, five years after the start of her fight with breast cancer, Roberts announced that she was battling myelodysplastic syndrome. Roberts underwent a bone marrow transplant in September of that year — her sister Sally-Ann was a perfect match. Roberts’ story triggered an outpouring of support from across the nation. She joined forces with Be the Match to inform the public about the need for more donors, and since her diagnosis, over 56,000 people have joined the registry. Roberts made a triumphant return to the anchor desk on February 20th, 2013, five months to the day since she underwent the transplant. At the 2013 ESPYs, she was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for the strength and courage she has displayed throughout her life and career.
In her new memoir “Everybody’s Got Something,” Roberts tells the amazing story of her courageous battle against a life-threatening illness, the life lessons she continues to learn and her inspiring return to the GMA anchor desk.
Roberts graduated cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana University with a B.A. 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).
A native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Roberts currently resides in New York City. @robinroberts