George Stephanopoulos has a big week ahead, with the 63-year-old veteran journalist being honored this Thursday, September 26 at the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame Awards in NYC.
The Good Morning America anchor is being inducted for his decades of work as a journalist on the frontlines of political and breaking news, and now as the host of one of the most high-profile news shows in the country.
And it looks like he'll have at least one familiar face at the ceremony cheering him on, as it was announced by Broadcasting+Cable that one of the hosts of the evening is one of his own colleagues.
Alongside ESPN anchor Brian Custer and TV personality and actor Mario Lopez, ABC News correspondent and 20/20 co-anchor Deborah Roberts will host the evening as well.
George and Deborah are good friends, with the latter often joining the morning news show with special reports, and occasionally contributing to the primetime specials as well.
Broadcasting+Cable spoke with George and some people who worked closely with him behind-the-scenes about his journey to GMA and his love for journalism.
"The interview I did with President [Joe] Biden [July 5, following his debate with former President Donald Trump] was probably the highest-stakes interview of my career," he told the publication. And he also revealed whether he wanted his two daughters with Ali Wentworth, Elliott and Harper, to follow them to TV land. "I just want them to follow their dreams."
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Former ABC News President David Westin spoke about developing an interest in having George join the news team as a reporter after following his political career with the White House and reading his book All Too Human: A Political Education.
© Getty Images"If you decided you wanted to go into news full-time, I think you can have a really great career here," he remembered telling George. "And he, to my surprise, actually said, 'David, that's exactly what I was thinking about doing.'"
He initially faced some misgivings from others in the team about his viability as a broadcast journalist, coming from his political background, but quickly proved himself to be a top-tier member of the team for shows like World News Tonight and This Week.
© Getty Images"I had conversations with Ted Koppel and Charlie Gibson and Peter Jennings," George remembered. "But I also knew that conversations alone wouldn't assuage all the concerns. I had to show it in my work and prove I could be a fair and objective journalist. That's what I've tried to do."
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In fact, when David asked him to host GMA while he was anchoring This Week, George turned him down three times, because he was worried about uprooting his family's life in the nation's capital.
© Getty Images"I had a young family in D.C., and I'd been steeped in politics and political news and doing the Sunday show," he revealed. "I didn't think it was necessarily a natural fit. But David had confidence in me and he was right and I was wrong. I just love the fact that every morning you've got an entire audience who are waiting to start their day with you. It's a great privilege."
