Posted on December 06, 2018
Throughout its 40+ years of existence, Good Morning America has had its share of controversies.
Rumors Of Tension Amongst The Anchors:
Similar to many of the other morning TV shows in NYC, including The Today Show and Good Day New York, rumors abound about tensions amongst the hosts on Good Morning America.
GMA show Insiders report that George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts are often resented by the other hosts due to the huge disparities in salaries. Also rumored is that Stephanopoulos, a former White House Advisor, considers himself the only true journalist on the team. When Josh Elliott was on the show, he had been a lightning rod for criticism from other hosts, with some calling him "high maintenance" and others a "diva". It has also been reported that Amy Robach and Lara Spencer can barely stand each other, but have managed to get over their differences and reduced the ill-will to a "tolerable" level. Although a fan favorite from his Live with Kelly and Michael show, Michael Strahan was not happily received as a new correspondent on GMA. Insiders report Spencer feeling "threatened." by Strahan's presence as he was a perfect shoe-in for role. It seems that Sam Champion was the person at GMA who helped keep many of the staff tensions submerged and under control, but with him gone, many of the bad feelings have resurfaced and the TV show has returned to a hotbed of competition and some controversy.
NBC poaches GMA Talent:
Popular television personality and weather anchor Sam Champion left GMA to co-host his own show in addition to becoming managing editor at The Weather Channel, an NBC affiliate. This followed a 25 year career working for ABC at both the local affiliate level and GMA. Four months later, rising GMA news anchor and former sportscaster Josh Elliott announced he too would be moving to NBC, his move being to NBC sports. Although not leaving for a particular spot, his non-compete clause prevents him from appearing on the Today Show anytime in the near future.
Adam Lambert Controversy:
After a provocative and raunchy performance on the American Music Award show in 2009, GMA canceled Adam Lambert's upcoming appearance on GMA out of fear of what performance content might be viewed by its early morning audiences during Lambert's set. Lambert was stunned to hear that he had been dropped and tweeted that he would never appear on GMA again. CBS announced that Lambert would perform on The Early Show which airs at the same time as GMA. Lambert has since relented on his GMA ban, and has appeared on the show many times since without incident, even announcing his teaming up with the band Queen for the world tour.
Chris Brown Controversy:
In 2011, Chris Brown appeared on GMA and became uncomfortable answering Robin Roberts' on-air questions regarding his domestic violence issues with pop singer and former girlfriend, Rihanna. Brown tried to deflect the questions to focus on his new album which he was there to promote. After the sit-down interview, he went on to perform his single, "Yeah 3x." Following the performance, he reportedly had a tantrum off camera and threw a chair through a window. Staffers reported hearing loud noises from the dressing room and seeing him storm down the hall shirtless (for no apparent reason). By the time security showed up, Brown and his entourage had left the building, leaving the glass from his dressing room window shattered with shards falling into the street below. Ironically, according to GMA, all of the questions were pre-approved by Brown's people, so the only surprise was Brown's reaction. Had ABC wanted to press charges for criminal damage, Brown's violent outburst could have had serious repercussions, as he was on probation at the time, which may have been rescinded and he would have headed back to jail.
