Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts now has a permanent place on Hollywood Boulevard. Roberts and co-anchor George Stephanopoulos received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, Nov. 5, in a ceremony that closed out ABC's yearlong celebration of the morning show's 50th anniversary, City News Service reported via MyNewsLA.
Good Morning America debuted on Nov. 3, 1975. The two new stars, unveiled at 6920 Hollywood Blvd. near the El Capitan Theatre, are the 2,862nd and 2,863rd since the Walk of Fame was completed in 1961. Roberts' star sits beside Stephanopoulos', which was placed next to the star of fellow anchor Michael Strahan.
Niecy Nash-Betts and Michael Strahan Celebrate Roberts
Actress Niecy Nash-Betts, a friend of Roberts, spoke at the morning ceremony, along with Strahan, actor Michael J. Fox and Disney Entertainment Television chairman Debra O'Connell. Strahan recalled meeting Roberts on the Oscars red carpet while he was moving from sports into broadcasting. When he admitted he was nervous, she told him, "Michael, you belong."
Roberts told the crowd that the anchors' resumes could not be more different, but that their shared passion for storytelling and for their families bonds them. She also noted that she and Stephanopoulos are the longest-running duo in morning television history.
Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and raised in Pass Christian, Mississippi, Roberts played basketball at Southeastern Louisiana University from 1979 to 1983. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 for her contributions to the sport as a broadcaster. Roberts joined ABC News in 1995 as a featured reporter, became a Good Morning America Sunday anchor in 1998 and moved to the weekday Good Morning America desk in 2005.
Stephanopoulos, who served as White House communications director under President Bill Clinton, joined ABC News in 1997 and became a Good Morning America anchor in 2009.
For viewers who have started their mornings with Roberts since 2005, the honor puts the Tuskegee native's name on the same stretch of sidewalk as her co-anchors Strahan and Stephanopoulos, capping the show's 50th anniversary year.
