ABC is expanding Good Morning America to three hours this September, said Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television, on Wednesday. To make room for the third hour, which will air at 1 p.m. ET, ABC is canceling food-themed talk show, The Chew after seven seasons.
“Over the past six years, Good Morning America has solidified its place as America’s No. 1 morning show. We believe there is great opportunity for viewers and advertisers in expanding to a third hour,” said Sherwood in a statement.
“While this is the right decision for our business, it is also bittersweet. For seven years, The Chew has delighted audiences by delivering innovative food segments in an entertaining atmosphere. We applaud and thank Gordon Elliott, Aimee Householder, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and the entire cast and crew for their great work and amazing run. And we wish them the very best.”
“Before The Chew, no one had attempted a talk/food hybrid,” said creator and executive producer Elliott in a statement. “Our hosts Clinton, Carla and Michael and the staff created television history executing the show as well as they did for all these years. I know I speak for all of the people who work on the show when I say it was the best television we have ever had the privilege to produce.”
Additional information about GMA's new hour — including its title and anchors — will be announced later.
“Good Morning America keeps finding new ways to inform and delight our audience. We recently expanded GMA through our social channels and a newly launched website. Now we will build a whole new hour of compelling content that is true to GMA’s spirit,” said James Goldston, president of ABC News, also in a statement.
That ABC would expand GMA to three hours had been rumored two years ago when co-anchor Michael Strahan left Disney-ABC’s syndicated Live with Kelly to go full-time at the morning program. At the time, ABC said it was something that had been in consideration for a while, but the network wasn't ready to make the move yet.
Besides Strahan, Good Morning America is anchored by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulous and chief meteorologist Ginger Zee. It currently airs live Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. Michael Corn is the show’s senior executive producer.
Changes have been afoot at the program for the past several weeks. Last month, co-anchor Lara Spencer's days were cut from five days a week to three. Another co-anchor, Amy Robach, was just promoted to weekly primetime news magazine 20/20, which she will co-anchor with World News Tonight's David Muir, while continuing to report for GMA and other ABC News properties.
