George Stephanopoulos’ seat on the Good Morning America news desk has been kept warm over the past week by another well-known news anchor.
The long-serving host has been enjoying some much-deserved downtime and is currently on vacation with his wife, Ali Wentworth.
Whit Johnson has been filling in – who is no stranger to GMA himself, as the co-anchor of Weekend GMA.
Fans have very much enjoyed seeing more of Whit on the main news desk, and many have called for him to be a permanent figure on the show, alongside the other hosts.
“I’d love to see Whit on here every day,” one wrote on Instagram, while another remarked: “I love Whit, please keep him as the fill-in always.” A third added: “Whit i so funny, he should be on at all times!”
What’s more, Whit even got to celebrate his birthday on the show this week.
The star turned 43 on June 25 and marked the special day with his co-stars. He posed for a photo holding a chocolate birthday cake, standing in the studio alongside Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer and Sam Champion.
George, meanwhile, is on vacation somewhere sunny looking with his wife, who shared a photo of them both relaxing on the couch in what looked to be their vacation home.
In the caption, Ali wrote: “A momentary reprieve.” What’s more, many fans observed just how tanned George looked from being away for just a few days. “How is George that tanned already?” one wrote, while another remarked: “George is looking so tanned!”
George’s vacation follows just after the show’s big move. It’s been a busy time for the GMA anchors, who recently moved out of their iconic Times Square studio to a new home in Hudson Square, where the rest of the ABC family have also moved.
The first day in their new studio was on Monday June 16, and the GMA anchors made sure to take viewers along for the ride.
At the start of Monday’s show, Robin said: “It’s a big day, welcome to our new home,” as George later added: “New day, new week, new home,” and Michael then quipped: “It’s a beautiful location in the city.”
The View was among the first of ABC’s shows to move into their new 22-story building, the Robert A. Iger building, which opened last year after construction began around 2019.
LIVE with Kelly and Mark also recently moved in, and during the daytime show ahead of the move, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos shared further details of the space, which sits on an entire city block and boasts 22 stories, with their show filmed on the 10th floor.
7 Hudson Square houses more than 5000 Disney and ABC employees, with Mark mentioning that some of the amenities include outdoor terraces, wellness centers, screening rooms, reading rooms, a bike room, showering facilities and nursing stations. GMA, meanwhile, first started broadcasting from Times Square in 1999, with the studio’s very first guest being Serena Williams.