‘GMA’ co-anchor Janai Norman announces sudden exit after 15 years on ABC
Former “Good Morning America” co-anchor Janai Norman announced her sudden exit from the talk show after 15 years on ABC.
“I hope that we’d have more time,” she said in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday.
“It’s been hard on me that our time was cut short. I have loved my job. It has been a joy to connect with my co-workers and with viewers, to help keep you informed and entertained, and to create this community,” Norman, 36, added.
The journalist said it “really breaks [her] heart” that she didn’t “get to say goodbye” to everyone.
“I’m so sorry … It would’ve been fun,” she added.
Norman — who was a “GMA” co-anchor on Saturdays and Sundays — shared that one positive from her no longer being with “GMA” is that she gets to spend more time with her children.
“But I have these three young kids and I have worked weekends their whole lives and so now, they get more of me. And that is worth everything,” she explained.
“So stay tuned. I’m sorry. I feel you. And thank you to every single one of you who has reached out with such kind and validating words. I have needed it and I appreciate it,” she concluded her video message.
Norman captioned the post: “I’ve read every message. And am deeply grateful for the love. More to come when the time is right ✨.”
On April 2, reports surfaced that Norman would be out at “GMA” after ABC declined to renew her contract.
A source told People that Norman “has known since early March she wasn’t going to be renewed and has been on the air for weeks, completely professional with no issues.
“But when the story leaked online, she was abruptly taken off the air. Her contract is not up until early May,” the insider added.
Norman began her career with ABC News in 2011 as an intern with NewsOne.
She also hosted the “Pop News” segment for the weekend edition of “GMA” and helped launch the second hour of Saturdays of the talk show in October 2019.
As a correspondent, she covered a wide range of topics, from politics to entertainment and sports — including the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mom of three has also worked at local television stations in Columbia, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Orlando, Florida.
