George Stephanopoulos signs new deal at ABC News amid Trump backlash

Longtime ABC News star George Stephanopoulos has reached a new deal that will keep him at ABC News and as anchor of “Good Morning America” ​​for the short term.

The news should put an end to speculation that the highly paid Stephanopolous was on his way out, as the Disney Network, like any news organization, looks to reduce the high overhead costs of expensive talent deals. An industry source with knowledge of the deal said the length of the extension was shorter than that of a typical multi-year talent pact – another sign of the times for the TV news business.

The Los Angeles Times was the first to report news of the new deal. Under his previous pact, Stephanopoulos was one of the highest-paid hosts on TV, earning $18 million a year. Stephanopoulos’ fate has been at the center of much speculation in recent days, following Disney CEO Bob Iger’s approval of a $15 million settlement and another $1 million, as well as a quasi-apology, to settle a lawsuit from the upcoming President Donald Trump to settle. .

If Variety has reported, it is believed that Stephanopoulos was blindsided by the deal and unaware that Disney had decided to settle. Over the weekend, he deleted his account on X, formerly Twitter, where he had more than 2.3 million followers, in the wake of a major backlash against the Disney settlement. Representatives for Stephanopoulos referred their calls to ABC News. ABC News could not immediately be reached for comment.

Trump had sued ABC News over the anchor’s comment in a March 2024 interview on “This Week” that “Donald Trump has been found liable by a jury for rape.” Stephanopoulos was referring to a jury’s verdict that found Trump sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

In addition, talent representatives have been keeping a close eye on shows like ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​in the wake of other recent major changes in the news business. “GMA” has high overhead due to the salaries of its three core anchors: Robin Roberts, Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan. And with Stephanopoulos’ contract coming first, it was expected to be a tense renegotiation.

“GMA” has recently been embroiled in a tough ratings battle with NBC rival “Today”; “GMA” averaged 2.69 million viewers last week, behind “Today’s” 2.83 million average. “Today” host Hoda Kotb chose to leave, and even though salary was not mentioned as a reason for her departure, most saw it as a high-profile example of television’s new cuts when it comes to talent and production costs – especially in the long term. -running franchises such as “Today” and “GMA.”

Stephanopoulos’ last contract extension was in 2019, when he signed a four-year pact to continue with the network. He later extended that contract in 2021 and added new production duties, including a new show on politics for Hulu and four-hour specials for primetime, while David Muir of “World News Tonight” became lead anchor for ABC News’ special reports and news. of national importance.

Stephanopoulos has been with ABC News since 1997, when he joined the network as an analyst after a stint as communications director in the Clinton White House. In 2002 he became presenter of the Sunday public affairs program ‘This Week’. In 2009, he joined ‘Good Morning America’.