GMA Reveals New Weekend Anchor Lineup as Show Enters a New Era

Good Morning America is officially changing the way its weekend broadcasts are anchored, with a new format that will divide hosting duties between separate Saturday and Sunday teams.

Beginning September 12, the ABC morning show will feature Whit Johnson and Rachel Scott on Saturdays, while Gio Benitez and Rhiannon Ally will take over the Sunday broadcasts. Leslie Lopez will serve as the regular weekend meteorologist.

The new lineup marks a significant shift from the previous three-anchor format, which frequently featured Johnson and Benitez alongside meteorologist Somara Theodore.

A New Weekend Format

Johnson will remain a familiar face on Saturday mornings, a position he has held since 2018. He also anchors ABC’s World News Tonight on Saturdays.

He will now be joined by Rachel Scott, ABC’s senior political correspondent. Scott joined the network in 2016 as a production associate and has since become known for her reporting from Capitol Hill and the White House.

Benitez, meanwhile, will continue as part of the GMA Weekend team but will now appear exclusively on Sundays alongside Rhiannon Ally.

Benitez joined the weekend anchor lineup in 2023 and also serves as ABC’s transportation correspondent, with frequent appearances across the network’s weekday programs.

Ally joined ABC in 2021 and has appeared on programs including Good Morning America First Look and World News Now. She is also a mother of three.

Leslie Lopez Takes Over Weekend Weather

Leslie Lopez is the newest addition to the weekend team. She joined ABC News in April 2026 after spending a decade at ABC-owned KABC-TV, where she anchored the station’s early morning broadcasts from 4 to 6 a.m.

She will now become the official weekend meteorologist for Good Morning America.

Her appointment also comes as the network reshapes the role previously held by Somara Theodore. Theodore officially became the show’s weekend meteorologist in 2023, but ABC has not yet announced what her next role will be under the new GMA Weekend structure.

The Change Comes After Janai Norman’s Exit

The new lineup follows the departure of Janai Norman, who had previously anchored the weekend edition.

In April 2026, Norman revealed that her contract with ABC had not been renewed, effectively ending her time on the show. She said at the time that she had not known beforehand that the network would make that decision.

Now, GMA is moving forward with an entirely new weekend configuration.

Senior executive producer Simone Swink said the network was excited about the new team and emphasized that the updated format would also give the anchors more opportunities to appear on weekday broadcasts.

The new rotation officially begins September 12.

The Anchors React

Johnson said he was grateful to enter his ninth year as a GMA weekend co-anchor and was particularly looking forward to sharing Saturdays with Scott, whom he described as a close friend.

Benitez also expressed excitement about the change, saying he values the relationship the team has built with viewers. He added that splitting the weekend with Johnson and Scott would allow the group to continue keeping audiences informed throughout the week.

For Scott, the transition will not take her away from the reporting that has defined her career. She said she plans to bring the same approach she uses when covering the White House and Capitol Hill to the anchor desk.

“The reporting never stops,” Scott said.

Ally, meanwhile, highlighted the reality of balancing work and family life, saying she understood how difficult it could be for parents trying to manage work, school and sports schedules while keeping up with the world.

With the new Saturday and Sunday teams now set, Good Morning America is preparing to give its weekend broadcasts a distinctly different rhythm — while bringing several familiar ABC faces into new roles.