GMA weatherman Sam Champion came out and announced wedding plans in one subtle announcement
Sam Champion, weatherman for ABC morning show Good Morning America, tweeted Friday that he had “never been this happy to share a bit of personal news.” He then tweeted a link to a Good Morning America blog that revealed Sam Champion was engaged — to longtime partner Rubem Robierb.
With what might be the least fanfare possible for someone in the public eye, Sam Champion came out about his sexuality and announced his wedding plans all at the same time. The 51-year-old anchor had told The New York Times on Friday that he and Robierb would get married in Miami on New Year’s Eve. Robierb clarified that the official ceremony would be in New York, with a party in Miami afterward. In the GMA blog post, Sam Champion thanked fans: “We are thrilled and so excited and thank everyone for their good wishes.”
According to the Times story, Champion was never secretive about his orientation in private, but this was his first public statement that he was gay. His fiance, Rubem Robierb, is a photographer and was born in Brazil. The news that Sam Champion is engaged comes close on the heels of other news anchors coming out, from MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, who recently married partner Patrick Abner, to CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon.
Herndon Greddick, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, was one of the first to congratulate Sam Champion and Rubem Robierb on their engagement. Champion “has been a good friend and longtime supporter of GLAAD,” Greddick said in his congratulatory statement.
