Oprah and Others To Pinch Hit For Robin Roberts On 'GMA'

Now that host Robin Roberts is out on medical leave, Good Morning America's producers have wrangled a series of guest hosts to man her post until she gets back. It's a lousy reason to shake up the format, but let's be honest: It's also an opportunity for the already surging morning show to further boost ratings and outpace its rival, Today.  

So…bring in Oprah! And Katie Couric. And Barbara Walters. And even…Chris Rock? Yep, him too. In fact, on Thursday's show Roberts and her co-anchors announced plans for a star-studded and not entirely predictable list of pinch hitters over the next couple of months (and maybe more). 

That roster also includes Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Vargas, Kelly Ripa, Rob Lowe and the cast of Modern Family and some surprise guests. "This means so much, that these friends are stepping up like this," Roberts said. 

Naturally, Oprah is considered the biggest "get." Not only is she the most famous talk show host alive, but it will mark a return to her earliest TV roots. She got her start on morning TV while hosting Chicago's WLS-TV's AM Chicago. 

Oprah probably won't sit in Roberts' seat for long. For one thing, hosting GMA means going up against her best friend, Gayle King, who's the co-host of CBS This Morning. Besides, Oprah is already sitting on top of Forbes' annual list of list-earning celebs, so she doesn't exactly need the money. 

Apart from Rock and Lowe, the guest hosts named are (or were) ABC employees. So why not the dry-witted, Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron, who's had plenty of experience with not taking celebrities too seriously? Or why not Bachelorette Emily Maynard, who's certainly beautiful and bubbly enough to, say, commentate a parade or giggle through a fashion segment? Wait a minute! Come to think of it…why not one of the hunky Bachelors? Now we're talking. Are you listening, GMA?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/oprah-and-others-pinch-hit-robin-roberts-gma/1-a-484110

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