Rachel Scott will join Whit Johnson on Saturdays, while Rhiannon Ally teams up with Gio Benitez on Sundays and Leslie Lopez becomes the show’s weekend meteorologist beginning Sept. 12
Credit: Heidi Gutman/ABC
NEED TO KNOW
- Good Morning America is introducing new Saturday and Sunday anchor pairings beginning Sept. 12, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal
- Rachel Scott will co-anchor Saturdays with Whit Johnson, while Rhiannon Ally joins Gio Benitez on Sundays and Leslie Lopez serves as meteorologist across the weekend
- The five journalists will collectively make up the GMA weekend team, with the new format allowing them to appear more frequently on the weekday broadcasts as well
Good Morning America is expanding its weekend family.
ABC News is unveiling a new format for GMA Saturdays and Sundays, with Rachel Scott joining longtime weekend anchor Whit Johnson on Saturdays and Rhiannon Ally teaming up with Gio Benitez on Sundays, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.
The new pairings officially begin Saturday, Sept. 12, with Leslie Lopez joining both broadcasts as GMA’s weekend meteorologist.
Together, Johnson, Scott, Benitez, Ally and Lopez will make up the Good Morning America weekend team, with the new format also allowing the five journalists to appear more frequently across GMA’s weekday broadcasts.
“We know weekend mornings are precious to our audience, and we could not be more excited to have Whit, Rachel, Gio and Rhiannon as our new weekend team, along with Leslie, to help our viewers make the most of their Saturdays and Sundays,” GMA senior executive producer Simone Swink says in a statement.
“Plus, our new format will allow this team to show up more on our weekday broadcasts, too,” she adds.
Credit: Heidi Gutman/ABC
Johnson and Benitez are familiar faces to GMA weekend viewers. Johnson has co-anchored the broadcast since 2018 and will continue to anchor World News Tonight on Saturdays, a role he has held since 2021. Benitez has served as a GMA weekend co-anchor since 2023.
For Johnson, entering his ninth year with the weekend broadcast alongside Scott brings an added personal connection. The pair have covered numerous major breaking news events together over the years, and Scott previously worked with Johnson’s wife in local news in Los Angeles.
“As I enter my ninth year as a GMA weekend co-anchor, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity — and especially excited to launch Saturdays with my good friend Rachel Scott,” Johnson tells PEOPLE.
“Viewers already know Rachel as a tough, dynamic and extraordinarily talented political journalist,” he adds. “But I’m truly excited for them to also see more of the Rachel we know behind the scenes — kind, warm, authentic and very funny. It’s the perfect recipe to start your weekend mornings.”
 Credit: Paula Lobo/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty |
 Credit: Lou Rocco/ABC |
For Scott, the move marks a full-circle moment nearly a decade after she first joined ABC News as a production associate in 2016. She later worked as a producer for GMA Digital before rising through the network’s ranks to become senior political correspondent, a position she will continue to hold while anchoring Saturdays from New York.
“I remember standing off to the sidelines in the studio, watching Robin, George and Michael in complete awe. I’ve never lost that feeling,” Scott says. “Last weekend I stood off to the sides just like I used to do all those years ago and couldn’t believe that I would get to be at that desk every Saturday.”
“Only at ABC News could a production associate eventually work her way up to become a co-anchor for Good Morning America Saturday,” she continues. “I don’t take that for granted for one second.”
Scott adds viewers can expect her reporting work to remain central to her new role. “I’m looking forward to bringing the same reporting mentality I have at the White House and Capitol Hill to the anchor desk,” she says. “That part of my job isn’t changing. … The reporting never stops, even from the anchor desk.”
Credit: Heidi Gutman/ABC
Sundays, meanwhile, will bring about a reunion 15 years in the making for Benitez and Ally.
“She’s the first person I ever anchored with when we were both working in local news in Miami,” Benitez says of his new co-anchor. “The fact that we now get to say Good Morning America together is truly special.”
“I cherish the relationship we have with our viewers,” he adds. “And to be able to split the weekend with two of my dearest friends, Whit and Rachel, gives us all the chance to help keep them informed throughout the week.”
Benitez has co-anchored GMA weekends since 2023 while also serving as ABC News’ transportation correspondent, reporting on aviation, space and other major transportation stories for the network. He has also anchored and reported across ABC News’ breaking-news and special coverage, including ABC News Live Weekend and the network’s annual Pride Across America broadcasts.
Credit: PAULA LOBO/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty
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Ally joined ABC News in 2021 and has reported and anchored across the network, including most recently as a co-anchor of World News Now and Good Morning America First Look. Before joining ABC News, the Kansas City native worked at KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, WFOR-TV in Miami and WCBS-TV in New York.
Now a mother of three, Ally says she hopes to bring her own experience juggling a busy life to the Sunday morning desk.
“I know how hectic life can be,” she says. “It’s tough to make sense of the world when you’re juggling work, school and sports schedules and just trying to be a good mom. I’m thrilled to help people kickstart the day — informed and entertained.”
“Joining Gio Benitez, my longtime friend, is a dream come true,” Ally adds. “I was a fan of Good Morning America long before working here, so I know what this show means to people.”
Credit: Michael Le Brecht II/ABC
Rounding out the weekend team is Lopez, who joined ABC News as a meteorologist in April after spending a decade at Los Angeles’ KABC-TV. There, she served as the station’s morning meteorologist, delivering weekday forecasts during its 4 a.m., 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. newscasts.
Before officially joining ABC News, Lopez reported on the Eaton Fire for World News Tonight with David Muir. She has also contributed to On the Red Carpet at the Oscars as a host.
“I love helping viewers start their day and feel prepared for whatever Mother Nature might throw at them,” Lopez says of joining GMA weekends. “But I’m also really excited about the connection that comes with being part of someone’s weekend morning routine.”
“I hope viewers get to know me not just as their trusted meteorologist, but as a mom and a warm, familiar friend in their living room,” she adds.
The weekend expansion won’t stop with GMA. Johnson, Scott, Benitez and Ally will also rotate as anchors of ABC News Live Weekend, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on weekend mornings on ABC News’ 24/7 streaming channel, available on Disney+, Hulu and the ABC News app.
Good Morning America Saturday and Sunday air weekend mornings at 8 a.m. ET on ABC.
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