Copyright hellomagazine
Robin Roberts has been a staple at GMA for decades, so it seems reasonable that her paycheck should reflect the hard work she has put in to help keep the ABC show number one in the ratings for the last 13 consecutive years. Unsurprisingly, Robin is the highest-paid star at the network, according to Forbes, and her staggering reported annual salary of $25 million is a far cry from what she earned during her first job at WDAM Hattiesburg, something her co-host, Michael Strahan, was only too happy to point out during Thursday's show. During the Pop News segment, Lara Spencer drew attention to Robin when she announced that she has been named InStyle magazine's Woman of Impact for November in a special issue celebrating GMA's 50th anniversary. "This is a story that hits very close to home," Lara said. "Our own, Robin Robers, is being featured in the new InStyle magazine's very special issue celebrating GMA's 50th anniversary. They named Robin InStyle's Woman of Impact for November, honoring Robin's 20-year legacy here at GMA." Lara continued: "In the article, InStyle says that at the core, you are a storyteller, I totally agree by the way, and in the article, Robin takes us down memory lane, if you will, talking about seeing her sister, Sally-Ann, reporting on TV for the first time, when you were about 12 years old and what a difference that made in your life, it really formed your decision." Appearing a little emotional, Robin replied: "I never saw anybody who looked like me on television doing the news. She actually was doing the weather, and she did such a phenomenal job for them that when I needed a job out of college, they were the only ones who would hire a woman to do sports on television." Robin then dropped the bombshell and said how much her first TV gig paid, revealing she earned $5.50 an hour, a revelation that caused a giddy Michael to use the information to earn him a laugh from his colleagues, including George Stephanopoulos and Sam Champion. "What you doing now? $5.50 an hour," he exclaimed. Referring to a photo shown on screen of a younger Robin with pigtails, he added: "A lot of that has changed. Pigtails, your pay scale, everything," while motioning his arm up in the air to signal her drastically higher paycheck, sparking laughter from the studio. Robin has worked in broadcasting for more than 30 years and was named co-anchor of GMA in May 2005. She began contributing to the morning program in June 1995, and prior to that, she was a contributor to ESPN as a host on SportsCenter and contributing to NFL PrimeTime. According to ABC News, under Robin's leadership, GMA has won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program and the 2017 People's Choice Award for Favorite Daytime TV Hosting Team.
