Stephanopoulos Signs New Deal With ABC News Amid Trump Lawsuit
George Stephanopoulos, co-host of Good Morning America, will remain with the program despite criticism surrounding the Walt Disney Co.'s settlement of President-elect Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News.
According to sources speaking on condition of anonymity, Stephanopoulos recently signed a multi-year deal to continue with the ABC morning show.
“The deal will likely quell rumblings of any long-term fallout over ABC News’ agreement to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library and $1 million in legal fees to settle a lawsuit over Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air statement that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
“Stephanopoulos — who is said to earn in the range of $20 million annually — has long provided nutritious news calories to the breezy morning program that he co-hosts with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. The network has no apparent successor to Stephanopoulos, who joined Good Morning America in 2009. A change in the host chairs can disrupt morning audience viewing habits, which are deeply entrenched,” the outlet added.
Earlier this month, ABC News and Stephanopoulos reached a settlement with Trump, agreeing to issue an apology and pay a significant financial penalty.
The controversy arose during a heated March interview on This Week with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, in which Stephanopoulos called Trump a “rapist.”
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” Stephanopoulos asked Mace, following a clip of her discussing her personal experience with sexual assault.
“Well, I will tell you. I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you — I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt, and it’s a shame that you will never feel, George. And I’m not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I’m not going to do that,” Mace responded.
Stephanopoulos countered, “It’s actually not about shaming you; it’s a question about Donald Trump…”
“No, you are shaming me,” Mace retorted.
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president,” the anchor persisted.
“Right,” Mace confirmed.
“Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge. It repeated the…” Stephanopoulos continued before Mace interrupted.
“It was not a criminal court case, number one. Number two, I live with shame, and you’re asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and find it disgusting,” Mace said.
“And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll’s comments when she did get the judgment, joking about what she was going to buy, it doesn’t — it makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery out of rape. When they joke about it. It’s not—it’s not OK,” she added.
Following the interview, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit, which was resolved last Saturday. The settlement requires ABC News and Stephanopoulos to pay $15 million as a charitable donation toward a presidential foundation and museum Trump plans to establish, as well as $1 million in legal fees.
As part of the agreement, ABC News also issued a statement expressing “regret” over the March 10, 2024, interview.
“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024,” the network said.
A spokesperson for ABC News noted that the network was “pleased” to have resolved the case.