"Good Morning America" weather anchor Sam Champion has come out of the closet after 14 years on the popular morning program.
But that's not all, the 51-year-old has also just announced that he is engaged to his longterm boyfriend, Brazilian fine-arts photographer Rubem Robierb.
This marks the first time that a co-host of a network morning television show has publicly identified as gay, although Champion's sexual orientation was always known to “GMA" staff, as well as his colleagues and competitors in the media industry.
The engagement news was first broken in a New York Times wedding announcement for “MSNBC Live” host Thomas Roberts and Patrick Abner last week.
The announcement broke—and buried—the Champion's news, writing:
Among the 170 or so guests at the reception was Sam Champion, the weather anchor at ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He took a turn on the dance floor with his partner, the photographer Rubem Robierb.
“We’re getting married New Year’s Eve in Miami,” Mr. Champion said in the spirit of the moment.
Mr. Robierb corrected him: “We’ll do it here officially, and then have a party in Miami.”
"The amazing response from folks all over the country was just incredible for us," Champion exclaimed today on "GMA." "Thank you for the Tweets, and the Facebook and just coming up on the street and saying the most wonderful things."
To watch Champion talk about his upcoming wedding on "GMA," click here.
The low key coming out follows a few months after CNN host Anderson Cooper went public with his sexual orientation and was done similarly to how "The Big Bang Theory" actor Jim Parsons came out this summer, with mention of his partner also buried in a Times article.
"Star Trek" actor Zachary Quinto also came out by discussing his sexuality for the first time in a New York magazine profile, saying of his role in the play "Angels," it was “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as an actor and the most rewarding ... And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like there’s still so much work to be done, and there’s still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed.”
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