The Biz: Getting to Know GMA's Josh Elliott

There is a lot more energy in the Times Square studio of ABC's Good Morning Americasince the arrival of news anchor Josh Elliott, who joined the program from ESPN's SportsCenter last May. "He is engaging, smart and incredibly fun," says Tom Cibrowski, GMA senior executive producer. "He's remarkably quick on his feet, and that makes him an amazing live-television broadcaster."
A 40-year-old former sportswriter from Los Angeles who started his television career just seven years ago, the exuberant Elliott, according to insiders, is being groomed to eventually become GMA's lead anchor. We thought it was time to get to know him better.
TV Guide Magazine: ABC News president Ben Sherwood found you through his then 5-year-old son, who loved to watch the morning edition of SportsCenter you co-anchored with Hannah Storm.
Elliott: He was a huge Dodgers and Lakers fan. He wakes up Ben and his wife one morning and says, "Mommy, Daddy, can you please turn on ESPN?" Ben admittedly wasn't the biggest ESPN viewer and had to search for it on the dial. They got to the point where they were watching all three hours. I owe this all to a young lad.
TV Guide Magazine: You're the single father of a 3-year-old daughter. How does that work with your early-morning hours?
Elliott: It's actually the best thing about the job. Whenever I grump when the alarm goes off, it's immediately replaced by, "But I get to leave my office at 11am and be with my daughter all day."
TV Guide Magazine: You and GMA weather anchor Sam Champion dressed up as LMFAO on Halloween — are you willing to do whatever is necessary to make it on morning TV?
Elliott: There is a certain shamelessness. But I don't think it impacts my ability to go to Joplin, Missouri, [to cover the devastating tornado] and be a journalist and find the appropriate tone.
TV Guide Magazine: Yet you were very convincing as LMFAO.
Elliott: Sam, to his credit, demanded we have a dance class the night before. If you're going to do it — do it! The audience respects us when we commit to something creatively.
TV Guide Magazine: What do you say to someone who asks, "Why should I watch Good Morning America instead of NBC's Today?"
Elliott: [First] I pay proper respect to a phenomenal anchor team and production staff at Today that has done incredibly well. But I think our chemistry at GMA is unlike anything else on TV right now. There is a certain crackle to us.
TV Guide Magazine: What's something about yourself that you've never revealed on TV?
Elliott: A good meal is very important to me. When I have a bad meal, especially out, it's like I'm sitting in an airport during a flight delay. It's a part of my life I can't get back.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!