‘GMA’s Sam Champion Has Hilarious Reaction to ‘Then and Now’ Pics of Himself

Good Morning America‘s Sam Champion has come a long way since getting his TV start in the 1980s.

Champion got a blast from his past via X on Wednesday, July 23, as a fan shared a throwback photo from one of his earliest jobs as a weather anchor for a news station in Jacksonville, Florida. “Please hide this photo 😂. And do NOT post a then-and-now 😂,” he wrote in his reply to the post.

Despite his plea, another fan proceeded to create a “then and now” split of Champion, featuring an older snap and a more recent picture. Champion poked fun at himself while reposting the tweet via his own X profile on Thursday, June 24, writing, “Well, that hurts 😂.”

The creator of the photo split replied to Champion’s reaction, joking, “Lol you kinda made at least ONE of us do it. Lol!!” Agreeing with the assessment, he responded to the post by sharing a laughing face emoji.

Other fans praised Champion’s looks in more replies to his Thursday tweet. “​​Nah, I was watching you this morning on GMA and thought (not for the first time), this man has aged like fine wine!!” one fan wrote. “You didn’t just get older, you got better.”

Well, that hurts 😂 https://t.co/wcdZrgYcuc

— Sam Champion (@SamChampion) July 24, 2025

A different user shared, “I hope u don’t mind my saying it Sam but I think u look even better now and u looked good then too,” while a different person added, “I happen to think you look better now, and I’ve been a fan since you first came to NYC.”

“Handsome then and handsome now. What’s the problem? Lol,” another user noted, while someone else added, “Sam we should all do it like you. I would be so proud of this.”

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A grateful Champion reacted to several of the fan responses by sharing heart and praised hands emojis.

Champion kicked off his TV news career in Jacksonville before spending 18 years at WABC-TV in New York, during which he became the tri-state area’s most-watched weatherman, per his ABC bio. He joined ABC News in 2006 and served as GMA‘s main weather anchor until he left the show to join The Weather Channel in 2013.

Over the years, he has continued to serve as a part-time personality on GMA, occasionally stepping in for his successor, Ginger Zee, and other hosts.

Champion previously shared another throwback photo from his early career days via Facebook in October 2016. “Here’s a throwback! 1986.. my 2nd job in TV at WJKS-TV Jacksonville, FL,” he captioned the pic, noting that he was voted “Jacksonville’s best weatherman” in 1987. “1988 i would be at WABC in New York!” he added.

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