Sam Champion Is Back on 'Good Morning America,' but Why Did He Return to the Show?

Because he is the meteorologist for ABC's New York affiliate, Sam Champion has been a regular contributor to Good Morning America for years now. Whenever the team is down a member, Sam jumps in to fill in.

Sam is on the show right now, and many want to know how he wound up back on Good Morning America. Here's what we know.

While we don't know exactly how Sam wound up back on the show this time, it might be connected to the consolidation of GMA and ABC's New York affiliate into a single building. That certainly makes it easier for Sam to be on both shows, and he's become a regular part of the GMA lineup. He works at GMA on a part-time basis, but that means that he will be part of the show from time to time, and those times are not always predictable.

It's been more than half a year since Sam first returned to live TV after having surgery on his face related to skin cancer. Sam documented that process on social media, and in his return to TV, he shared more details about his journey and also offered those watching him some tips on how to prevent cancer. “I hope that one day, no, one has to go through surgery to get rid of skin cancer,” he said.

“I love nothing more than being outside. But these days, I wouldn't think about going outside without sunscreen. It wasn't always the case," he added. “While I can't go back in time these days, we know more and I don't leave home without putting on sunscreen."

Clearly, then the experience was traumatic, and it caused him to miss work for several weeks. When he did return, he had a pretty substantial mark under one of his eyes.

Although he now works for ABC as a contributor, which means that he only appears on GMA sporadically, from 2006 to 2013, Sam was the show's full-time meteorologist. He left the show to host his own morning series for The Weather Channel, but that show only lasted for three years. After that, he took on the role he has now, where he does weather both for ABC's local affiliate and for GMA, and also does some reporting for ABC.

Sam has been a fixture of New York City morning television for decades, and in that time, he's developed a relationship with a wide and varied audience. While he's not beloved by every fan of GMA, he has certainly established a reputation within the viewership for his meteorology, and for always carrying around a coffee cup, a habit that many people find unprofessional. Sam is not always on GMA, but when he is, the people with opinions about him come out in full force.