Charles deWolf Gibson (born March 9, 1943) is an American broadcast television anchor, journalist, and podcaster. Gibson was a host of Good Morning America from 1987 to 1998 and again from 1999 to 2006, and the anchor of ABC World News from 2006 to 2009.
In 1965, Gibson worked as the news director for Princeton University's student-run radio station, a radio producer for RKO, and a reporter for local television stations. In 1975, he joined ABC News, where he worked as a general assignment reporter and a correspondent from Washington, D.C.
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Early life and education
Gibson was born on March 9, 1943, in Evanston, Illinois, to Georgianna Law and Burdett Gibson, and is a great-nephew of graphic artist Charles Dana Gibson. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended the Sidwell Friends School, a private college-preparatory school in Washington.
In 1965, Gibson graduated with an A.B. in history from Princeton University, where he was News Director for WPRB-FM, the university radio station, and a member of Princeton Tower Club. Gibson completed a senior thesis titled "The Land and Capital Problems of Pre-Famine Ireland." In 1966, he served in the United States Coast Guard.
Career
Early career
Gibson joined RKO General in 1966 as a producer and later worked as a reporter and anchor for WLVA (now WSET) television in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1970, he moved to WMAL-TV (now WJLA) television, the ABC network affiliate in Washington, D.C. Gibson joined the syndicated news service Television News Inc. (TVN) in 1974. For TVN, he covered the Watergate scandal investigations and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
ABC News
Gibson joined ABC News in 1975, where he worked as its White House correspondent from 1976 to 1977, a general assignment reporter from 1977 to 1981, and House of Representatives correspondent from 1981 to 1987. Gibson was a correspondent and stand-in anchor for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, anchored World News Saturday and substitute anchor on the late-night hard and soft news program Nightline and World News This Morning.
On February 23, 1987, Gibson first became a co-anchor of Good Morning America, alongside Joan Lunden. From 1985 to 1995, Good Morning America was the most-watched morning show on American television.
Gibson hosted and narrated the Maryland Public Television documentary Lucky Number, a program about problem gambling, in 1990.
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Vice President Dan Quayle criticized Ross Perot over remarks Perot had made during an interview with Gibson on Good Morning America concerning the United States Constitution. In June 1992, Gibson interviewed Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and pressed him to identify his running mate.
On May 1, 1998, Gibson left Good Morning America and was replaced by Kevin Newman. ABC reinstated Gibson on January 18, 1999, with Diane Sawyer as co-anchor. He remained with the program until June 28, 2006, when he left to become anchor of World News Tonight.
During the September 11 attacks, Gibson and Sawyer were anchoring Good Morning America. After the second plane struck the South Tower, Gibson recognized that the United States was under attack.
During the 2004 U.S. presidential-election campaign, Gibson moderated the second presidential debate in St. Louis, Missouri, between the two nominee candidates – Republican incumbent President George W. Bush and Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry. That debate took place on October 8, 2004.
In 2005, Gibson was among the substitute anchors for World News Tonight while Peter Jennings underwent treatment for lung cancer. Following Jennings's death on August 7, 2005, Gibson anchored World News Tonight the following evening. Gibson was considered a leading candidate to succeed Jennings, but ABC selected Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff as co-anchors of World News Tonight, beginning January 2, 2006. Following Woodruff's injury in Iraq, ABC News again considered Gibson for the position. On May 23, 2006, ABC News announced that Gibson would become the program's sole anchor following Vargas's departure.
Later work
In December 2010, Gibson participated as a speaker on Voices in Leadership, an original Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health webcast series, in a discussion titled, "Lessons Learned as an ABC News Anchor," moderated by Dr. Robert Blendon.
In 2016, he appears as a news anchor in season 4 of the Netflix original series House of Cards.
During ABC News' live presidential election coverage on November 8, 2016, Gibson appeared as a contributor.
On May 2, 2022, Gibson returned to ABC where he hosted a podcast for ABC Audio with his daughter Kate. The podcast, titled The Bookcase, was designed to feature authors, book industry insiders and local independent bookstores. The first episode featured Oprah Winfrey who discussed the impact of her bookclub, how she picks her choices and her own reading habits. The two regularly make appearances on Good Morning America to update readers on the book world.
Awards and honors
In 1973, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded him a National Journalism Fellowship. The Radio Television Digital News Association awarded Gibson the Paul White Award in 2006, and in 2008 Quinnipiac University awarded him the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award.
Personal life
Gibson's wife, Arlene Gibson, is an educator who retired in 2006 as head of school at The Spence School in New York City. She has also held positions at other schools in New York City and New Jersey, and was previously the head of the middle school at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1980s. She is on the board of trustees at her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
They have two daughters, Jessica and Katherine. On March 14, 2006, Jessica gave birth to Gibson's first grandchild.
Gibson has resided with his family in Summit, New Jersey.
Beginning in 2006, Gibson was a member of the board of trustees of Princeton University, until his term expired in 2015.
On May 28, 1989, Gibson delivered the commencement address at Vassar College. On May 17, 2006, Gibson delivered the commencement address at Monmouth University's class of 2006's graduation ceremony held at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. He was also presented with a doctor of humane letters, an honorary degree.
On June 17, 2007, Gibson delivered the commencement address to the class of 2007's graduation ceremony at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Gibson also received an honorary doctor of humane letters, as well as a framed copy of his father's 1923 college yearbook entry. His father, Burdett Gibson, grew up in Schenectady and graduated from the college in 1923. Gibson contributed an estimated US$75,000 to the college to help create the Burdett Gibson Class of 1923 Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a deserving student in need.
Career timeline
1966 – Gibson joined the RKO General as a producer and later worked as a reporter and anchor for WLVA (now WSET) television in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1970, he moved to WMAL-TV (now WJLA) television, the ABC network affiliate in Washington, D.C. Gibson joined the syndicated news service Television News, Inc. (TVN) in 1974.
1970–1973 – anchor and reporter at WMAL-TV, the ABC television-network affiliate in Washington, D.C.
1977–1981 – general-assignment correspondent for the ABC News division of the ABC television network.
1981–1987 – chief correspondent for the U.S. House of Representatives for ABC News.
February 1987–May 1998; January 1999–June 2006 – co-anchor of ABC News's Good Morning America, a breakfast television news and talk program.
1998–2000 – co-anchor of ABC News's newsmagazine program 20/20
2000–2004 – co-anchor of ABC News's Primetime, a television newsmagazine.
October 2004 – moderator of a "town-hall"-style debate during the 2004 U.S. presidential-election campaign between candidates Republican U.S. President George W. Bush and Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry.
May 2006 – December 2009 – anchor of World News with Charles Gibson.
January 2008 – moderator of debates between the Democratic candidates, as well as Republican candidates.
April 2008 – co-moderator of a Democratic Party U.S. presidential-campaign debate between candidates – U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama – during the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.