Robin Roberts of ‘GMA:’ Kombucha Instead of Coffee and Other Ways She Starts Her Day Before Saying ‘Good Morning America’
Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts is a fan favorite on the morning news program. Her warm demeanor and down-to-earth personality has become a welcome sight to viewers when they wake up each morning and turn on the news.
Recently celebrating her 30th anniversary at ABC, Roberts has discovered some tricks over the years that help get her going when her alarm goes off each day before sunrise.
Roberts’ pre-dawn routine
As the lead anchor of GMA, Roberts has to set her alarm at an unthinkable time on a daily basis.
“I wake up at 3:15. 3:15!” she told The Cut. “At 3:30, I turn on the TV, and I watch about ten minutes to catch up on the headlines from overnight news. Especially nowadays, by the time you go to bed and by the time you wake up, who knows what has happened.”
After getting her update fix, Roberts takes time to center herself. Then, being a diehard journalist, she goes back for more news. “I then turn off the TV and I meditate for 20 minutes in my bedroom,” she shared. “At that point, it’s like 4:05, and I do some deep breathing. Then I turn the TV set back on to catch more of the news, hop in the shower, head out the door, and have my driver Dario put on some gospel music in the car. Then, I’m in the studio by 5.”
Vitamins, prayer, and kombucha to start the day
Not big on breakfast, Roberts opts for supplements and prayer over eggs and bacon in the early hours of the day.
“I can’t eat in the morning. I take some gummies. Vitamin gummies, not the other kind of gummies — thank you very much,” the GMA star revealed. “Then before I walk out the door every morning, I say the prayer of protection: ‘The light of God surrounds me, the love of God unfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me; wherever I am, God is.’”
The ABC journalist also favors H2O over a caffeinated beverage in the morning. “I never drink coffee,” Roberts said. “I drink plenty of water on the drive into the studio and inside the dressing room.”
Though she doesn’t have much of an appetite before sunrise, Roberts chooses to get her sustenance when seasoned chefs stop by GMA. “When we have cooking segments on the show, I tear that food up,” she revealed. “I ate a pork chop at 8:40 yesterday — almost dinner for me.”
Though the ABC network anchor eschews coffee, she gets revitalized by the go-to beverage she keeps on hand throughout the day. “I drink a lot of kombucha on the set. It looks like Blue Moon, and everyone always thinks I’m drinking a beer,” Roberts said. “I’m like, ‘Do you see an orange in there? No! That is not Blue Moon; it’s kombucha. Come on, people.’”
Roberts’ family at work and in her heart
Always looking her best on the air, Roberts credits the team that helps her get glam for the cam.
“I didn’t wake up like this. I have a glam fam, okay?” Roberts told The Cut. “It takes a village. D’Andre dresses me. Elena is my makeup artist. Petula is my hair stylist. Nicole, right now, is my morning producer. They’re all in there, helping me get ready for my day.”
Nearing showtime, Roberts still makes time for more prep work and prayer. “I’m in my dressing room from about 5–6. Then I go and do some early promos,” she said. “At 6:30, D’Andre leads us in prayer from Joel Osteen’s message of the day. And then at 7, I say ‘Good morning, America.’”
Roberts always aims to truly connect with viewers when she comes on the screen every morning and is grateful for her seat at the GMA table. “It is the best feeling to say ‘Good morning, America’ every day. I mean that sincerely,” the journalist said. “It’s a privilege, just getting to put a smile on people’s faces.”
Though both her parents have passed away, Roberts keeps them both close to her heart and gives them their own ‘Good Morning’ each day. “Before I enter the studio every morning, I blow a kiss to my mother and my father,” she revealed. “I used to call my mother every single morning after GMA in the dressing room. She was in Mississippi, so I’d have to wait until 10 a.m. for her to see it central time, because Good Morning America’s on from 7–9. So I would wait, and I’d call her like clockwork at 10 a.m. Because my mother was such a ray of sunshine, she was the one who started my day.”
Now Roberts starts the day for millions of viewers, a high-profile role she takes very much to heart.
