Media personality and television host, Sam Champion is well known for his expertise in the area of weather forecasting. He has served as a reputable weatherman for some of the major television networks across the United States in the course of his over 3-decade career. He spent the greater part of his longrunning career with the ABC network on WABC-TV and also on Good Morning America. He has also worked at The Weather Channel where he served as the managing editor and also anchored shows like AMHQ: America’s Morning Headquarters and 23.5 Degrees With Sam Champion. The multiple award-winning weather anchor has also worked for NBC.
Sam Champion’s Biography
He was born Samuel James Champion back in 1961 on the 13th day of August. He was born in the city of Paducah in McCracken County, Kentucky. There is not much information about his mother Sylvia, however, his father James H. Champion is known to have been a U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam war. Sam grew up alongside one sibling, a sister named Teresa. For his high school education, he attended Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia and he graduated in 1979.
Sam Champion had his college education at Eastern Kentucky University where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast news. While studying for his undergraduate degree, he had the opportunity to intern at a local TV station WKYT-TV in Lexington, Kentucky. His first job upon graduation was at WPSD-TV located in his home city of Paducah, Kentucky. His next job was at WJKS which is based in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1988, he got hired to serve as a weatherman on WABC-TV, a flagship station of the ABC located in New York City. This marked the beginning of a highly successful 18-year spell during which he easily became the most-watched weatherman in the area. He joined ABC’s Good Morning America and ABC News in August 2006 and by so doing, he extended his spell with the network by seven years.
During his time with the ABC network, Champion also appeared on other popular talk shows like Live with Kelly and Ryan on WABC-TV and Larry King Live on CNN. He was eventually replaced by Ginger Zee on Good Morning America when he departed the network in December 2013.
Sam Champion joined The Weather Channel in January 2014. In addition to his role as the managing editor of the channel, he also co-anchored the morning show AMHQ: America’s Morning Headquarters alongside Mike Bettes and Maria LaRosa. His co-hosting duties lasted from March 2014 when the show debuted until September 2015. He began contributing to primetime programs on The Weather Channel after his exit from AMHQ.
In March 2016, Champion headlined his self-titled late-night talk show 23.5 Degrees With Sam Champion on The Weather Channel. He hosted several episodes of the show until December 2016 when his contract with the channel expired. He left the Weather Channel afterward as his contract did not get renewed.
Is Sam Champion Gay, Who is The Husband?
Sam Champion is an openly gay man and he has been married for several years. He got married to Rubem Robierb on December 21, 2012, after they dated for many years. The two are known to be very vocal activists of the LGBT cause. Robierb is a visual artist from Brazil.
Sam Champion Net Worth
Sam Champion’s net worth is pegged at a whopping $10 million. Apparently, the veteran weather anchor has been known to command very high paycheques in the course of his longrunning and illustrious career. He reportedly earned as much as $1.5 million per annum during his spell on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Where is He Now?
Sam Champion was unable to snag a regular TV hosting role within a short while after he departed The Weather Channel. This was certainly in contrast to his previous experiences with changing jobs. However, he reported the 2017 hurricane season for NBC News and MSNBC leading to speculations that he may join the NBC. He later returned to his past employers the ABC network in February 2018 where he served as a fill-in weather forecaster on Good Morning America. Going by his level of expertise and immense experience on the job, it is only a matter of time before he reclaims his place on television.
