George Stephanopoulos’ Status At ABC Takes A Surprising Turn After Trump Payout

The “Good Morning America” host faced speculation about his future after the network settled the defamation lawsuit generated by his “rape” comment.

ABC’s “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos has agreed to a new contract, an ABC News spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost on Thursday. The deal became public amid an uproar over the network’s settlement of Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit.

It was Stephanopoulos’ legally inaccurate “rape” wording to describe a civil verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault suit against Trump that prompted the president-elect to sue.

The controversial settlement sparked “speculation about [Stephanopoulos’] future at the network” Deadline wrote in reporting the multi-year contract renewal. It also reportedly set off internal pushback at the Disney-owned network for caving in the legal fight, perhaps setting a precedent for other news organizations now threatened by Trump as he returns to the presidency.

The Los Angeles Times noted that the ratings of “Good Morning America” sliding behind NBC’s “Today” was perhaps a greater concern to ABC than public backlash over the settlement. At an estimated salary of $20 million a year, Stephanopoulos has provided continuity and journalistic heft for a morning show audience that can resist change, the newspaper wrote. He’s cohosted “GMA” since 2009.

Variety reported the contract details were worked out before the defamation payout while a person familiar with the new development told HuffPost it was “not connected to settlement timing.”