Good Morning America Weekend Anchor Dan Harris Leaving ABC News After 21 Years: 'Very Hard'
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Dan Harris is saying goodbye to ABC News.
On Good Morning America Sunday, the 50-year-old anchor announced he would be leaving the show after two decades on air and revealed why.
"I am going to be leaving ABC News in two months. This was a difficult decision for me," Harris began. "As some of you may know, I've been spending a lot of time on my extracurricular gig, my side hustle, a meditation company called 10 Percent Happier. Even though I'm a public proponent of work-life balance, if I'm honest, I've struggled to follow my own advice."
"I recently asked ABC News management to let me out of my contract early, which would allow me to fully focus on 10 Percent Happier," he continued. "And my bosses … did not have to say yes, but they did. It was unusually gracious, and I am super grateful."
"... I love ABC News, I've been here for 21 years. I became an adult here, although some of my co-hosts may dispute that," the journalist joked. "... In particular, this show, Weekend GMA, has been one of the highlights of my life ... I really do love these people and I'm going to miss them horribly."
.@danbharris is leaving @ABC News in two months to focus on his company, @10percent. We are going to miss you, but wish you and @10percent all the best! pic.twitter.com/P7qbHL8avU
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 8, 2021
Harris joined ABC News in March 2000, according to ABC 7. Alongside his weekend anchoring position on GMA, which the outlet said he's held since 2010, Harris has also reported for World News Tonight, ABC News Digital and ABC News Radio, among others.
Before he joined the major network, Harris worked for New England Cable News, WCSH, an NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine, as well as WLBZ, an NBC affiliate in Bangor, Maine.
Over the years, Harris has earned himself five Emmy Awards, including one in 2009 for his Nightline report, "How to Buy a Child in Ten Hours," according to his IMDB page. He is also the recipient of an Edward R. Murrow Award and has won the ASPCA's Presidential Service Award for Media Excellence, Deadline reported.
The journalist first used "Ten Percent Happier" as the title for a segment on Nightline after he had a panic attack on live television while anchoring GMA in 2014, per Forbes.
The event led Harris to write a book, 10 Percent Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works — A True Story, which later helped create the company he is leaving ABC News to run full-time.
Tweeting the clip of Harris' announcement, GMA wished Harris well in his next adventure.
"We are going to miss you, but wish you and @10percent all the best!" the morning show's official account wrote.
