The Best Morning Show Hosts of All Time, Ranked

Even after a wildly successful career as a NFL defensive end and a promising second act as a pregame host, Strahan numbered among the most unexpected candidates to join Kelly Ripa as Regis Philbin’s successor on “Live!” But he earned the slot after nearly 20 guest appearances, exhibiting a laid-back charm and unforced rapport with his quippy co-host that won over both female and male viewers and earned him two Daytime Emmys in the four years he was with the show. Despite a slightly bumpy departure, Strahan’s appeal also smoothly translated to his next high-profile gig co-hosting “Good Morning America,” where once again the athlete-turned-broadcaster made a seamless transition into reporting on the news of the day — making him an increasingly enduring presence and, as in his athletic career, a likely morning show Hall of Famer.

Bringing over a seemingly unflappable demeanor from his standout career as a sports broadcaster, Gumbel added a cool, calm and collected sense of gravitas to “Today.” A last minute fill-in stint on the show earned him the hotly-contested male anchor chair, and while it took a minute to gel with co-host Jane Pauley, he soon emerged as both relaxed and authoritative. Pauley’s departure left waters choppy at “Today” until Gumbel found an appealing counterpart in emerging star Katie Couric: his sober-minded air balanced neatly with her telegenic spunk. Following 15 iconic years on “Today,” Gumbel would later successfully helm CBS’ “The Early Show” — including being the first to report on the Sept. 11 attacks — before returning to his original broadcast specialty, sports, on HBO’s “Real Sports.”

A veteran broadcast journalist who’d long earned his stripes as a writer and reporting in the field for CBS News, Kuralt essentially invented his own fertile niche with his half-formal, half-folksy “On the Road” segments that took an up-close look at often overlooked corners of American culture. That experience teed him up to launch the trailblazing weekend TV news magazine “Sunday Morning” — the precursor of CBS’ weekday morning news programming — where his formalized yet droll and drily witty delivery distinguished him as a genial, favorite-uncle sort of television host and set the template followed by successors like the similarly erudite Charles Osgood.

It’s exceedingly unusual that an A-list Hollywood performer with decades of accumulated goodwill as well as every top accolade (she’s an uber-rare EGOT) would seek out a seat at one of the most tumultuous morning talk tables on TV, but that’s the essence of Goldberg: as fascinating as she is herself, she’s equally fascinated with the world around her. As the co-host and moderator of “The View” since 2007, Goldberg’s presence has been critical to the show’s success, bringing the wisdom of real-world experience, boundless curiosity and the occasionally controversial perspective. Indeed, since the departure of Barbara Walters, she’s been the glue that’s routinely held the show together whenever it threatened to spin utterly out of control, judiciously wielding her laid-back gravitas to wrangle her frequently squabbling co-hosts.

With the hard-earned bona fides of an investigative reporter and prominent news magazine correspondent, Vieira proved up to the task of exposing her own persona on the air in detail when she took on hosting and moderating duties on “The View”: she quickly earned points with viewers for her quick quips and slightly salty sense of humor, as well as her openness sharing her experiences and vulnerabilities as a wife and mother. “The View” proved an ideal platform to propel Vieira into a co-hosting stint on “Today,” picking up the baton from Katie Couric and offering her the opportunity to put her highly polished yet utterly personable spin on one-of-a-kind news coverage like the Olympics and presidential inaugurations.

Having paid his journalistic dues as a White House correspondent and fill-in news anchor, Gibson deftly fused his sharply-honed newsman instincts with the inviting, chummy ease of a natural morning show broadcaster. That potent combination of skills, especially when paired alongside the widely-appealing Joan Lunden, fueled “Good Morning America’s” powerhouse ascent to the top of a.m. ratings for a solid decade. Indeed, Gibson became such an institution that, four years after he left the show, “GMA” invited him back, this time alongside Diane Sawyer, where his shrewd, avuncular manner balanced neatly alongside her erudite cool.

She’d already earned her place as America’s BFF thanks to her longtime and highly visible friendship with towering talk show queen Oprah Winfrey. But it took genuine skill and talent to emerge from Winfrey’s long shadow for King to reveal herself as a captivating broadcast talent in her own right. When she assumed the co-anchor chair of CBS’ “This Morning” in 2012, she demonstrated the steadiness and versatility that powered her long career in local news, as well as a beguiling relatability that made viewers quickly feel they were as close to her as Winfrey was — all served by an unblinking willingness to speak truth to power, even when that meant calling out her own network and co-hosts.

Dovetailing two career paths, first in broadcast journalism and the second practicing law, Guthrie’s star rose on Court TV, where her legal acumen covering high-profile cases like the Michael Jackson trial and skill translating complex issues for a TV audience marked her as a standout. Her keen intelligence was on display during her stint as a NBC political correspondent, but the extent of Guthrie’s appeal became apparent when she was tapped to co-host “Today,” where her warm, personable and decidedly funny side was given a spotlight. She epitomizes the traits of the ideal morning show host: a friendly face you enjoy watching over your a.m. routine, and a journalist you can count on to ask hard questions about challenging issues of the day.

It’s tempting to think of Roker simply as the Clown Prince of Morning TV, thanks to his freewheeling, fun-loving and always amusing on-air presence reporting the weather on “Today.” But for a quarter century, his light touch has served in canny contrast to his committed work ethic: whenever a significant meteorological condition arises, Roker has repeatedly stepped up in ways many other on-air weather czars do not, putting himself in harm’s way and working marathon hours (he’s a Guinness World Record holder for continuous on-air broadcasting) — always with his signature good humor. Bolstered by his willingness to share his own personal health journeys along the way, no matter where the wind blows, Roker remains “Today’s” rock.

Garroway’s place in the morning show pantheon is assured for not only for being the very first host of NBC’s “Today” in 1952, but also for pioneering the relaxed, conversational and intimate style of broadcasting that would ultimately define the morning show genre — rather than formally announcing news of the day and cynically hyping entertainers, Garroway spoke to the audience as a trusted confidante, engendering the direct, personal tone that the most successful morning show hosts continue to emulate. Along the way, his innovations also provided viewers with a unique gateway to explore other countries and cultures, experience art, technology and science and gain a greater understanding of the world around them.

It’s no overstatement to deem Pauley one of the personifications of a model morning show host, having laid down the template over the course of 13 years on “Today.” She brought a serene grace and uber-professional polish to her news-breaking duties, while also demonstrating an innate sense of exactly when to have fun with the less world-shaking goings-on, and the morning audience was in tune with her perspective. Pauley emerged as something of a feminist icon as well: an accomplished, high-profile female broadcaster who — when NBC appeared to be not-so-subtly pushing her out in favor of a younger model — took control of her own destiny and managed to, in fact, have it all: more time with her family and a plumb primetime follow-up gig, while “Today’s” rating sagged in her wake. Years later, her early morning skills proved as effective as ever when she assumed the hosting reigns of “CBS Sunday Morning.”

When it came to defining the gold standards of morning show hosting, Lunden was indelibly influential on “Good Morning America,” a standard-setter during her 17-year tenure. Her immediate popularity as a segment reporter quickly landed her in the co-host chair, where she demonstrated an easy, twinkly chemistry opposite both David Hartman and Charlie Gibson. She was easily the most adventurous a.m. personality of her day — bungee-jumping, rappelling, paragliding, whitewater rafting — and she was just as risk-averse in sharing her personal triumphs and tragedies — divorce, remarriage, children — that marked her uniquely as the morning show host you wanted to share a cup of coffee with as much off camera as on.

It was clear that Kathie Lee Gifford was leaving a colossal space to fill next to Regis Philbin, but he had an inkling — based on the lively conversational sparks he’d struck chatting with a previous guest, a moderately known actress from the daytime drama “All My Children” — that Ripa might just livewire enough to snag the seat. Indeed, since their very first pairing as co-hosts, she emerged not just as a bubbly, boisterous foil for Philbin, but a saucy, sassy, sardonic force of nature perfect for morning television. Her seeming lack of filter always ideally expressed through clever quips and an instinct for storytelling, Ripa swiftly transcended her sidekick role to become a powerful TV icon in her own right, handily enduring her own changes of partners.

Possessing both hard-earned journalistic chops and a chic, elegant persona, Sawyer brought a fresh breath of glamour and worldly sophistication to the traditionally folksier trappings of morning television. Having segued from local news into stints as a White House press aide and literary aide to President Richard Nixon during the turbulent Watergate era, Sawyer had already seen a lot when she first forayed into morning TV on CBS, and then was further seasoned by tours at “60 Minutes,” “Primetime Live” and “20/20.” A hard-news superstar when she took the host’s chair at “Good Morning America,” her formal, polished-diamond air worked astonishingly well there for nearly 11 years: absolutely authoritative, utterly trustworthy and always unflappable.

The post-modern personification of the relatable morning show host, Kotb practically radiates warmth and goodwill from the screen. Another journalist honed in the local news trenches, Kotb became a nationally familiar face on “NBC News” and “Dateline NBC” before being tapped to host “Today’s” fourth hour in 2007, where her most potent skill set would come into play once she was paired with Kathie Lee Gifford: she makes for especially great television when bouncing off a co-host and letting her hair down in ways morning TV previously feared to tread. Her high-spirited, sometimes bawdy early a.m. happy hours with Gifford positioned them as the gabby gal pals viewers wished they had, and even without wine she’s since fermented similarly cozy camaraderie with both Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie.

She’s certainly a barrier-breaker, as an openly gay woman of color hosting a network morning show, but it’s Roberts’ high standard of journalistic excellence paired with her relaxed personal transparency that’s distinguished her reign at “Good Morning America.” A former basketball standout and a veteran sports reporter for ESPN, Roberts has proved irresistible to root for, from inheriting the “GMA” desk from Diane Sawyer and building it to new ratings heights, to reporting on the devastation of her own home region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, to sharing her journey as she battled and beat cancer. Throughout, her poise and professionalism never failed to sparkle. It’s easy to watch Roberts, who inspires both empathy and admiration, and believe she’s not just one of the best in her profession, she one of the best of all of us.

Gifford’s arrival in the early morning broadcast sphere in 1988 was no less than seismic. After three years of honing her razor-sharp rapport with Regis Philbin on their local show, when “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee” made its national debut she did everything traditional female morning show hosts had never done: she gave the amusingly cantankerous Philbin as good as she got, she winkingly made unabashedly risqué remarks, she sang and she overshared details of her family life. Viewers adored her for her enthusiastic, unfiltered candor; for ages a litany of imitators strove, in vain, to replicate the hosts’ combustion. Eight years after she exited “Live!” Gifford remained a TV juggernaut when paired with Hoda Kotb for “Today’s” fourth hour, uncorking — often literally — a new, highly-rated 11-year era of morning chat dominance.

Before “Live!” Philbin had lived out a succession of media incarnations – radio sportscaster, news anchor, entertainment reporter, late-night sidekick, film critic and local morning show host among them. Finally, at 57, when he and Kathie Lee Gifford brought their show to a national audience, he became a pop culture sensation at last. His generous gift of gab, his insanely high-wattage energy, his over-the-top umbrage, his desperation for A-list approval, his third-person self-references, his tales of embarrassing social faux pas and his delight in crossing verbal swords with his co-host all marked him as a singular force in morning television. Success and age failed, thankfully, to mellow Philbin: he found a fresh, paternal and even more curmudgeonly rapport with Gifford’s successor Kelly Ripa that remained ripe all the way to retirement. Even in his endgame as a TV titan, Philbin channeled all the scrappy charisma of an eternal underdog.

The story of Walters’ life and career — the most famous and accomplished glass ceiling-breaking female broadcast news journalist of her era — is an epic of cultural relevance, but it’s her bookended journey in morning TV that matters here. Elevated from writer-researcher on “Today” to an on-camera role that transcended her smiling “Today Girl” successors, Walters reported on hard news, developed news magazine-style features and was ultimately named as the show’s first female co-host in 1974.

She’d subsequently thrive in a legendary primetime career at ABC News that included “20/20” and her distinctive one-hour interview specials, where she cultivated her now-famous knack for gently probing questions that revealed deeper truths about her sometimes misty-eyed interviewees (typically the world’s most influential and powerful people). In 1997, she returned to the a.m. landscape with her most enduring contribution yet: “The View,” in which she filled the host table with opinionated women of differing ages, backgrounds and political perspectives. The show provides a unique reflection of American society at any given time — heated, high-volume disagreements included. Over the years “The View’s” influential conversation-driven format would prove to be enduringly popular, oft-imitated and never quite equaled, just like its creator herself.

Years after leaving her astoundingly popular 15-year-stint hosting “Today” and for all of her subsequent accomplishments — including anchoring “CBS Evening News” and a groundbreaking global anchor role at Yahoo! — Couric remains the ne plus ultra of morning show hosts, synonymous with the genre and still its shining superstar. Upon joining “Today” in 1991 — a planned temp stint the network wisely deemed permanent — Couric swiftly emerged fully formed as the Host Next Door, her unmistakably upbeat personality neatly balanced by a keen on-air professionalism — smiling and laughing though lighter-weight segments, sincere and sober-minded when news of the day turned weighty.

She possesses that rare ability to reach through the screen and connect with viewers on a substantive level, never more so then when she exposed her personal pain, such as publicly morning the losses of both her husband and sister to cancer and turning her energies to educating viewers facing their own health struggles. But ultimately, it was the palpable, infectious joy she took in her on-air role — from breezily bantering with her colleagues to firing tough-but-fair questions at politicos — that was her greatest asset: she loved what she was doing, and her audience loved watching her do it.