Co-Anchor on the Weekend Segment of ‘Good Morning America’

Whit Johnson | Biography

Previously worked at network outlets including KNDO/KNDU, CBS News, KNBC-TV

• By Ojasbi
• Original : October 26, 2021

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Whitney C. Johnson is an American journalist who works as a co-anchor on the weekend segment of ‘Good Morning America.’

Who Is Whit Johnson?

Whit Johnson is a well-known figure in the landscape of journalism. He began his professional career at KSL-TV, followed by prestigious media outlets such as KNDO/KNDU, CBS News, KNBC-TV. He is now the co-anchor of Good Morning America’s weekend broadcasts. He is also employed as a news correspondent at ABC World News Tonight.

Johnson won the 2013 Los Angeles Emmy for a serialized investigation exposing car repair business frauds.

How Old Is Whit Johnson?

Whit Johnson was born Whitney C. Johnson on 25 June 1982 in San Francisco, California, USA, and raised there. He is 39 years as of 2021.

Education

Johnson is a San Francisco State University graduate, where he pursued his B.A. in television and radio broadcasting.

Family & DNA Test

Johnson’s mother is Caucasian/European, while his father is from Spanish and Native American heritage. His father was unaware of his ancestry at first, as he was an adopted child. However, Johnson’s DNA test showed the ancestral traits of his father.

Johnson’s parents got divorced in 2013. After that, Johnson underwent a 23andMe DNA test because his mother wanted to know more about his ethnicity and family history. Along with the Western European, British/Irish/Scottish ancestry clear on his mother’s side, the test revealed he possessed modest amounts of Basque Spanish and Native American ancestry. And it was from his father. 

After learning about the test results, Johnson began perusing the DNA website and came across a pop-up titled Your DNA Relatives. A click on it generated interesting Spanish names and profiles. Surfing more brought him to a section called Your Immediate Family. When he clicked at it, he saw a photo of a man who looked precisely like his father. That man was his father’s brother. So it turned out; he accidentally discovered his father’s biological side.

Further exploration of legal records and documents led to details of his father’s other brother. The three brothers’ genetic profiles conveyed they had the same mother but different fathers.

Eventually, the three brothers and Johnson had a meeting after learning about their relation.

Career

Johnson began his work in the landscape of journalism as an evening weekday anchor and reporter for the NBC affiliate network KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, he began his official on-air job as an evening weekend anchor and reporter for another NBC affiliate, KNDO/ KNDU. 

In 2009, he was hired by CBS News as a network correspondent and fill-in anchor and was subsequently taken in by KNBC as a general assignment reporter in 2012. As a general assignment correspondent at KNBC, Johnson covered the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign from Boston, and the mass killings at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. He as well reported the crash landing of Asiana flight 214 in San Francisco International Airport. 

In June 2014, he was recruited as a co-anchor for Today in L.A. (on KNBC-TV). Three and a half years later, Johnson parted ways with KNBC in December 2017. He then assumed the role of co-anchor of Good Morning America’s weekend broadcasts in March 2018. Johnson continues to work for the designation as of 2021. Alongside, he also works as a news correspondent at ABC News.

ABC News

Johnson has been working as an ABC News correspondent since 2018. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, he served as ABC News’ lead journalist. In addition, he covered election week from Arizona and the Democratic Party caucuses for the 2020 presidential election campaign. Also, Johnson hosted headlining coverages, including the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. 

Before the pandemic, Johnson had covered the Pittsburgh synagogue tragedy in October 2018, which saw the death of 11 people. He also reported on the prosecution of the alleged Golden State Killer, the crucial 2018 midterm elections, and the unprecedented volcanic eruption in Hawaii’s Big Island. He also covered the case of a student at the University of Iowa, Mollie Tibbets, who suddenly disappeared and was subsequently discovered slain.

Johnson’s coverages for ABC News are also seen on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, Nightline, and ABC News Live, among other ABC shows.

Awards

Johnson was a recipient of the Los Angeles Emmy for a serialized investigation exposing car repair business frauds in 2013.

Wife & Kids

Johnson shared marital vows with his wife, Andrea Fujii, on 11 August 2007. She, like Johnson, is a journalist who works as a freelance correspondent for ABC News. 

The couple met during Johnson’s first television station in Yakima, Washington, and the two have pursued their professions together throughout the country. Johnson and his wife Fujii have two daughters.

Did You Know?

• Johnson was a soccer player in college, but he had to retire after two knee operations.