Robin Roberts reveals she felt ‘impostor syndrome’ and had an ‘ugly cry’ during GMA career

Robin Roberts shared that an early part of her Good Morning America career included difficult emotions that helped shape her.

She recently shared that she felt some “impostor syndrome” early in her career, and also had an “ugly cry” after a specific report she did.

This week, the GMA star dropped by Tamron Hall to celebrate with her friend Tamron for the show’s milestone 1,000th episode.

She mentioned the beginning of her career as a GMA co-anchor, including coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

The devastating storm caused 1,833 fatalities and $108 billion in damages to New Orleans and surrounding areas, per Weather.gov.

Her reporting came from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which included Robin’s hometown of Pass Christian and her former high school.

Robin shares about ‘impostor syndrome’ and ‘ugly cry’ early in her career

While talking with Robin Roberts, Tamron mentioned how “authentic” she is, referencing Robin’s Hurricane Katrina coverage in 2005.

She praised Robin’s “real emotion and rawness” while reporting, as she’d also learned that her mother was OK in the area.

“I realized, this is how you break through,” Tamron told her.

Robin admitted she was “going through a bit of impostor syndrome” after being named the third GMA co-anchor with Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer.

“You know, as a young journalist, I’m thinking, ‘Am I worthy? Why am I here?'” she said.

Robin indicated she had lost contact with her family after being asked to travel there for GMA’s coverage.

“I get down there and there was no way I was going on air until I knew my mama was OK,” Robin told Tamron.

“I found her moments before we went live, and she was the one who encouraged me to go out there, because I wanted to stay with her,” she shared.

After finishing the report, she said her co-anchor, Charles Gibson, asked her if she had found her family.

“Ugly cry,” Robin said about the moment, due to a realization that hit her then.

“I knew a lot of people were tuning in that morning not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones and I had felt that,” she told Tamron.

Robin and GMA visited Asheville for special coverage

Last week, viewers saw Robin and her co-stars Ginger Zee and Sam Champion in Asheville, North Carolina, to visit the area six months after the Category 4 Hurricane Helene. According to a BBC report, it’s the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina.

While in North Carolina, Robin, Ginger, and Sam presented GMA’s Asheville Rising coverage, which included stories about individuals involved in responding to the hurricane and ongoing relief work. 

During The Tamron Hall Show, Robin spoke about returning to the area “with gifts” for people there.

“We had some sponsors, almost $3 million worth of equipment [and] things that they need,” Robin said.

Tamron had producers play a clip in which Robin and Ginger presented a new Toyota RAV-4 to a woman who drove around to deliver essential supplies to others who needed them due to the storm’s devastating effect on the area.

Robin shared that the woman had a beat-up car previously and was still doing what she could.

“For her to get a brand new car was a game-changer for her,” Robin said, adding, “The first thing she said is, ‘I can get to more people now.'”