“Good Morning America” weekend co-anchor Dan Harris announced Sunday that he is exiting ABC News after two decades to focus on his meditation company, Ten Percent Happier.
“I am going to be leaving ABC News in two months,” Harris said on air. “This was a difficult decision for me. 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 Ten Percent Happier. It’s been a lot to juggle and even though I’m a public proponent of work/life balance, if I’m honest, I’ve struggled to follow my own advice.”
After 21 years at ABC News, Harris added that co-anchoring the weekend edition of “Good Morning America” “has been one of the highlights of my life. My colleagues, both on and off the air, have become like a family. I really do love these people, and I’m gonna miss them horribly.”
After suffering an on-air panic attack in 2004, Harris turned to meditation and soon became an advocate for the practice. That led to a 2014 book, “10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Really Works – a True Story” as well as his own company, which includes a mobile meditation app as well as a podcast.
Since joining ABC News in 2000, Harris made a name for himself anchoring the network’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He then anchored “World News Sunday” from 2006 to 2011. He has served as co-anchor of “Good Morning America” weekend edition since 2010.
Watch his announcement below.
