News
Amidst Robin Roberts Health Battles GMA Tops The Today Show As Number #1 Morning Show By Widest Margin in 18 Years!

Courtesy/ABC
It’s been a heartbreaking and emotional few weeks for Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, her fans, and loyal viewers to the morning program. Roberts had abruptly left the series in anticipation of an upcoming bone marrow transplant in her battle with the blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome. Thursday, she told her Twitter followers that she was: “Back home in NYC. Will rest a few days. Doctors orders to put on a lil weight. That’s a first. Transplant now scheduled for next week. Onward.” Roberts had delayed her transplant a week in order to attend the funeral of her 88-year-old mother. Earlier this week, Roberts wrote a heart-tugging post on her mother’s passing: “Today I was supposed to be admitted to the hospital… instead I am here in Mississippi standing proudly with my family as we honor our beloved mother and celebrate her life. When I return to NYC and walk through those hospital doors next week momma will be right there with me.”
A week ago, she left for medical leave a day early in order to be with her dying mother. Roberts rushed from New York to rural Mississippi, which was just starting to clean up after being battered by Hurricane Isaac. But throughout Roberts’s personal turmoil, Good Morning America rose to new heights for the ratings week of August 27-31! In fact, GMA bested The Today Show. Below is the official press release from ABC and the interesting numbers on GMA’s stellar performance!
Good Morning America won the week of August 27, 2012, ranking as the No. 1 morning newscast in both Total Viewers (5.386 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.969 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. GMA outperformed NBC’s Today Show (4.503 million and 1.817 million, respectively) by +883,000 Total Viewers and +152,000 Adults 25-54, scoring its largest margins over Today in more than 18 years in both measures – since w/o 5/16/94 and w/o 8/15/94, respectively.
GMA has ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers for the last 3 weeks and in 8 of the last 10 (trailing an Olympics-fueled Today during the other 2 weeks). GMA has also ranked No. 1 in Adults 25-54 in 3 of the last 7 weeks.
GMA was completely dominant in its victory over Today during the week, not only beating the NBC program in all 5 head-to-head telecasts in both Total Viewers (Mon: +714,000, Tues: +1.018 million, Wed: +728,000, Thurs: +989,000 and Fri: +971,000) and Adults 25-54 (Mon: +39,000, Tues: +153,000, Wed: +155,000, Thurs: +204,000 and Fri: +213,000), but owning the Top 5 telecasts of the week in Total Viewers and Top 4 in Adults 25-54. Furthermore, for the first time in more than 18 years, GMA beat Today in all 5 telecasts in both Nielsen measures – since w/o 8/8/94.
Do you think GMA is the better show than Today Show at this point in time? Have you been following the heartbreaking turn events for Robin Roberts and her ongoing health battle and the loss of her mother? Share your thoughts here!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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GMA has the talent, style and information that those of us just waking up needs. It doesnt preech but informs the viewer. Great show, great people and they like and support each other. Today has separate people not a team and the abrupt firing of a true talent Ann Curry is going to continue to hurt them for a long time to come.#GMA#TeamRobin
I agree. Once they let Ann go, I left also. Today has become very “silly” in their programming. I am looking for more mature news program in the mornings not who is cooking and singing on the plaza.
After 17 years of viewing, I stopped watching the Today Show when they unceremoniously dumped Ann Curry. Completely disrespectful to her and she was the least of their problems. Now, I love GMA; they genuinely seem to like each other and have fun together, and their format and segments are a lot sharper than the Today Show. The Today Show got stuck in a style and was late to change with the times, while GMA just kept getting better and better. I had wanted to switch earlier this year but felt loyal to Today… until they showed zero loyalty to Ann so I figured why should I bother.
Was a Today fan back to Brokaw/Pauley. No more. Ann was treated shamefully. Who are they going to blame now?
I watched Today for 20 years, but they changed and began doing “entertainment” news, so I stopped watching. When I have a chance to watch, I catch GMA — and I’m enjoying it! Seriously I just could no longer enjoy the Today show — with Matt and Al being chuckle buddies, with Ann being dumped (I could tell Matt and his pals did NOT like her) and then long tall Sally-vannah being promoted . . . it was just too much drama and not enough news. GMA fills in nicely and has already surpassed my expectations! Biggest problem at Today could be Matt Lauer (or GE owning NBC?!) Anyway congrats GMA!!!
GMA and Robin Roberts are far supperior the the Today show, in fact Matt Laur has no appeal, they should of gotten rid of him.
The sight of Matt Lauer makes me sick!
Poor Ann Curry, dumped because of him!
I like Al and Natalie, but refuse to watch
because of poor Ann!
I was seeing too much Kardashians and such every morning on Today. Don’t they know that every time I hear the name Kardashian, I turn the channel!
I haven’t watched the TODAY show for years. I really don’t care for Matt Lauer, can’t stand Al Roker and that other “100th Birthday Guy.” Much as I like Ann Curry, she really wasn’t a good fit as morning show host.
So why has this show been #1 for so long? I’ve always liked GMA or, at times, CBS Morning Show better. It’s nice to see GMA finally beating out TODAY.
GMA is my favorite. NBC needs to bring in an all new team to the Today Show. GMA has the younger viewers, while the Today show has the older viewers.
Today ignore moment of silence for 9/11 to do live interview with Kardashians’ mom, Kris Jenner. What is going on over there?! Another example of why I no longer watch — and never will watch again.