NEW YORK — Diane Sawyer exited ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday with an emotional moment that recalled the biggest story of her time on the show: meeting the children born after their fathers were killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
It was a sobering interlude during a nostalgic two hours of video clips, celebrity goodbyes and tearful hugs. The morning news show devoted almost its entire broadcast to a salute to Sawyer, who is replacing her retiring former partner, Charles Gibson, as “World News” anchor.
The reunion of 9/11 children recalled how “Good Morning America” brought them together as babies on the first anniversary of the attack. The twin girls that Sawyer held in both arms that day, now 8, walked on the set carrying roses.
“Thank you and bless you,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer will be replaced by ABC’s chief Washington correspondent, George Stephanopoulos, on Monday. He was all business during his first appearance on the set Friday, contributing to a story about five Americans with alleged terrorist links detained in Pakistan.
Then Sawyer showed him the ropes, promising to clean out the on-set drawer she had stuffed with hand sanitizer, brushes and the like.
“We’ll do a full suck-up here,” Stephanopoulos said. “I am scared to death to follow you in this job.”
Sawyer was brought in to “GMA” with Gibson in January 1999, when it was in a ratings free-fall. What was expected to be a hitch of a few months turned into nearly 11 years.
