Dr. Jennifer Ashton is preparing to bid an emotional farewell to her “work sister” Eva Pilgrim as she gets ready to exit Good Morning America. After 13 years with the network, the 55-year-old TV medical correspondent announced in April that she would be leaving the show to focus on her personal ventures. Her last day on GMA3 is set for June 27.
Over the past year and a half, Dr. Ashton has co-hosted GMA3 with DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim, who were named permanent replacements for Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes last May. The trio has already begun marking her departure. Dr. Ashton shared a heartfelt photograph of herself and Eva in an emotional embrace on set, as Eva will be out of the office on Dr. Ashton’s final day.
In her post, Dr. Ashton wrote, “Today was the last time @evapilgrim and I were in the studio together before my ‘official’ last day at ABC News next Thursday, June 27. (I’m doing the show tomorrow remote from Boston and then she’s away next week…).”
Dr. Ashton expressed her deep affection for her co-host and friend, with whom she has worked closely for years, even before they became GMA3 co-anchors. “Eva and I have been work sisters for 7+ years now at ABC, and from day one, we connected,” she shared. “I remember when she met her husband, got engaged, got married, then pregnant, then had her daughter… and I know she remembers all my big life milestones over the past 7 years too.”
Reflecting on their time together, Dr. Ashton added, “I also remember the first day she sat in the middle chair on @gma3, and that’s when I knew that I would be lucky enough to work with her every day. She is pure magic on the set and behind the scenes too! Trust me when I tell you she is an OUTSTANDINGLY TALENTED broadcast journalist, anchor, co-host, and correspondent.”
Eva was deeply touched by the gesture and responded with a heartfelt message. “I can’t,” she started with a slew of teary-eyed emojis. “I have been so honored to work with you, to learn from you, to get advice from you, to call you a friend. Soooo much life has happened in these years together!!! You have been such a gift.”
Eva continued, “You are brilliantly smart, ‘beautiful mommy’ with a heart full of love and compassion for everyone around you. Truly a rare combination. I’m gonna miss our daily chats… all your advice… and the way you just make everything better (and funnier).”
She concluded, “Thank you for being a friend, for looking out for me, and for making [my] job so much fun. I’m still in denial but I’m so so happy for you!!!”
Dr. Ashton’s departure from GMA3 comes as she plans to focus on her new women’s wellness company, Ajenda, which she launched with a newsletter in March. In a statement posted on GMA3’s official Instagram account, she expressed her gratitude for her time at ABC. “It has been an honor to be at ABC and help cover the biggest health issues in the country and world over the past 13 years,” she wrote, paying tribute to her co-anchors and colleagues.
“My coworkers have become more than friends; they’ve become family and have seen me through the biggest professional moments of my life. I feel fortunate to have worked with the best in the business,” she added.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dr. Ashton elaborated on her decision to leave ABC and focus on her new brand, which will specialize in menopause health and weight management challenges. “I kind of subscribe to the fact that when the universe sends you a message, you should listen to it,” she said. “I’ve been watching and participating in the steadily building upswell of interest in those two areas in our country and in our society and in our culture and media and in medicine and in science.”
She continued, “Sometimes an important message needs the right messenger, and I feel like there is no more critical time in this country for women’s health, and for weight management. I’m excited about finally having the opportunity to just devote 100 percent of my time and effort into that, and using the skills that I’ve learned from being at the number one network for 13 years, I think are going to be really vital in that.”
Dr. Ashton has assured her fans that she won’t completely disappear from television. “What I’ve conveyed to ABC is that they’re my family, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m not disappearing from television,” she said.
As Dr. Ashton prepares to embark on this new chapter, her departure marks the end of an era for GMA3. Her colleagues and viewers alike will undoubtedly miss her presence on the show.
