For decades, Joan Lunden was a steady, reassuring presence in American homes — waking up millions on Good Morning America while also pushing the boundaries of what women in television news could say, do, and be. But in her new memoir, Joan: Life Beyond the Script, she steps out from behind the anchor desk to tell the fuller, more complicated story of how she got there.
In this candid conversation, Lunden reflects on the risks that defined her career, the sexism she faced early on, and the deeply personal moments — from motherhood to loss to reinvention — that shaped her life off camera. The book traces a path that was anything but linear, revealing a woman who didn’t necessarily set out to break barriers, but did so anyway, simply by forging ahead.
You’ve interviewed presidents, reported from dozens of countries, and flown in everything from spy planes to helicopters. Looking back, which moment made you think, “How on earth did I end up here?”
Dancing onto a Las Vegas stage in a tiny sequined costume, high heels, and almost 20 pounds of body jewelry and a headpiece, as a Bally's showgirl for my series Behind Closed Doors. Of all the scary challenging assignments I’d accepted — deploying with the Navy Seals on a war training exercise on a nuclear sub, landing on an aircraft carrier in an F18, jumping from a plane with the Golden Knights — strutting my stuff onto that Vegas stage in that itty bitty costume with all those tall long-legged dancing beauties, was incredibly vulnerable and absolutely terrifying. It was taking a big risk and hoped the press wouldn’t massacre me — thankfully, they didn’t.
Your father was a surgeon and a pilot, and aviation was a huge part of your childhood. When you look back now, how much of your appetite for adventure, like saying yes to wild reporting assignments, came from growing up in that environment?
I would have to imagine that growing up in a home where we might just as easily “fly” somewhere to dinner as drive had an impact. But it wasn’t just flying in that plane — it was the influence of that pilot, my dad. He was a man who had a huge impact on the world as a cancer surgeon saving lives. I was in awe of him and wanted to be just like him, a doctor someday. He also gave me constant positive affirmations, telling me that I could accomplish anything I set out to do, and that I should discover how I could make my own important mark on this world. And these came at a time, the 1950s and early 60s, when little girls didn’t necessarily hear that from their parents. Dad was ahead of his time.
Some people have asked how I didn’t have a fear of flying after my dad perished in his plane, but my dad loved flying and it would have broken his heart to think I didn’t continue my own love of flying.
You spent nearly two decades saying “Good morning, America” to millions of viewers. Do you remember the exact moment you realized the job had made you a household name?
It was in the early 80s, in the beginning of my GMA career. There had been so much publicity about me being allowed to stay on the air through my pregnancy, and then bringing my baby to work with me, because I was breastfeeding (at a time when the FCC didn’t allow saying the word “breastfeeding” on TV). Suddenly, I found women coming up to me in the grocery store or in ladies rooms at restaurants to tell me how much I’d influenced and inspired them. It was fast becoming evident to me that my story was having an impact on their story.
In the memoir, you write about some pretty jaw-dropping moments early in your career — from skeptical male colleagues to blatant sexism in the newsroom. If you could sit down with your 25-year-old self, what would you tell her before that first day in TV?
Knowing what I know now, I probably would say, “Buckle up, this is going to be a bumpy ride…. But it’s worth it, so hang on and stay focused on the prize and don’t let anyone influence your confidence in yourself."
You were ahead of your time as a working mom on television, even negotiating a contract that allowed you to bring your baby to work. Did you realize then that you were quietly rewriting the rules for women in broadcasting?
No I did not — at the time, I was just putting one foot in front of the other, navigating a path where there was no precedent. Actually it was two paths, both of which were challenging in a very big way: I’d never even babysat before having my first child and I was besieged by the press in my new role. Not only because I was the new GMA co-host, but because I was being identified already as breaking barriers for women. It was sometimes quite overwhelming — but again, I just put one foot in front of the other and forged ahead. Honestly, I wasn’t a flag-flying feminist, I just happened to have two amazing wonderful things happen at the same time — a new baby, and one of the best jobs ever in television news.
After all the extraordinary people you’ve interviewed over the years — world leaders, innovators, everyday heroes — what’s the most unexpected piece of wisdom someone shared with you that has stuck?
Maybe somewhat surprisingly, it was a woman whose child had perished when a drunk driver hit their car. It was decades later, and he was getting out of prison, so she had been invited on the show to talk about her feelings about his being released. She talked about how the horrible tragedy had eaten away at her, consumed her, and ultimately brought her marriage to an end. She said that she knew now that she needed to forgive the man who was responsible for it all, “because a heart full of anger has no room for love.” That phrase had a huge impact on me. It confirmed what my mom had always told me: “Let bygones be bygones. Holding a grudge doesn’t solve anything, it just eats away at you and steals your happy time.” Here was the proof.
I later went through a terrible very public divorce which was hard to “let go" of and not be consumed by, but that woman's wisdom had stuck with me. And that concept helped me move forward with my life.
Can you please recommend a book you've read recently that you've loved?
I love historical fiction and recently read and enjoyed The Women, Kristin Hannah's 2024 book about women during the Vietnam War. I also enjoy memoirs: I recently enjoyed Susan Lucci’s La Lucci, and I also found Molly Jong-Fast’s How to Lose Your Mother very interesting. I had l interviewed her mother, Erica Jong, many times, but Molly was scheduled to moderate one of my book events, so I read it to get to know her a bit more.
