| Joan Lunden Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 5 in |
| Weight | 59 kg |
| Date of Birth | September 19, 1950 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Spouse | Jeff Konigsberg |
Joan Lunden is an American journalist, author, and TV host who is best known for co-hosting Good Morning America (a long-running morning news & infotainment program that is aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company, a major commercial broadcast TV network)) – from 1980 to 1997. She began her broadcasting career in the early 1970s in Sacramento, California, where she worked for KCRA-TV, a TV station affiliated with NBC (National Broadcasting Company, a major commercial broadcast TV and radio network). Joan initially worked as the co-anchor of their daily noon TV news program and later produced their noon news broadcast. In 1975, she joined WABC-TV (a TV station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the ABC network) as a reporter; and her surname was changed from Blunden to Lunden to avoid it being read as ‘Blunder’ by viewers. From 1976 until 1980, she worked as a co-anchor on weekend newscasts for the station and was also tasked with being a correspondent and a fill-in co-anchor for the aforementioned Good Morning America program. Joan was promoted to the position of permanent co-host of the show in 1980, a role she performed with aplomb until September 1997. Between then and 2000, she worked as a correspondent for ABC News (the news division of ABC). She then took a hiatus until 2007 when she returned as a host/reporter for RLTV (previously known as Retirement Living TV), a now-defunct cable TV network. In September 2014, she became a special correspondent on The Today Show, a long-running morning TV program that airs weekdays on NBC. In 2021, Joan became the host of Second Opinion, an American TV series that engages a panel of medical professionals and patients in in-depth discussions about life-changing medical decisions.
Born Name
Joan Elise Blunden
Nick Name
Joan Lunden
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
Fair Oaks, Sacramento County, California, United States
Residence
New York, United States
Nationality
Education
Joan, after her high school graduation, had joined the California State University, Sacramento, a public university in Sacramento, California. She earned a liberal arts degree from there.
She later studied the Spanish language and anthropology at the Mexico City campus of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla, a Mexican private university located in the state of Puebla in the central highlands of Mexico.
Occupation
Journalist, Author, TV Host
Family
- Father – Erle Murray Blunden (Cancer Surgeon) (d. 1963)
- Mother – Gladyce Lorraine Blunden (née Somervill) (d. 2013)
- Siblings – Jeff Blunden (Brother) (d. 2007)
- Others – George Hess (Son-in-Law), Nancy Konigsberg Levy (Sister-in-Law)
Net Worth
Joan Lunden’s net worth had been $25 million according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 5 in or 165 cm
Weight
59 kg or 130 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Joan has dated –
- Michael Arthur Krauss (1978-1992) – Joan got married to TV producer and media executive Michael Arthur Krauss in September 1978. They have 3 daughters together named Jamie Beryl Krauss (b. July 4, 1980), Lindsay Leigh Krauss (b. 1983), and Sarah Emily Krauss (b. 1987). The couple got divorced in 1992.
- Bill Murray (1990-1995) – Between the years 1990 and 1995, it was speculated that renowned American actor, voiceover artist, comedian, singer, writer, producer, director, and editor Bill Murray had an affair with Joan.
- Kevin Costner (1995)
- Nick Kypreos (1995)
- Jeff Konigsberg (2000-Present) – Joan married Jeff Konigsberg, a summer camp and art gallery owner, on April 18, 2000. They have 4 children together – 2 sets of twins: Kate Elizabeth Konigsberg & Max Aaron Konigsberg (b. June 2003); and Jack Andrew Konigsberg & Kimberly Elise Konigsberg (b. March 2005) – with the help of a surrogate mother. Joan has become a spokeswoman for surrogacy ever since.
Race / Ethnicity
White
She is of American descent.
Hair Color
Blonde
Eye Color
Green
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Slender frame
- Side-parted, neck-length, straight hair
- Charming smile
- Radiant face
Joan Lunden Facts
- Joan has published numerous books including Morning I’m Joan Lunden (1986), Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking (1996), A Bend in the Road is not the End of the Road (1998), Growing Up Healthy: Protecting Your Child From Diseases Now Through Adulthood (2004), Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love and Good Times (2010), Had I Known: A Memoir of Survival (2015), and Why Did I Come into This Room?: A Candid Conversation about Aging (2020).
- In June 2014, she revealed on Good Morning America (a morning news & infotainment program that she had co-hosted from 1980 to 1997) that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She overcame the ailment and has been a public speaker in breast cancer awareness advocacy ever since.
- In 2017, Joan was honored with the ‘Distinguished Service Award’ by the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and TV broadcasters in the United States.
- She has served as a spokesperson for A Place for Mom, a for-profit senior care referral service headquartered in New York. The company provides personal and professional assistance to families in search of senior care options.
- Joan has also been a national spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada, and Brazil that seeks to prevent drunk driving, support those affected by it, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired driving policy.
Featured Image by Joan Lunden / Instagram
