Here's What Happened To Robin Meade
If you tuned into HLN's daily "Morning Express" news broadcast during its nearly 20-year tenure on the network, you're no stranger to Robin Meade's warm and welcoming greeting: "Good morning, sunshine!" Though the award-winning journalist didn't begin heading her own show until 2005, Meade quickly made a name for herself after joining HLN for her first day as a correspondent on September 11, 2001 — little did she know, it would be quite the day to transition from regional to national news reporting.
Before she made it big as a famous news anchor, Meade grew up in the Midwest and was crowned Miss Ohio in 1992. She pivoted from pageants to press, working at local news stations and even winning a career-defining Emmy award in 1995 for her coverage of the Metra train collision in Illinois that year. So when HLN decided to add a new morning show to their roster of programming, Meade's personality and experience positioned her as the star anchor the network envisioned heading the project.
After almost two decades at the helm of the beloved broadcast (which made her the longest-running anchor of a national morning news show), Meade said her final "Good morning, sunshine" on December 5, 2022. When the network's parent company chose to restructure due to financial problems, "Morning Express With Robin Meade" was canceled, and a significant chapter of Meade's life was closed — but it's far from the end of her story.
Robin Meade's HLN show was canceled after two decades
Nearly two decades after "Morning Express With Robin Meade" premiered on HLN in 2005, the network's parent company canceled the Emmy award-winning journalist's longtime news show. Impacted by Warner Bros. Discovery's need to slash its debt — a decision the company announced in December 2022 — Meade was forced to say goodbye to both her morning show and the network she had been working for since 2001.
In September 2021, just over a year before HLN's restructuring, Meade celebrated her 20th anniversary with the network. During an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the television personality spoke about how much "Morning Express With Robin Meade" impacted her life. "It is the most surreal experience when someone says, 'I've been watching you since junior high,' and they're 30 now," she shared. Meade added, "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the viewers."
Closing out the final episode of her morning news broadcast, Meade shared her gratitude for the show's audience once more. "Doing this show, with you, has been the joy of my life, and my biggest concern is for my colleagues — that they land on their feet." She added, "Thank you for letting us start your day all these years. ... The emotions this morning are of appreciation for you and for this 21-year run." Paying homage to her signature greeting and the program's loyal viewers, Meade emotionally concluded, "You will always be my morning sunshine — thank you."
Robin Meade is focused on her family
A few months after Robin Meade's exit from HLN, she gave her social media followers an update on her newest priority: making memories with her loved ones. A quick scan of her Instagram, and it's clear that the news anchor and her husband, Tim Yeager, are spending a lot of time with their families.
In July 2023, the former "Morning Express" anchor gave her followers a peek at her Midwest roots and family traditions. "What yearly family event did you take for granted, but now cherish like gold? The first 'mess of green beans' each year is a BIG DEAL for the Meade's," she captioned the Instagram post. Photos included a sweet shot of Meade and her parents smiling, as well as a candid snap documenting the family's green bean prepping process. "Dad plants & picks them. Mom preps & pressure cooks them. Everyone else's job? To eat them," Meade joked of the tradition before wishing her followers a season of treasured memories with their own families.
Just over a year after HLN's layoffs, Meade shared another heartwarming moment on Instagram when her uncle rang in his 100th birthday. "My uncle is the first of the 14 (!!!) Meade babies my grandmother birthed to make it to the century mark," the former Miss Ohio wrote on Instagram. "After a number of my loving aunts lived to 99, my fingers are crossed that I, too, inherited the Meade longevity gene." It sure seems this star is happy to put family over fame.
Robin Meade still gets together with her former HLN co-workers
Though they no longer see each other at work every day, Robin Meade and her former HLN co-workers still make an effort to spend time together; it's safe to say these coworkers created real friendships at the office. At the beginning of March 2023, the Emmy winner shared a selfie on Instagram in which she and her former co-anchor Jennifer Westhoven smiled at the camera. Meade jokingly captioned the shot, "That warm fuzzy feeling when you catch up w @jennifer.westhoven in the middle of the day instead of oh-dark thirty back when ya shared an office!"
A few months later in May, Meade reunited with Westhoven once again, this time with their "Morning Express" compatriots Callie Dauler and Bob Van Dillen in tow. Alongside a snap of the quartet smiling for a mirror photo, Meade wrote on Facebook, "We used to work through breakfast together. Now we make time to lunch together."
Just days later the same month, the former Miss Ohio revealed she and most of the morning show's anchors got together for the first time since their final day at the office. Alongside photos and videos of the group having fun at an interactive splat paint studio, Meade wrote on Twitter, formerly known as X, "Reunion of the former a.m. anchors! I missed these folks so we thought up something fun to do. Lol. First time we've been together as a group since @MorningExp ended in Dec." She jokingly added, "Pretty sure we wont be moonlighting as artists."
Robin Meade was inducted in the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame
In November 2023, Robin Meade announced she'd been inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame. Sharing a photo of herself smiling alongside her fellow award recipients, the broadcast journalist captioned the Instagram post, "None of this would have happened without YOU, the viewer ... Thank you to the @atlpressclub for putting me into the Hall Of Fame with 4 amazing journalists." She added, "You may have noticed, I've gone blonde! For fun. But it doesn't switch what's inside: a kid from the middle of a cornfield who is thankful for you. I miss you. And you will ALWAYS be my 'morning sunshine.'" Some fans may think the news anchor is unrecognizable with blonde hair, but the bright locks sure match Meade's sunny disposition.
The Atlanta Press Club attributed Meade's Hall of Fame induction to her position as the longest-running morning news broadcast host, a period during which she conducted the first interview with freed American hostages who were held captive for five years in Columbia, went skydiving on live television with George H.W. Bush for his 85th birthday, provided on-location coverage of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump's inauguration ceremonies, and more. The organization also applauded Meade's commitment to "Morning Express" viewers, commending her 3 a.m. wakeup time that ensured she would be on set by 6 a.m. for the daily four-hour live show — exuding a warm and effusive energy each and every morning.
Robin Meade continues to give back
Robin Meade has stayed busy supporting various philanthropic causes. In December 2023, for example, the former "Morning Express" anchor shared that she attended the Mark Carroll and Friends Charity 20th anniversary toy drive. "Celebrating the season AND supporting a toy drive? Yes, please," Meade wrote on Instagram alongside photos from the event. The broadcast journalist added, "Hats off to everyone who works to help others, not only in the holiday season but year round. You are a gift!"
Meade has long used her platform to amplify nonprofit organizations. In June 2017, she wrote about child food insecurity in the United States for CNN Health. In the essay, the Ohio native reflected on the important community work carried out by Blessings In A Backpack, a charitable organization that ensures schoolchildren who rely on school breakfast and lunch have food through the weekend. Meade noted that the cause is especially close to her heart because her father experienced poverty while growing up. "Dad says families, including his own, ate what they grew," she wrote. "He says as tenant farmers, my grandparents paid their rent for their huge brood (my dad was baby #14) with a portion of the crop they harvested on land they never owned. As a result, there seemed to be a dependable supply of something to eat."