Good Morning America Broadcasts Live From FAMU Homecoming

Hundreds filled Bragg Stadium for the live GMA broadcast.

Several hundred Florida A&M University students, faculty, staff, and alumni crowded early into Bragg Memorial Stadium Friday to cheer on the Good Morning America live broadcast. 

The homecoming broadcast with TJ Holmes began at 7 a.m. with the sound of the FAMU Marching “100” ringing through the cool early morning air, alumni cheering from the stands, and cheerleaders, administrators, staff, and student-athletes showing their Rattler spirit on the field. 

The event marked the band’s second GMA appearance this year. GMA aired a segment on the band’s trip to Paris to perform at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion this summer. 

President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., his wife Sharon Robinson, and members of the Senior Leadership Team were also among the cheering and waving crowd in the background to the broadcast.

TJ Holmes interviews Miss and Mr. FAMU and members of the Johnson family on GMA on Friday Oct 28, 2022.

“It was amazing for us to start the day off with Good Morning America on our campus and, of all places, from Bragg Memorial Stadium,” Robinson said. “What an honor it was to see the excitement with student-athletes, cheerleaders, and members of the community who joined in the stands as well. And, of course, to know that the person behind all of this is a FAMU graduate, the president of ABC News, Kim Godwin. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Godwin, a FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication graduate, stood nearby as the show went live. Later, during Homecoming Convocation, she celebrated the occasion.

“It was something for me to see, standing on the field this morning, and knowing I was able to give back to this great University, that our name, our band, and our students were up in lights,” Godwin said. “Do you know FAMU was on the ticker at Times Square on GMA this morning? The whole world saw the Rattlers!”

During the two-hour broadcast, Holmes interviewed the Johnson family, including father, Frederick Johnson; mother, Vivian Bradley Johnson, and daughter, Michelle Marva, who both served as Miss FAMU; and son, Frederick II, who served as Mr. FAMU. The younger daughter, Erika Nicole Johnson, also was crowned Miss FAMU.

Holmes also interviewed Jalynn McDuffey, a 2022 recipient of the Gucci North America Changemakers Impact Fund and Scholars Program Scholarship. McGuffey, a sophomore broadcast journalism student from Miami, brought a piece of her art. She told Holmes about being inspired to paint again. 

FAMU cheerleaders perform at Good Morning America broadcast in Bragg Memorial Stadium, Friday Oct. 28, 2022.

Local caterer, Reggie Seals, owner of Bar-B-Que By Reggie, who caters and sells on Perry Street during game day, was spotlighted during the show’s food segment.

Student Government Association President Zachary C. Bell was awed by the occasion. 

“The opportunity to have Florida A&M University on Good Morning America was indescribable,” Bell said. “The electrifying atmosphere of having the Marching “100” and student organizations on display before the nation was unforgettable.”

On Saturday, FAMU alumna Kumasi Aaron joined Ike Ejiochi for the GMA broadcast from in front of the Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) Building during the Homecoming Parade.