Robin Roberts was flanked by two alternative hosts on Good Morning American on July 3 when she sat between Will Reeve and Whit Johnson.
Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos were noticeably absent from the morning show and Robin was quick to tease why.
At the top of the show, Robin turned to Will with a question.
"Do you think George is cuddling with Fig right now?" she asked, before adding: "A little maternity leave perhaps?"
New family member
© ABC via Getty ImagesRobin wasn't referring to a baby, however, she was referencing George's new addition to his family, his adorable puppy.
He and his wife, Ali Wentworth, left viewers cooing on July 1 when they introduced their pup.
Rescue pup
"This is Fig and she was rescued," Ali said. "We adopted her last night and if she wasn't adopted she probably would have spent her life in a cage as a breeder. And I know what that feels like. She's really sweet, she was covered in ticks and fleas but not anymore. And we really wanted to adopt another dog."
The adorable pooch sat on their lap as George's co-hosts fawned over the bundle of fluff.
© InstagramAli detailed how their new routine works and said: "I will try to train her. George walks at night and I do the big walk in the morning. And he, believe it or not, is the cuddler. He sits with his computer and my reading glasses and has a dog on his lap. He's mushy. This one cries."
She elaborated on their decision by adding: "We recently lost our dog and I'm a big adopter. George and I have been slowly thinking about it." She then joked: "And then…surprise I got pregnant!"
Empty nest
© InstagramGeorge and Ali are relishing having a puppy to care for as their children are now grown up.
They're parents to daughters, Harper, 20, and Elliot, 22.
Ali and George have been empty-nesters for two years now, since Harper began her college career at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
Their eldest daughter Elliott just graduated from Brown University, and George celebrated the milestone on Instagram. He shared a photo of the college graduate with a cap and gown posing with her parents, and wrote: "We have a college graduate!!! Congratulations to Elliott, and to the entire class of 2025. We love you and are so proud of you, E!"
Over at Vanderbilt, Harper goes to school with other celebrity kids such as her dad's colleague Lara Spencer's daughter Katharine, plus Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple, while the Goop founder's son Moses joined Elliott as a student at Brown last year.
