Deborah Roberts’s 40-Year Climb From Perry, Georgia to 20/20
Deborah Roberts has spent more than four decades in broadcast journalism, rising from a small Georgia television station to co-anchoring one of network news’s longest-running newsmagazines—a career built on hard-hitting interviews and, by her own account, a childhood dream that started long before she ever set foot in a newsroom.
One of Nine Children in Perry, Georgia
Deborah Ann Roberts was born September 20, 1960, in Perry, a small town near Macon, Georgia, to Benjamin “Ben” Roberts, who owned a carpet installation business, and Ruth Roberts, a homemaker. She was the seventh of nine children in the family and has said that despite the family’s modest means, she experienced no genuine hardship growing up. Even as a girl, she’s said she admired television newscasters and dreamed of a career in broadcasting. She graduated from the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1982 with a degree in broadcast journalism.
Building a Career in Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida
Roberts began her professional career immediately after college at WTVM-TV in Columbus, Georgia, before moving to WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1987, she joined WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, Florida, where her role expanded significantly: she became a bureau chief, served as the station’s field anchor for NASA shuttle launches, and co-anchored the weekend news. Her work in Orlando earned her recognition as the market’s top local female anchor from the Orlando Sentinel.
Three Decades at ABC News
Roberts joined ABC News in the mid-1990s, and by 2025 was marking her 30th anniversary with the network. She built her reputation primarily as a correspondent for “20/20,” reporting on a genuinely wide range of difficult and significant stories over the years — sexual abuse within the Amish community, the plight of refugees in Rwanda, manic depression in young children, and the emotional journeys of African Americans returning to sites in Africa connected to their ancestors’ enslavement. She also conducted a notable interview with former MLB player Darryl Strawberry exploring the destructiveness of alcohol abuse. Her body of work earned her a Clarion Award for excellence in communications.
Beyond her 20/20 reporting, Roberts has substitute-anchored “Good Morning America” and “World News Weekend,” made guest co-hosting appearances on “The View,” previously hosted “Lifetime Live” on Lifetime Television, and reported for “Primetime,” “Nightline,” and “The Katie Couric Show” at various points in her career. In September 2023, she was named full co-anchor of “20/20,” succeeding Amy Robach, and now also hosts the companion podcast “20/20: The After Show.” Her recent work has included live reporting from Vatican City covering the death of Pope Francis and the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope.
Age and Personal Life
Roberts is 65 years old as of 2026. She met NBC weatherman Al Roker while both were working at NBC in the early 1990s, and the professional friendship gradually became a romantic relationship; the two married on September 16, 1995. The couple lives in New York City and has two children together — daughter Leila Ruth Roberts, born in 1998, and son Nicholas Albert Roker, born in 2001 (some sources list 2002). Roberts is also stepmother to Courtney Roker, Al Roker’s daughter from a previous marriage. In 2016, Roberts and Roker co-authored a nonfiction book together, “Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times,” drawing on their own experience balancing demanding careers with family life.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Deborah Ann Roberts |
| Born | September 20, 1960, Perry, Georgia |
| Age | 65 (as of 2026) |
| Occupation | Co-anchor, “20/20,” ABC News |
| Education | B.A., Journalism, University of Georgia (1982) |
| Career path | WTVM-TV, Columbus, GA → WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN → WFTV, Orlando, FL (1987) → ABC News (1995–present) |
| Named 20/20 co-anchor | September 2023, succeeding Amy Robach |
| Awards | Clarion Award for excellence in communications |
| Book | “Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times” (2016, with Al Roker) |
| Spouse | Al Roker (m. September 16, 1995) |
| Children | Daughter Leila Ruth (b. 1998); son Nicholas Albert (b. 2001) |
| Stepdaughter | Courtney Roker |
FAQ
How old is Deborah Roberts? She was born September 20, 1960, making her 65 years old as of 2026.
What show does Deborah Roberts anchor? She’s co-anchor of ABC’s “20/20,” a role she was named to in September 2023, succeeding Amy Robach, and also hosts the podcast “20/20: The After Show.”
Is Deborah Roberts married to Al Roker? Yes. They met at NBC in the early 1990s and married on September 16, 1995. They have two children together, and Roberts is also stepmother to Roker’s daughter, Courtney, from a previous marriage.
Where did Deborah Roberts work before ABC News? She started at WTVM-TV in Columbus, Georgia, then WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, and WFTV in Orlando, Florida, where she covered NASA shuttle launches, before joining ABC News in the mid-1990s.
What has Deborah Roberts reported on at 20/20? Her reporting has covered sexual abuse in the Amish community, refugees in Rwanda, manic depression in children, and African Americans’ journeys to ancestral slave sites in Africa, among many other stories over her career.
Four Decades of Hard-Hitting Storytelling
Deborah Roberts’s rise from a nine-child household in small-town Georgia to co-anchoring one of network television’s signature newsmagazines reflects a career built on range as much as longevity — investigative and emotionally difficult reporting alongside decades as one of the more recognizable faces in ABC News’s rotation. Now three decades into her ABC tenure and firmly established at the 20/20 anchor desk, her career shows no signs of slowing as she continues covering some of the network’s biggest breaking stories.
