Joan Lunden had a successful career and an even more successful personal life. The former Good Morning America host just released a new memoir, Joan: Life Beyond the Script, and is opening up about her time on morning news and her seven children.
The 75-year-old has done it all. From covering Olympics and interviewing presidents, to bungee jumping off a glacier and guest starring on All My Children, Joan's life is one for the books.
Throughout it all, her family has been by her side. Here's everything you should know about Joan, her longtime husband, and her seven children.
© Getty ImagesJoan and Michael A. Krauss
Joan married Michael A. Krauss in 1978. The two both worked in media, Joan on air and Michael behind the scenes as a producer. Before marrying Michael, Joan converted to Judaism.
Just two years after tying the knot, Joan and Michael welcomed their first child together – a daughter named Jamie. Throughout their marriage, they welcomed two more daughters, Lindsay and Sarah.
In 1992, after 14 years of marriage, Joan and Michael divorced.
© Getty ImagesJoan's groundbreaking work on GMA
While she was pregnant with her first child, Joan was at the beginning of her career at GMA. She used her bargaining power to have child-care provisions written into her contract. Joan was given an eight-week maternity leave and facilities to breastfeed her daughter, Jamie, on set and location.
"I felt that no matter how much money I was making, if I couldn't be near my baby I couldn't work," Joan told Parents Magazine in 1981. The news anchor brought her daughter to work every day until she was six months old. "I feel pressured to run home to be with her. On the other hand, I have responsibilities to my job. There is always that tug-of-war between child and job."
© Getty ImagesJoan's second marriage with Jeff Konigsberg
In 1996, four years after she divorced her first husband, Joan met Jeff Konigsberg.
"I was having lunch at the Rye Ridge Deli when I looked up and my eyes connected with a tall, handsome guy who had a smile that could light up the Empire State building," Joan wrote to Instagram on the 29th anniversary of their meeting.
After making eye contact across the deli, Jeff approached Joan and asked her out. The rest is history. On April 18, 2000, the couple tied the knot.
© Getty ImagesJoan and Jeff's four kids
In 2003, the happy couple welcomed twins, Kate and Max, when Joan was 53. At the time, Joan discussed her decision to have children later in life on MSNow, formerly MSNBC.
"We tried in vitro fertilization many times, but it wasn't working," she explained. "My doctor said, 'No, keep trying, because it's a numbers game. We're going to get this done.'"
Joan continued: "But when you're approaching 50, it's also a time game and you have to ask yourself, 'Is it really about me being pregnant, or is it about parenting and having babies?' So we decided to use a surrogate."
Two years later, Joan and Jeff welcomed another set of twins, Jack and Kim, via surrogacy. Since then, she has become spokesperson for surrogacy, sharing that her surrogate became a part of her extended family and a part of her children's lives.
© InstagramJoan's life as a grandparent and mother
These days, Joan is an active grandparent and mom to her seven children and four grandchildren – Mason, Asher, Parker, and Leo. She frequently shares photos of her "crew" to social media.
Two days ago, Joan celebrated her youngest children's 21st birthday, writing to Instagram: "My twins Jack & Kim turn 21 today. We're so proud of them. We like giving experiences, so Kim got tickets to see her favorite Hugh Jackman – and Jack is going to the TGL in Palm Beach."
