ABC News is losing its Chief Medical Correspondent and co-host of GMA3, Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
When her contract expires in June, Ashton will leave the network to launch a new women’s wellness company, Ajenda, where she will serve as the CEO.
“Sometimes an important message needs the right messenger, and I feel like there is no more critical time in this country for women’s health, and for weight management,” Ashton told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re facing an obesity epidemic, and menopause and perimenopause and women’s health is literally in a spotlight like never before. And I want to be the messenger for those messages.
“And so I’m excited about finally having the opportunity to just devote 100 percent of my time and effort into that, and using the skills that I’ve learned from being at the number one network for 13 years, I think are going to be really vital in that.”
Dr. Jennifer Ashton added that she received the support of ABC News President Kim Godwin and Networks Division leader Debra OConnell.
“They both said to me, ‘Is there anything we can do to change your mind?’ And when I said there really isn’t, because I really feel strongly about doing this, they basically said you know, ‘we’re going to be behind you.’ And I think that’s really unusual in this business in this day,” she said.
