Chris Cuomo Promoted to '20/20' Anchor Desk

Dec. 10, 2009 — -- After three years with "Good Morning America," news anchor Chris Cuomo announced today that he will leave the morning show.

Cuomo has been promoted to "20/20" where he will share the anchor desk with Elizabeth Vargas. He will continue to cover breaking news for the network and get answers for all the shows. Friday will be his last day at "GMA."

"It is a dream job for a journalist like me, but it was also a very difficult decision, because I am leaving a special place and crew and all of you and you are all part of my family," Cuomo said today on "Good Morning America."

"The good news is you never really leave family," he said, promising to show his "mug" around "Good Morning America" in the future.

His announcement comes after co-anchor Diane Sawyer announced this week would be her last on "Good Morning America." Sawyer will anchor "World News" starting Dec. 21.

Cuomo joined "Good Morning America" in 2006 as the news anchor. Since then, he has reported live in the field on almost all breaking news stories including the Fort Hood shooting, Hurricane Rita and the Sago mine collapse in West Virginia in 2006. He's been the news anchor for each of "Good Morning America's" three consecutive Emmy awards.

Cuomo recently reported from the front lines in Afghanistan. He has also reported on the war on terrorism from Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and other sites in the region.

Click here to see more from "GMA's" Chris Cuomo resource center.

Cuomo has been part of ABC News' comprehensive political coverage. He covered all the major primaries and interviewed all the candidates in the 2008 presidential race, and even talked candidly with newsmakers about the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Chris Cuomo to Leave 'Good Morning America'

In his "GMA Gets Answers" series, Cuomo looked into disputes between major companies and individuals to find the truth.

At "GMA," Cuomo has also developed a niche: standing on, and in one case, falling from incredible heights. Cuomo and crew await certification by the Guinness World Records for the highest live broadcast ever, on the Burj tower in Dubai, UAE. He also famously got dropped off the roof of the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, raising $40,000 for charity.Before joining ABC News, Cuomo was a correspondent for the Fox News Channel and Fox Broadcast Network's "Fox Files."

Cuomo is a licensed attorney. A New York native, he received his law degree from the Fordham University School of Law in New York City, and his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He lives in New York with his wife and two children with another on the way.

Family, Cuomo said on "GMA," is "certainly the focus of our existence."