Joan Lunden Believes Ageism Was Behind Her Forced GMA Departure

For nearly 20 years, Joan Lunden was downright beloved as one of the hosts for "Good Morning America." She had a strong, genuine connection with the audience, but, apparently, not everyone was eternally devoted to the seasoned journalist.

In an interview with Oprah during this weekend's episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" , Lunden says the show's executives had decided to oust her for a very calculated reason: age.

Though no one ever uttered the words, "You're too old, Joan," she says that it was quite clear based on the network's actions that ageism was at play.

"The words are, 'We've decided to make a change on the show,'" Lunden says. "So, you know, they found a 30-year-old version of me."

Her longtime co-host, Charlie Gibson, got the ax for the same reason, she adds.

"It was not just me; it was Charlie and me," Joan points out. "They replaced both of us -- I don't know if people remember that -- with kind of a 30-year-old version of each of us." 

Ultimately, the decision didn't seem to pay off.

"It didn't work," Lunden says. "[The ratings] plummeted."

Lunden opens up about her career, family and breast cancer journey on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", airing Saturday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

Related: Former GMA weatherman Sam Champion shares moving story about coming out to his unsupportive father

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