Feature photo of Robin Roberts and Amber Laign, now engaged, by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Point Foundation
Happy New Year! Perhaps no one got it off to a bigger bang than Robin Roberts, who announced that she’s engaged to her long time partner, Amber Laign. This morning, during a segment on Good Morning America Gaymerica, while talking about intention setting with motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein, Roberts shared that she had been “hesitating” to share the news, because up until now she had not “said it out loud yet.”
But saying it out loud she did! “I’m saying yes to marriage. We’re getting married this year.”
Roberts and Laign have been in a relationship for nearly 20 years, and according to Roberts had talked about marriage a few times in the past, but put it off after Laign was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. Roberts — who first came out in 2013 in a celebration of surviving her own breast cancer, having also been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, and undergone a bone marrow transplant — said that they plan on getting married this year.
When her guest encouraged Roberts to “create a wedding vision board” in response to the news — she began to actually fan herself with her note cards! “I can’t believe I said that” she joked to the camera.
In 2020, in celebration of their then 15th anniversary, Roberts wrote to Laign that she was grateful for “having you by my side is a gift as we continue to navigate this thing called life… You have the kindest heart and most beautiful soul than anyone I know. You have shown me time and time again to stay humble and to always treat others with the utmost respect as you never know what one might be going through ❤ Beautiful…..absolutely beautiful. I love you with all my heart.”
(OKKKK then Auntie Robin, when you’re smooth with it, you’re smooth with it! Let me know! Let me learn today!)
In complete and total seriousness, the party line at Autostraddle is often “Love Is a Lie” but I could not be more happy for Robin Roberts and Amber Laign. Maybe it’s because two of my own close friends got engaged over Christmas — seriously, what is in the gay air? — but I find such beauty in their love. Two women who have already seen each other through sickness and in health (see what I did there?) and are ready to do it all over again, and again, for the rest of their time together.
From everyone at Autostraddle, congratulations to Robin Roberts and Amber Laign on your engagement. I’m wishing you a lot of good mornings, for days to come.
