“Good Morning America” ​​co-anchor George Stephanopoulos, who is facing intense criticism over the Walt Disney Co.’s decision to settle President-elect Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News, will not be moving forward.

Stephanopoulos, 63, recently agreed to a new multiyear contract to remain at the ABC News morning show, according to several people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

An ABC News representative declined to comment.

The deal is likely to quell rumors of long-term fallout from ABC News’ agreement to pay $15 million for Trump’s presidential library and $1 million in legal fees to settle a lawsuit over Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air statement that the elected President-elect to settle civil liability for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

Trump’s lawsuit said Stephanopoulos defamed him because the jury in the Carroll case found he was liable for sexual abuse – not rape. Trump filed suit after Stephanopoulos made the comment on a March 10 broadcast of “This Week.”

The judge in the case said: “The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of New York criminal law does not mean that she could not prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many times .” People generally understand the word “rape.” ”

Journalists at ABC were disheartened that the news division and Stephanopoulos agreed to apologize to Trump and that the company was unwilling to fight the lawsuit in court.

According to an insider not authorized to speak publicly, the decision — a preview of the challenges inherent in covering a new Trump administration — added to pre-existing fear among the rank-and-file already focused on cost-cutting set in the new year.

But any concerns at Disney about the negative reaction to the deal took a backseat to the fragile state of “Good Morning America,” which has fallen behind NBC’s “Today” in the Nielsen ratings.

Stephanopoulos — who reportedly earns about $20 million a year — has long provided nutritious news calories for the breezy morning show he co-hosts with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan.

The network has no apparent successor for Stephanopoulos, who joined “Good Morning America” in 2009. A change in the anchor chair can disrupt the morning audience’s viewing habits, which are deeply ingrained.

Disney’s decision to concede to Trump has raised fears that the media industry is being tested by the controversial president-elect, who has vowed to use legal remedies against media outlets he believes have treated him unfairly.

“The new president will use defamation laws as a mechanism to harass and intimidate the people he views as his opponents,” said veteran 1st Amendment lawyer Lee Levine. “That is now completely clear. … He wants to send a message: “Don’t get on my nerves.” ”

Trump has also filed a lawsuit against CBS, claiming the network deceptively edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to make her look better to viewers. The network rejected the accusation.

On Monday, he sued the Des Moines Register over a flawed primary poll that showed him losing the state.

Levine believed ABC News would have prevailed on a legal basis if the case had gone to trial. But the company was unwilling to risk paying damages assessed by a jury and the negative publicity that comes with a protracted legal battle, sources said.

“There was a real fear of an adverse judgment over a larger amount paid in a settlement,” said Levine, who believes ABC News would have prevailed in court.

Levine added that Trump’s use of the courts to attack media organizations will intimidate media outlets that do not have the resources for a robust legal defense. He’s confident that larger companies like Disney will “stand firm and take these things to court if necessary” in the future.

Disney likely wanted to avoid the risk of the inner workings of its business being presented as evidence in the public setting of a courtroom.

Settlement negotiations began after the judge in the case ruled Friday that Stephanopoulos and Trump would have to sit together for testimony and submit emails and text messages as evidence.

It is not uncommon for media companies to settle defamation cases to avoid such exposure.

Fox News paid a record $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems over false statements in the network’s 2020 election coverage.

The agreement, which sources said was approved by Disney CEO Bob Iger, came just as the case was heading to court, where top executives and presenters were expected to testify. Many defamation lawyers were surprised that the lawsuit was not settled before a significant amount of emails and witness statements were revealed in court records.

Trump’s previous attempts to sue news outlets critical of him had failed.

Trump sued The New York Times over its investigation into his finances, leading to the recent New York civil court ruling ordering him $454 million. The lawsuit was dismissed in March and Trump had to reimburse the newspaper for legal fees.

In 2022, Trump sued CNN for $475 million, claiming the news network was waging a campaign against him by booking guests who criticized his policies and speeches. The case was dismissed in 2023.