Key Points
Bill Ritter is opening up about when he first began experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
The longtime ABC New York anchor recently retired from his regular duties after being diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s.
Ritter reflected on the decision during a Monday visit to Good Morning America.
Days after WABC’s Eyewitness News veteran Bill Ritter announced that his time as an anchor has come to an end, the New York journalist is pulling back the curtain on his early-stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
During a Monday sitdown on Good Morning America, Ritter shared that he first began experiencing memory issues two years prior to his diagnosis.
“I realized I was forgetting people — names and places,” the 76-year-old recalled. “Didn’t know why this was happening. My wife also noticed it. No one else noticed it, just us.”
Believing that his demanding work schedule was to blame for the memory slips, Ritter opted to scale back his schedule, stepping away from the station’s 11 p.m. newscast and then from the 5 p.m. slot, opting to focus solely on anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast.
Ritter on ‘Good Morning America’
Credit: ABC/Paula Lobo
“I was sleeping for the first time at night — for the first time in 25 years,” Ritter said. “Finally getting a decent night’s sleep. And it wasn’t getting better.”
By that point, Ritter and his wife knew that it was time to turn to a medical professional.
“We said, ‘I gotta get tested.’ And that really was an important thing,” he said. “A lot of people say, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about it, I’m going to be fine.’ No. You gotta go do this.”
The Emmy winner experienced a rollercoaster of emotions upon learning what was affecting his memory, sharing that he immediately thought of his father, who died with Alzheimer’s disease in 1998.
“A couple of seconds later, I was scared,” Ritter confessed. “I don’t mind saying that: It was scary.”
At the same time, Ritter was worried about what his diagnosis would mean for his loved ones. “I quickly moved into husband-slash-dad place,” Ritter said. “Because Alzheimer’s really affects the family most, and I, as a dad and a husband, I said, ‘I gotta deal with this. This is my family.’ And that’s what I’m really worried about.”
Thinking of his health, his family and his audience, Ritter knew it was time to step down as an ABC New York news anchor. The journalist, who has been anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast since 2001, announced on Friday that his lengthy tenure had come to an end.
Now, looking back on his choice to be upfront with the audience, Ritter became emotional.
“My job as a journalist is to speak honestly to the public,” he told the GMA hosts. “Truth and facts are what we deal with. I figured I owed it to the viewers to be honest about this.
Ritter attends the 2026 Disney Upfront in New York on May 12
Credit: John Nacion/FilmMagic
In the days since, Ritter said he has been met with an outpouring of love.
“I have heard from hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people who are sending out notes, posting everywhere, sending me emails,” he said, noting that many have come from people whose own lives have been touched by Alzheimer’s.
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Ritter also shared that he hopes to use his platform to raise awareness for the disease. While he will no longer be an anchor for the station, Ritter will remain as a member of the ABC family.
Watch Ritter reflect on his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and retirement at the YouTube link above.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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