Ginger Renèe Colonomos (néeZuidgeest; born January 13, 1981),[1] known by her pseudonymGinger Zee, is an American television personality. She is the chief meteorologist for ABC News, after having been the network's weekend meteorologist.[2]
Zee was born Ginger Renee Zuidgeest on January 13, 1981, in Orange, California, the daughter of Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft and Robert Zuidgeest.[3][4] The family moved to Michigan before she was 1 year old.[3] Zee was named after "Ginger" from Gilligan's Island by her Dutch father, due to his love of the show.[5]
In her extended family, Zee has a stepfather named Carl Craft, and two half-sisters, Adrianna and Elaina Craft.[6][7] Zee's paternal grandparents are Adriaan Cornelis "Adrian" or "Arie" Zuidgeest and Hillegonda "Hilda" Zuidgeest (née VanderShoor), who both immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands.[4] Zee's maternal grandfather is George Joseph Hemleb and grandmother Paula Adeline Wesner.[6]
On December 2, 2013, ABC News announced that Zee would become Chief Meteorologist for Good Morning America and weather editor for ABC News, succeeding Sam Champion, who took a job with The Weather Channel.[14]
On March 4, 2016, Zee was announced as a celebrity competitor on the 22nd seasonofABC'sDancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy.[16] The couple finished in third place behind Paige VanZandt in second and Nyle DiMarco in first.[17]
At age 21, Zee was diagnosed with narcolepsy.[8] In August 2013, Zee became engaged to WNBC personality Benjamin Aaron Colonomos, known as Ben Aaron.[18] The couple wed on June 7, 2014.[19] Their first child together, a son, named Adrian Benjamin Colonomos, was born in December 2015 in Petoskey, Michigan.[20] On August 14, 2017, she announced on Good Morning America she was pregnant with her second child.[21] In February 2018, she gave birth to another son, Miles Macklin.[22] The family lives in Rockland County, New York.
^ ab"Hilda (Zuidgeest) VanderShoor". Grand Rapids, Michigan: LifeStoryNet.com. August 22, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2014. ...her two children, Nancy Zukowski (Randy), Robert Zuidgeest; her grandchildren, Ginger Zuidgeest, Sean Zuidgeest, and their mother, Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft...
^Borrelli, Christopher (June 30, 2010). "The stormy rise of Ginger Zee". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
^ ab"Ginger Zee". chicagomag.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015. I chose this career because I saw a waterspout on Lake Michigan when I was eight. My mom told us to get inside, but I was mesmerized. I really thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.
