Lara Spencer was born Lara Christine Von Seelen on June 19, 1969, in Garden City, New York. She graduated from Garden City High School in 1987 as a nationally ranked competitive diver. Spencer competed in springboard and platform diving at Pennsylvania State University, earning All-American honors as a senior. After earning a degree in broadcast journalism, she took an entry-level job as an NBC page in New York.

Spencer left NBC’s sales department for her first on-air job at WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She then worked at News 12 Long Island and WABC-TV before joining Good Morning America in 1999. Spencer hosted Antiques Roadshow on PBS for its 2004 and 2005 seasons and launched The Insider. She hosted The Insider through 2011 and created the NBC game show It’s Worth What?

Spencer returned to Good Morning America as a lifestyle anchor in 2011 and was named co-anchor in 2014. She hosted all 14 seasons of HGTV’s Flea Market Flip from 2012 to 2019. Since 2018, Spencer has served as a GMA contributor and signed a new multi-year deal with ABC News in 2025. She now also hosts and executive produces Hulu’s That Thrifting Show, which premiered in March 2026.