Meet Rubem Robierb, Sam Champion's husband and an accomplished fine art photographer
Sam Champion's husband, Rubem Robierb, is a Brazilian-born visual artist. The couple met in 2009, and what the weather anchor told People on their wedding day in 2012 still stands true:
I'm looking forward to spending every day of the rest of my life with a guy who makes me a better person.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Sam Champion has been married to Rubem Robierb since 2012.
- Rubem grew up in Brazil and relocated to Miami in 2008.
- Robierb's creations are visual poetry and have been displayed worldwide in cities like Miami, Paris, New York, Milan, and São Paulo.
Rubem Robierb's profile summary
Full name | Rubem Robierb |
Date of birth | December 1, 1976 |
Age | 49 years old (as of December 2025) |
Place of birth | Bacabal, Maranhão, Brazil |
Current residence | New York Miami Beach |
Husband | Sam Champion (December 2012 to date) |
Profession | Visual artist, sculptor, photographer |
Social media |
Rubem Robierb hails from Brazil
Sam Champion's husband, Rubem was born and raised in Bacabal, Maranhão, Brazil, where he found his love for poetry and photography. Rubem is now based in the United States but occasionally visits his native country with the WABC-TV weather anchor.
Source: Original
Rubem Robierb is a multi-skilled visual artist
Robierb's work spans poetry, photography, painting, sculpture, and virtual reality, with inspiration from philosophy, biology, architecture, and technology, according to his website. He received formal photography training in São Paulo, Brazil, where he worked as a commercial photographer in fashion and fine arts.
In the early 2000s, Rubem was discovered by the French arts company Art et Partage Association, which sponsors arts exhibitions in France. His first sponsored solo exhibition, Brésil Autrement, was held across European cities, including Paris, Milan, Zurich, and Monte Carlo.
In 2008, Rubem relocated to Miami, where he built his studio in the Wynwood Arts District and ventured more into painting and sculpting. The visual artist expanded his exhibitions to New York City in 2013. He held his first major show in Brazil in 2024 called Roots to Fly, at Pinacoteca Benedicto Calixto in Santos, São Paulo.
Source: Instagram
What are some of Robierb's most famous pieces?
Rubem has created iconic pieces that have earned him solo exhibitions at major art galleries and fairs in countries like the US, France, Italy, Brazil, and Canada. His signature work is the Butterfly Series that features the Bullets and Butterflies pieces.
His Dream Machine series has butterfly wings designed for viewers to stand in front of. The pieces have been installed in public venues like Tribeca Park in New York City and on cruise ships. His other pieces included Empower Flower, Peace Makers, Heart Series, and Love Changes Everything.
Robierb has also created pieces for commissions and cities. In 2015, the city of Fort Lauderdale commissioned him to create a 300-foot 'butterfly and bullet' mural on the walls of Shade Post downtown. The visual artist won FIFA's Host City Poster competition in 2025 to design Miami's poster for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Source: Instagram
Inside Rubem Robierb and Sam Champion's relationship
Sam Champion met his husband, Robierb, in 2009 at a New Year's Eve Party in Miami Beach, Florida. They made their relationship public three years later when the weather anchor came out as gay to the public in an October 2012 New York Times story while announcing their upcoming marriage.
Champion was the first anchor on a network morning news program to come out as gay. He revealed in a June 2023 Instagram post celebrating Pride Month that it was all scary.
The longtime couple tied the knot on December 21, 2012, in New York City. Gay marriage had been legalised in New York a year earlier, in June 2011, while Florida legalised it in 2015. Sam and Rubem held their wedding party on New Year's Eve in Miami Beach.
Source: Getty Images
Rubem and Sam live in Florida and New York
Sam Champion and Rubem have work commitments tying them to the East Coast in Miami Beach and New York City. Their residence in New York is near the ABC News headquarters, where Champion works as a weather anchor for WABC-TV and a contributor to Good Morning America.
Robierb's work is mainly based at their Miami home in South Beach, where Sam spends his long weekends and enjoys the beach life. The couple own a vacation home in Ipanema Beach, Brazil. Sam and Rubem love to travel together and often post about each other on social media.
Source: Instagram
Robierb is an active social advocate
Rubem uses his art creations to advocate for social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality, and climate change. During Art Basel Miami in 2019, he created a 36-foot-long floating ice sculpture called Climate Meltdown to raise climate change awareness.
Robierto and his husband Champion volunteer with different organisations, including The Human Rights Campaign, Point Foundation LGBT, Big Brothers Big Sisters, LGBTQ Task Force, and GLAAD. The weather anchor shared in a January 2022 interview with Aventura Magazine that they connected over shared concern for social issues.
As individuals, Rubem and I intend to spend the rest of our lives looking for deeper meaning and going the extra mile to help others, as well as build on our own love. We are interested in climate change and major social issues affecting everyone. We want to do our part in finding equality for all.
Source: Instagram
What is Rubem Robierb's net worth?
Rubiem's exact net worth is unknown, but various sources place it between $1 million and $3 million. His husband, Sam Champion, is a multimillionaire. The weather anchor's worth in 2025 is estimated at $10 million, and reportedly earns around $1.5 million a year, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Does Sam Champion have a daughter?
Champion and Rubem do not have kids, but fans speculated they had welcomed a daughter in December 2021. Sam posted an Instagram video of them holding a baby with the caption, "Welcome home, Gabriela. Olivia has a sister." The anchor had to clarify that they were uncles after fans started sending congratulatory messages.
Source: Instagram
Conclusion
Rubem Robierb is Sam Champion's life partner, and from their online interactions, they seem to care for each other's happiness. They are both successful in their respective careers and continue to use their influence to advocate for social issues.
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