Amy Robach and TJ Holmes leave ABC after relationship is revealed
The rising television drama had begun on November 30, when the Daily Mail published a photo-heavy item detailing the relationship between the two hosts, who were married to other people at the time.
The network initially chose not to take any action. Then on Dec. 5, ABC News president Kimberly Godwin announced internally that she would be taking them off the air as she pondered how best to deal with what she called “an internal and an external distraction,” though she said the relationship did not violate company terms. A week later, Godwin told ABC News employees that the network would investigate the matter and that the pair of hosts would remain off the air until that process was completed.
Holmes and Robach have been co-hosts of “GMA3: What You Need to Know” since Fall 2020, which airs at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Holmes, a veteran of CNN, joined ABC News in 2014, while Robach joined ABC News as a correspondent in 2012 after working as a reporter and weekend anchor for NBC News.
The network had not provided updates on the status of the review and would not confirm a January 13 tabloid entry suggesting that Robach and Holmes would not be returning to the network, which ultimately turned out to be correct.
Holmes and Robach, who have been regularly photographed together since the disappearance of the network, have both separated from their husbands, according to a source close to them.
In their absence, ABC relied on rotating co-hosts to take their places at the “GMA3” counter. That arrangement will continue for the time being, a network spokesman confirmed.
Before their removal, Holmes and Robach enjoyed an on-air chemistry that propelled the show to ratings success. In November, their last full month as co-hosts, the show averaged 1.57 million total viewers, surpassing similar programs on NBC and CBS.