Update, December 12: T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach’s relationship just got more serious — to ABC, that is. The GMA3 co-anchors are now the subject of an internal investigation, ABC News president Kim Godwin told employees on December 12, an ABC source confirmed to Vulture. The Daily Mail first reported the news. Godwin said in a memo that the couple “will remain off-air pending the completion of an internal review†after multiple outlets reported on a possible probe last week. While Godwin did not specify its focus, according to CNN and Semafor, ABC is interested in whether Holmes and Robach violated a morality clause. Semafor additionally reported that ABC is also looking into allegations of Holmes’s other workplace affairs. Godwin once again acknowledged that “the continuing coverage can be distracting.†That’s one thing for certain.
Original story from December 5 follows.
GMA3 is no longer your No. 1 source of coy flirting for the time being. T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach will be taking a break from co-hosting the Good Morning America spinoff, leadership told staff on December 5, less than a week after their relationship became public. ABC News president Kim Godwin called the relationship “an external distraction†on a call while adding that it “is not a violation of company policy,†according to an ABC News source. “I have really taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organization, and so, for now, I am going to take Amy and T.J. off the air while we figure this out,†Godwin told staff. Variety first reported the news. On the December 5 episode of GMA3, fill-in anchor Stephanie Ramos simply said that Holmes and Robach “have the day off.†Meanwhile, TMZ reported that the pair of hosts were not notified of the decision until today.
“Page Six†previously reported that ABC and Disney higher-ups have spent the past week meeting about the couple’s relationship, days before the Daily Mail published 65 photos of the hosts together. At that time, a source said executives were taking “a watch-and-wait approach†while calling the drama “TV gold.†That was before December 2, when Holmes and Robach hosted as an extremely flirty couple sans third co-anchor Dr. Jennifer Ashton. They broke into fits of giggles multiple times during the hour and made joking references to their news-filled week without explicitly confirming anything. Then, over the weekend, multiple outlets reported that Holmes had previously had an affair with a Good Morning America producer who worked for Robach and that she had been their confidante. (Holmes and Robach reportedly began their affair earlier this year before splitting with both of their partners in August.) Godwin referred only to Holmes and Robach’s relationship on the call.
Ramos, a national correspondent for ABC News, and transportation correspondent Gio Benitez filled in on GMA3 alongside Dr. Ashton on December 5, though it is unclear how the show will handle the break after that. But hey, the best of the drama was happening off-screen anyway.
This post has been updated.