ABC News pulls hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach off air after romance revealed

May 22, 2023

US network says the anchors, who are married to other people, will be temporarily pulled from GMA3 as their romance is ‘an internal and an external distraction’

Two TV anchors working for ABC News in the US have been pulled from air after their workplace romance came to light, amid a storm of public gossip and tabloid coverage.

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach, who have worked as hosts on Good Morning America spinoff talkshow GMA3 since 2020, were revealed to be in a relationship last week after paparazzi photos of the pair were published online. Both Holmes and Robach are married, but after the photos were published a representative for the pair said they had both separated from their spouses and the relationship only began recently.

During an editorial call on Monday, Kim Godwin, the president of ABC News, announced that Holmes and Robach would temporarily be pulled from GMA3.

"I’m going to talk about something that has become an internal and an external distraction: the relationship between two of our colleagues," Godwin said, according to sources on the call. "And so, I want to say that while that relationship is not a violation of company policy, I have really taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organisation. And so, for now, I am going to take Amy and TJ off the air, while we figure this out.

"These decisions are not easy, they are not knee-jerk, but they are necessary for the brand and for our priority which, you guys know, are all of us — the people here at ABC," she added, asking staff to "stop the whispering in the hallways" about the relationship.

"We can't operate with gossip, and speculation and rumours," she said. "We need to stay focused on the work."

Holmes and Robach's relationship was revealed after paparazzi shots of the pair together on vacation were published online.

Amid a storm of tabloid coverage and social media furore, a representative for Holmes and Robach said: "They had been close friends for many years, but this relationship started over the past few months, after they separated from their respective spouses in August. They had not told anyone, even at ABC, because they were waiting until they both were divorced."

Holmes and Robach hosted two episodes of GMA3 after their relationship came to light.

"It's too bad it's Friday. It's been a great week. I just want this one to keep going and going and going. Just enjoying it … Take it all in," Holmes said on-air on Friday.

"Speak for yourself," Robach replied.

On Monday, the two were replaced by Stephanie Ramos and Gio Benitez, who will continue to fill in for the pair while ABC News settles the matter.