The saga of Good Morning America hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach has reportedly ended with the pair being ousted by ABC.
Holmes and Robach last appeared at the GMA3 desk on Dec. 2, just after news of their months-long affair broke. They were subsequently removed from their posts while ABC conducted an internal investigation to learn if either parties were in violation of company policy. Even before word of their affair had gone public, it had apparently been the frothy subject of rumor mills both inside and outside of the company.
The decision was apparently handed down after an “extremely contentious” mediation session on Thursday that was likened to a “witch hunt” by one source, according to TMZ. And it sounds like the network was doing everything in its power to get rid of them.
We’re told one of the accusations is that Amy had liquor in her dressing room, which the ABC folks said was a violation of policy. One source called the accusation “ridiculous,” noting some of the bottles were sent from top ABC News execs. The source said those execs sent other on-air talent liquor as well, so this just looked like a way to justify getting rid of her.
As for Amy and T.J., we’re told it became clear in mediation they did not handle their romance appropriately … waiting too long to disclose it to ABC execs. ABC also made it clear … their “behavior on set” was “uncomfortable” for some ABC staff.
On one hand, Holmes and Robach were two consenting adults who, by ABC’s initial statement, had not broken company rules by engaging in the romantic relationship. But on the other hand, it makes sense that the network wouldn’t want to continue to employ morning show hosts whose personal lives overshadowed the news they were tasked with reporting. Additionally, if company resources had been used in keeping the affair a secret, that may also have resulted in a policy violation.
Both Holmes and Robach will receive payouts per their contracts, per TMZ. It’s unclear what’s next for the pair, but in the meantime their relationship is still going strong and they apparently presented a united front during the mediation session.
