“Good Morning America” co-hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach have been taken off the air after their private romance became public and caused “internal and external distractions.”
Holmes and Robach, who are currently married to other people, have shut down their respective social media accounts after someone photographed the pair holding hands at an upstate New York bar, according to People magazine. They were also captured cozying up to one another at another bar in New York.
In a twist of irony, Holmes and Robach bonded over their shared love of running and have participated in marathons together since Holmes was hired from “GMA3” in 2014. They also have been on multiple double dates with their spouses while Robach’s babysitter watched over Holmes’ children.
According to the transcripts of a morning conference call obtained by TMZ, ABC president Kim Godwin characterized the Holmes-Robach romance as an “internal and external distraction” that needs to be removed for an indefinite period of time.
“This is something I’m not going to talk [about], we’re not going to talk about on this call until there is more to be said,” Godwin said, according to TMZ. “I’m asking that we stop the whispering in the hallways. You know, we can’t operate with gossip and speculation and rumors. We need to stay focused on the work.”
The publications report that neither Holmes nor Robach will be disciplined because the romance was consensual and they are equals at work.
While both have reportedly ended their marriages and are in the process of getting divorced, Holmes is still legally married to attorney Marilee Fiebig, while Robach, 49, is married to actor Andrew Shue. Both, coincidentally, were married in 2010.
Co-workers and staff were taken aback by the revelation of the affair, though a pocket of staff members had their suspicions.
“There were rumors they were having an affair about a year ago,” a source at the “Good Morning America” team told People. “A lot of people believed there might have been some truth to it, because you can see there’s a mutual affection there. But everyone ultimately chalked it up to friendship because they always said they were both happily married.”
In the week after the affair was made public, Holmes and Robach reportedly trudged through their shows, though the tension and awkwardness were evident.
Holmes and Robach even laughed it off while ending one episode of “GMA3.”
