Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes aren’t going to show their faces on camera for the foreseeable future.
via: Fox News
Holmes and Robach, who co-host “GMA3,” a midday extension of the network’s flagship show “Good Morning America,” have been sidelined for the past week as reports about their infidelity dominate industry gossip and tabloid news. It has been nearly two weeks since their steamy affair was revealed, and the public relations debacle doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon as it graced the New York Post’s cover as recently as Sunday.
ABC insiders initially insisted that Holmes and Robach would not be disciplined for their affair, but the couple then appeared to downplay the scandal on air Dec. 2 while joking about having a “great week.” By the weekend, ABC News President Kim Godwin informed staffers the “distraction” had become too significant, and she pulled them off the air “while we figure this out.”
Holmes and Robach will have missed six straight episodes of “GMA3” as of Monday. A rotating group of anchors will continue to fill in pending the completion of Godwin’s probe, according to a memo sent to staffers.
Industry insiders believe parent company Disney stepped in when the scandalous tabloid fodder became reputation-mangling national news, and the New York Post reported executives were “very unhappy” that Holmes and Robach appeared to make light of the situation on air before they were sidelined.
As of Friday, an ABC News source indicated nothing has been resolved and network executives were still investigating the matter. ABC News did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday.
Holmes and Robach have been “locked in a passionate romance despite both being married to their respective spouses for the past 12 years,” the Daily Mail reported last month in a story that included several intimate photos of the midday anchors taken throughout November. There has since been widespread speculation about who tipped off the Daily Mail about the extramarital affair. Some believe that someone inside ABC wanted to put an end to the unprofessional situation.
