For the next several days at least, neither Amy Robach nor T.J. Holmes will be saying good morning to America.
In a December 12 memo sent to staffers and obtained by various outlets, ABC News president Kim Godwin said the GMA3: What You Need to Know co-anchors — who were recently replaced as co-hosts of the Good Morning America spin-off –“will remain off-air pending the completion of an internal review” amid rumors of a romantic relationship.
Late last month, photos of Robach and Holmes getting frisky with each other circulated online.
Because each journalist is married, and because this just may seem icky in the eyes of many viewers, Robach and Holmes have been away from GMA3 since December 5.
In the wake their absence, ABC’s Gio Benitez and Stephanie Ramos have been temporarily serving as co-hosts of daytime show.
“I understand that the continuing coverage can be distracting from the incredibly important work our team does here at ABC News,” Godwin wrote to employees on Moonday, explaining that there will be a “rotation of anchors at GMA3 for the time being.”
“It is my hope that we will continue to focus our energy on what we do best, and I want all of you to know how immensely proud I am of your hard work and professionalism.”
After the aforementioned photos were published by The Daily Mail, both Robach and Holmes deactivated their social media accounts.
They did appear on air for two days after news of the scandal broke, but they did not make any reference to it.
Neither has said anything in public about the supposed affair, either.
According to TMZ, meanwhile, Robach has been separated from husband Andrew Shue for months and the couple’s divorce is expected to be finalized any week now.
Robach and Shue have been married since 2010.
She is mom to two daughters from a previous marriage and stepmom to Shue’s three children with ex Jennifer Hageney.
Holmes, for his marital part, tied the knot with lawyer Marilee Fiebig in 2010.
The estranged spouses share 9-year-old daughter Sabine, while Holmes is also a dad to a pair of older children.
“Amy and T.J. have been arriving to work pretending like everything is normal, they have been carrying on like they would any other day,” a source told Us Weekly shortly after the unwanted pictures went viral.
“They were always playful with each other, like two people who were dating.
“Amy and T.J. didn’t seem like they were trying to keep their relationship secret anymore.
“Everyone around the office could tell there was a spark between them for many months.”
Back on December 3, Holmes appeared to joke about having an eventful week after the snapshots spread across the Internet.
“You know, it’s too bad it’s Friday. It’s been a great week,” he said on that day’s episode of GMA3, prompting Robach to quip, “Speak for yourself.”
Robach added:
“I am very excited about the weekend, and I’m sure everyone else is too. We all love our Fridays around here—some of us do at least.”
