ABC Benches Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Following Romance Disclosure

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes
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GMA3 anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes will pause anchoring duties following the pair’s disclosure of their romantic relationship to ABC. Robach and Holmes informed the network of their relationship after their affair was made public last week.

ABC News President Kim Godwin informed staffers Monday of the decision to bench the anchors until they determine how their affair could affect GMA3 and the company at large, per Variety. A source close to the matter said Robach and Holmes had not violated company policy, per Godwin’s statement to workers, but that ABC News “wanted to do what’s best for the organization.”

The source said Gio Benitez and Stephanie Ramos will step in as co-hosts of GMA3 on Monday, December 5, but it’s not clear who will host the rest of the week nor how long Robach and Holmes will be out. According to Deadline, Godwin said in the Monday editorial call that the pair had become an “internal and external distraction” and she needed a couple of days to think about it all.

“For now I am going to take Amy and T.J. off the air while we figure this out,” Godwin said.

“I want to say that while the relationship is not a violation of company policy, I really have taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organization,” Godwin told staffers. “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.”

“I really want to remind what kind of organization we are,” she added. “We are kind, we are inclusive. We are respectful and we are transparent, and we are focused on the work.”

The Good Morning America co-hosts’ affair has produced a whirlwind of news, tabloid, and social media reaction since it was discovered last week. The two have reportedly been an item for most of this year and separated from their respective spouses (both of their second marriages) in August. Robach married actor Andrew Shue in 2010. Holmes married lawyer Marilee Fiebig the same year.