Executives at ABC are holding “emergency meetings” over the fallout caused by Good Morning America co-hosts Amy Roback and T.J. Holmes, who have been reportedly engaged in a secret love affair for the last several months.
A source close to the situation told the New York Post that Robach, who is married to actor Andrew Shue, along with Holmes, who’s married to immigration lawyer Marilee Fiebig, will “keep their jobs if their ratings hold up” over the next several weeks.
ABC News Insiders Reveal “GMA” Workplace Affair Scandal Has Helped Ratings Thus Far
The Post reports that the source said the scandal has only helped their ratings since the story first broke on Wednesday.
“It’s ultimately about the ratings,” the source said, while adding that the scandal has caused “ratings… to go through the roof.”
Meanwhile, another insider added that ABC News President Kim Godwin was unaware of the affair. A third source told the outlet that the pair could face disciplinary actions given that they didn’t disclose the relationship beforehand.
“If ABC didn’t know, they should enforce company policy,” a high-level Hollywood source said.
The exact details of ABC’s policy on inter-office relationships were not immediately available.
Job Suspension Still On The Table For Not Disclosing Inter-Office Relationship, Sources Say
Despite sky-high ratings, one of the sources said the two could be suspended for the illicit workplace tryst.
“This story is good-old fashioned gossip,” the source said. “The biggest takeaway is that they were both stupid.”
Representatives for ABC and “Good Morning America” did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the Post.
On Thursday, Robach and Holmes both hosted “GMA” together for the first time since the story broke, however they did not address the reported affair.
“Who’s looking forward to the weekend?,” Holmes awkwardly said. “Uhh, me!,” replied Robach. “Yeah? Of course we are,” Holmes said.
Page Six had broken the story that Robach and her husband were divorcing just moments before the 1 p.m. broadcast.
T.J. Holmes Joked He Gave Wife Plenty Of “Reasons” To Leave Marriage Prior To Alleged Affair
As previously reported by The Shade Room, Holmes joked about giving his now-estranged wife “plenty of reasons, excuses and opportunities” to leave their marriage prior to his alleged affair with co-host Amy Robach.
A Facebook post from March 2020, where Holmes wrote a tenth anniversary tribute to his wife, immigration lawyer Marilee Fiebig, has since gone viral amid the news of his illicit workplace tryst, as reported by The Shade Room yesterday.
“10 years ago, Marilee Fiebig married me,” the former CNN anchor, 45, captioned throwback wedding photos. “And despite my best efforts, she remained married to me the past 10 years.”
He continued: “That’s not hyperbole. I’m not being dramatic. I gave her plenty of reasons, excuses, and opportunities to walk her fine a** out the doooooooor.”
In the post, Holmes, who shares 9-year-old daughter, Sabine, with Fiebig, also praised her “built-in black woman superpower” in showing him “grace and patience that’s incomprehensible.”
News Of Scandal Broke Wednesday After Reports Of Months-Long Affair Between “GMA” Co-Anchors
On Wednesday, The Shade Room initially reported that Holmes and Amy Robach had engaged in a months-long affair together, with both apparently leaving their partners in wake of the scandal.
Page Six confirmed that their romance started in March, just around the time the two began training together for the New York City half-marathon.
In August, they allegedly both left their respective spouses after being spotted “canoodling” in bars near ABC News headquarters in May, a source tells the outlet.
