Should ABC have pulled anchors off the air following workplace affair?
'Media Buzz' host Howard Kurtz reacts to T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach being pulled off the air over a workplace affair and the Trump organization being found guilty at a tax fraud trial on 'The Story.'
ABC News hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach remain sidelined for the third straight week as the Disney-owned network continues its internal review of their scandalous extramarital affair.
Holmes and Robach, who co-host "GMA3: What You Need To Know," a midday extension of the network’s flagship show "Good Morning America," have been benched since Dec. 5 after stunning reports about their infidelity continue to hit tabloids on a regular basis.
A review is still ongoing, an ABC News insider told Fox News Digital when asked for an update of the probe.
"GMA3" co-hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach were sidelined by ABC News following revelations of their extramarital affair. (Paula Lobo/ABC via Getty Images)
The Daily Mail published new photos of the lovebird strolling down the streets of New York City last week, walking arm-in-arm, and not appearing to care if they were seen together amid their career-pausing relationship.
ABC insiders initially insisted that Holmes and Robach would not be disciplined for their affair when it first broke on Nov. 30, but the couple then appeared to downplay the scandal on air Dec. 2 while joking about having a "great week."
On Dec. 5, 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." Multiple ABC News insiders have suggested that parent company Disney must have stepped in, as joking about infidelity doesn’t align with the company’s values.
An extramarital affair between ABC’s "GMA3: What You Need to Know" co-hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach landed on the front page of the New York Post. (New York Post)
Robach has been married to former "Melrose Place" star Andrew Shue for 12 years, while Holmes has been married to Marilee Fiebig since 2010. Both marriages are reportedly ending.
Despite newfound attention put on "GMA3" because of the headline-making cheating scandal, viewership hasn’t been particularly impacted.
The midday program averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2022 prior to the Daily Mail revealing that Holmes and Robach have been "locked in a passionate romance despite both being married to their respective spouses for the past 12 years."
"GMA3" has seen its audience grow slightly since the affair was revealed, with the show averaging 1.7 million viewers over the past three weeks for a 5% increase. However, "GMA3" has shed 2% of viewers from the advertiser-coveted demographic over the same period.
Amy Robach amd T.J. Holmes attend the 2022 ABC Disney Upfront. (Arturo Holmes/WireImage)
While the scandal isn’t moving the needle in the viewership department, it continues to generate content for tabloids.
On Friday, the New York Post put a spotlight on resurfaced clips of Holmes and Robach flirting on air, as the "GMA3" co-hosts had a long history of teasing each other and making sexual innuendos that didn’t seem scandalous until their affair was revealed.
In one clip, the ABC News hosts explained they were training for a marathon together when Holmes asked, "If you are the pacer, does that make me the pacee?"
Robach answered, "Yes. But we’re going to both be finishers. That’s what counts."
Holmes appeared to be well aware of the sexual innuendo, sitting up with a surprised look on his face as Robach gently touched his arm.
In a separate clip, Robach indicated that Holmes sleeps with a nightlight.
"It’s very endearing," Robach said.
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