It seems former GMA3 hosts Amy Robach and TJ Holmes have been fodder for news sites since the photo evidence of their alleged romance hit the internet in December. While they were both on air in the days following the release of those pictures, ABC decided to pull them off in order to โweigh the effect their recent disclosure of a romantic relationship might have on the program and the company.โ
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The organization also launched an active investigation into TJ Holmesโ personal relationships. Specifically, itโs the previous intimate relationship he had with a former producer and another former staffer at the network thatโs now under review to make sure there were no company violations. Now, according to Page Six, itโs recently been revealed that another affair may have taken place between Holmes and a then 24-year-old script coordinator whoโa โsourceโ close with her saysโwas engaged in an alleged months-long affair with the popular television host back in 2015.
Now, while Iโm all for people being held accountable for their actions (especially when those actions affect other people and children), and while Iโm all for someoneโs detrimental pattern of behavior being called to the carpet, I canโt help but look at the optics of this newly revealed information. This latest development comes amidst a pending divorce between Holmes and soon-to-be ex-wife Marilee Fiebig. It also comes as some โsourcesโ are claiming heโs now officially out of a job at GMA3, though no official statement from the news organization has been made yet. The Root reached out to ABC for a comment on the state of the internal investigation and on whether or not a decision had been made and the network declined to comment.
Though we know scandals and sensationalism sell, Iโd be lying if I said the subsequent โfindingsโ about Holmes werenโt teetering the line of a smear campaign hellbent on making a strong case for him to lose his job. And to be completely honest, two things can be true at the same time: Holmes could be a serial cheater and this very well could be an attempt to take his livelihood away from him.
For all intents and purposes though, he and Robach were two consenting adultsโon equal playing fields when it comes to their positions on the networkโthat engaged in an alleged extramarital relationship that was kept under wrapsโuntil it wasnโt. And because of this, it begs a myriad of questions like:
Does it look like a violation of morality because they were both married? Yes.
Is it messy when the people you expect to bring you the news become the news themselves? Hell yes.
Is it lowkey egregious to see both parties seemingly act unphased and arguably relieved, kissing up on each other in paparazzi pics while their jobs potentially hang in the balance? UMM HELL TO THE YEAH.
For the record: Iโm not saying Holmesโeven by his own admissionโis a standup guy. He cheated while married (numerous times, allegedly) and thatโs wrong, full stop. But thatโs also between him, his ex-wife and his children. It may also be between him and the HR department if the findings from ABCโs internal investigation prove to support previous allegations of other affairs where there are power dynamics at playโbut we wonโt know until we know.
What we do know, however, is that the desire to devour the latest scandal will forever be tempting. My hope is that our insatiable appetite doesnโt cloud our judgment too much to the fact that these are real people with real feelings who have to deal with real-life consequences. Intentionally making a mess of an already messy situation will always do more harm than good for all parties involved. For the sake of the truth and for the sake of what is right, this saga needs to get wrapped up quickly before it snowballs any further.
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