Former ABC News hosts and “Instagram official” romantic couple TJ Holmes and Amy Robach are launching a podcast where “nothing is off limits,” and a former ABC insider calls the spectacle “gross.”
Holmes and Robach posted a smiley Photo of themselves on Wednesday, hugging each other with the caption “How’s this for Instagram official? #silentnomore.” The affectionate photo promotes their new weekly iHeartMedia podcast “Amy & TJ” launching next month.
Their affair, which started while they were married to other people, came to light late last year and resulted in them being benched for two months from “GMA3,” the ABC beach show they co-hosted from 2020 to in 2022. Experts told Fox News Digital as the saga continued into late 2022 and 2023 that the case was brutal for the family brand that is so important to Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
In the end, the couple agreed to leave ABC, but now they’re back with a show starting Dec. 5 where they could break their silence about the scandalous relationship that was clearly more serious than a fling.
TJ HOLMES, AMY ROBACH ARE ‘SERVICES’ OF INSTAGRAM, WILL SPEAK PUBLICLY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE CHEAT SCANDAL
Former ABC News anchors TJ Holmes and Amy Robach, who lost their jobs earlier this year after their relationship dominated the tabloids and caused internal drama at the Disney-owned network, went “Instagram official” on Wednesday. (Arturo Holmes/WireImage)
A former ABC insider said the relationship was an open secret before it was first revealed by the Daily Mail last year, adding they couldn’t believe it had taken so long to come to light.
“It was just something that people were gossiping about, but I guess they weren’t being subtle,” they told Fox News Digital, adding that the concept of the podcast was “just gross.”
“It was terribly embarrassing,” the insider said of the publicity surrounding the affair, as well as the executives who worked at “GMA3” while it was dominating the tabloids. “People are trying to work and it’s a privilege to host [a show] and let people listen to you.”
However, the couple had plenty of support in their Instagram announcement.
NBC’s Al Roker simply wrote, “Welcome back.”
Former NBC anchor Billy Bush, who was fired from “Today” in 2016 over the infamous Donald Trump film “Access Hollywood” incident, also praised them and seemed to allude to his own media scandal.
“Well done. Shame works if you let it. Be happy and kick–. I’m going to download this pod and get it going,” he wrote.
In a statement announcing the new show, iHeartMedia announced that the pair will “collaborate on a full slate of upcoming programs for iHeartPodcasts.”
CONDEMN ABC FOR HANDLING OF ROBACH-HOLMES SCANDAL: ‘BUSYBODY MENDDLING’ IN CONSENSUAL CASE
“Hosts and executive producers Robach and Holmes are a formidable broadcast team with decades of experience delivering headline news and engaging viewers nationally. Now, the duo will step behind the mic to explore meaningful conversations about current events, the pop culture and everything in between,” the statement said. “Nothing is off limits. ‘Amy & TJ’ is guaranteed to be informative, entertaining and most of all authentic. It will mark the first time Robach and Holmes have spoken publicly since their own names made headlines .”
ABC News president Kim Godwin was forced to deal with a relationship between two high-profile anchors, TJ Holmes and Amy Robach, last year. The couple eventually left the network. (ABC)
Holmes and his ex-wife Mariele Fiebig settled their divorce last month, while Robach finalized hers with actor Andrew Shue in March. Holmes and Feibig had a daughter together. he also has two children from his first marriage. Robach has two children from her first marriage to Tim McIntosh.
When the scandal first broke, ABC News initially stated that Holmes and Robach would not be punished for their relationship, as both parties were considered consenting adults. They went on air the same week their relationship hit the tabloids, and Holmes and Robach joked on air that they were having a “great week.”
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The following Monday, ABC News president Kim Godwin went on a spin and pulled Holmes and Robach off the air, claiming the “distraction” had become too important.
Holmes, Robach and ABC News did not respond to a request for comment.
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