T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, stars of ABC News’ “Good Morning America” afternoon, have suddenly left the air after their romance was reported in November.
The pair were taken off the air and placed on hiatus after photos surfaced of them holding hands and spending time together.
Both were married to other people at the time but had separated.
“I’m going to talk about something that has become an internal and an external distraction: The relationship between two of our colleagues,” ABC News President Kim Godwin told staffers on Monday in a memo. “And so, I want to say that while that relationship is not a violation of company policy, I have really taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organization.”
“And so, for now, I am going to take Amy and TJ off the air, while we figure this out.”
Godwin said the decisions made were “not easy, they’re not knee jerk, but they are necessary for the brand, and she asked staff to “stop the whispering in the hallways.”
“We can’t operate with gossip, and speculation and rumors,” Godwin told staff. “We need to stay focused on the work.”
In an official statement, an ABC spokesperson said —
After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, about different options, we all agreed it’s best for everyone that they move on from ABC News.We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.
Gio Benitez and Stephanie Ramos will fill in as hosts of the 1:00 p.m. time slot, Godwin announced.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article