In a December 12 staff memo reported by E! News, then-ABC News President Kim Godwin confirmed that the co-anchors would “remain off-air pending the completion of an internal review.”
Godwin also acknowledged the disruption caused by the relentless coverage. “I understand that the continuing coverage can be distracting from the incredibly important work our team does here at ABC News,” she wrote.
As replacement anchors rotated through their seats, the scandal’s effect on the show’s audience became impossible to ignore. According to Variety, “GMA3” averaged 1.63 million viewers from November 28 through November 30, before the first reports about the romance emerged.
On December 1, viewership jumped to 1.81 million, an increase of approximately 11 percent. The following day’s broadcast attracted 1.71 million viewers.
Even after the couple was taken off the air, audiences continued tuning in. The December 5 episode drew 1.67 million viewers, followed by 1.74 million on Tuesday and 1.68 million on Wednesday.
But the ratings surge did not save their jobs. In January 2023, ABC officially announced that Robach and Holmes were leaving the network.
“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,” the network said at the time. “We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.”
Couple Breaks Silence on Alleged Threats Before Romance Was Exposed
In the years following their controversial departure, Robach and Holmes increasingly spoke out about the circumstances surrounding their relationship becoming public.
During their December 2023 podcast premiere, Holmes described them as “the folks who lost the jobs we love because we love each other.”
The pair also revealed that they had intended to inform ABC about their relationship themselves before the story became public. But in February 2026, they disclosed another troubling detail about the weeks leading up to the explosive November 2022 reports.
Appearing on iHeartRadio’s “An Unlikely Affair” podcast, Robach and Holmes alleged that someone had threatened them before photographs revealing their romance were published, according to Hello!.
“We were blindsided,” Holmes said. “I don’t know if we didn’t take the threat seriously, but we were threatened.” Robach explained that they had hoped to keep their relationship private until their respective divorces were finalized.
“They wanted us to admit that we were dating, and we just weren’t ready to yet,” she said. She also made clear that nobody at ABC was involved in the alleged threats.
Yet while Robach and Holmes were defending their romance, their former spouses were quietly moving toward a surprising new chapter of their own.
Their Ex-Spouses Find Love With Each Other in Unexpected Twist
In a development that seemed almost too extraordinary for a television drama, reports emerged in December 2023 that Robach’s ex-husband Andrew Shue and Holmes’ ex-wife Marilee Fiebig were dating each other.
The unexpected relationship added another layer to a story that had already captivated viewers. A source told Us Weekly that Shue and Fiebig were hardly strangers.
The pair had known each other while married to Robach and Holmes and had even spent time together on double dates before their respective marriages ended.
By December 3, 2024, Shue and Fiebig were ready to take their romance into the spotlight. The couple attended the Grassroot Soccer World AIDS Day Gala in New York City, making their red-carpet debut as a couple, according to Extra.
In December 2023, reports emerged that Shue and Fiebig were dating each other. | Source: Instagram/marileefholmes
In December 2023, reports emerged that Shue and Fiebig were dating each other. | Source: Instagram/marileefholmes
The unusual romantic entanglement was not forgotten when news of Robach and Holmes’ wedding finally emerged. One commenter brought up the former spouses’ relationship, writing, “I’m happy for them. I wonder if her ex is still dating his ex. One big happy family!”
Third Time Lucky? Both Newlyweds Have Two Failed Marriages Behind Them
For Robach and Holmes, their private Arkansas ceremony marked another major milestone: a third marriage for each of them. Robach first married Tim McIntosh in 1996. The couple welcomed two daughters, Ava and Annalise, before their marriage ended in 2009.
She later married Shue in 2010, but their union ended in 2023. Holmes also has two previous marriages behind him. He was married to his first wife, Amy Ferson, from 2004 until 2007, and they share two children.
In 2010, he married Fiebig, with whom he shares a daughter. Their marriage also ended in 2023. Despite their complicated marital histories, Robach and Holmes had made no secret of their determination to spend their future together.
During a May 2026 appearance on “Bill and Giuliana: The Podcast”, the couple revealed that they had already chosen a wedding date but refused to disclose when the ceremony would take place. Holmes offered a tantalizing hint that their plans involved something particularly meaningful.
This Former ‘Who’s the Boss?’ Star, 50, Once Thought Marriage Wasn’t in His Future Until Life Proved Him Wrong — Photos
Oprah Winfrey Makes Rare Outing with Her Partner of 40 Years — and Netizens Can’t Agree on What They See in the Photos
Gigi Hadid, 31, and Bradley Cooper, 51, Step Out in Paris — and Something on Their Left Hands Is Raising Questions — Photos
“There is a way we want to get married that we haven’t revealed necessarily, but it would be very special to us,” he said. “We can’t say what that is. That’s a big thing for us.” Robach, meanwhile, explained why she and Holmes were approaching marriage with a different outlook this time.
“This will be our third marriage, both of us,” she said. “We’ve both been married twice before, and we want to maximize the amount of time we have together. We want to enjoy as much of that as we can.”
A Secret Engagement and a Ring Nobody Noticed
Their September wedding came almost exactly one year after the couple shared another major relationship milestone. On the October 14, 2025, episode of “Amy & T.J.,” Robach and Holmes announced that they were engaged, revealing that the proposal had actually taken place about a month earlier.
“We are sharing with all of you that we are engaged and we’ve been engaged for just about a month now,” Robach said. Holmes then made a pointed remark about their decision to break the news themselves, a clear reference to how their relationship had first been exposed.
“We wanted to let you all know before anybody else was able to. We’ve learned that lesson, I guess, in the past about our relationship.” But the couple’s ability to keep their engagement quiet came with an amusing twist.
Robach later revealed that she had worn her engagement ring in public without anyone apparently noticing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she said she had worn the ring to three large football stadiums on consecutive weekends, apparently waiting to see whether anyone would spot it.
Nobody did. And when it came to their wedding, Robach and Holmes managed an even more impressive feat, keeping their marriage hidden from the public for more than three weeks.
Fans React as Some Call for a ‘GMA’ Comeback
As news of the secret wedding spread, social media users weighed in on the couple’s latest chapter, with reactions ranging from curiosity about the ceremony to support for their relationship.
“Two beautiful people who just fell in love,” one Facebook commenter wrote. Another focused on the newlyweds’ apparent happiness, adding, “They look happy and that is what matters!”
Others were already looking beyond the wedding, with one commenter raising the possibility of the pair returning to the show where their romance first became headline news. “So now can we get them back on GMA?!” the person asked.
For now, Robach and Holmes continue working together on projects launched after their departure from ABC, including their podcast. But their personal lives have reached a milestone that few could have imagined unfolding so quietly after years of intense public scrutiny.
The couple who once found their romance splashed across headlines exchanged vows in private in Washington County, Arkansas, reportedly without their former “Good Morning America” colleagues among the guests.
And this time, they succeeded in keeping their biggest relationship news to themselves — until the marriage paperwork finally revealed what they had been hiding for weeks.
