The crescendoing television drama had begun on Nov. 30, when the Daily Mail published a photo-heavy item detailing the relationship between the two hosts, who had been married to other people at the time.
The network initially chose not to take any action. Then, on Dec. 5, ABC News president Kimberly Godwin announced internally that she would pull them off the air while she considered the best way to handle what she called “an internal and an external distraction,” though she said the relationship did not violate company policy. A week later, Godwin told ABC News employees that the network would conduct a review in the matter and that the pair of hosts would remain off the air until that process was completed.
Holmes and Robach have served as co-hosts of “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” which airs at 1 p.m. Eastern time, since the fall of 2020. Holmes, a veteran of CNN, joined ABC News in 2014, while Robach joined ABC News as a correspondent in 2012 after working as a reporter and weekend anchor for NBC News.
The network had not provided any updates on the status of the review, and would not confirm a Jan. 13 tabloid item suggesting that Robach and Holmes would not return to the network, which ended up being correct.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
