A Washington Post opinion column claimed that ABC News was “busy” getting involved in TJ Holmes and Amy Robach’s “consensual” extramarital affair, as the network aired this week.
“GMA 3” has drawn attention from the network after its co-hosts were caught in a cheating scandal. Photos and videos of the couple arguing made headlines this week, prompting the network to take action this week by pulling the hosts off the air.
ABC News president Kim Godwin told employees Monday morning that “distraction” has become critical and they will be on the sidelines until the network figures out the next step. However, reviewer Helaine Olen noted that ABC considered it “a masterclass in handling workplace romance the wrong way.”
“No one needs to account for consensual peer-to-peer behavior that happens outside of the workplace — no matter how attention-grabbing it is,” he said.
“GMA3” anchors TJ Holmes and Amy Robach have been fired from ABC News after their extramarital affair was revealed.
(Paula Lobo/ABC via Getty Images)
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While ABC’s parent company, Disney, presents itself as a profitable, family-friendly company, Olen did not see co-workers’ extramarital affairs as a workplace issue.
“Given the human tendency to gossip about celebrities and co-workers, this may be a misleading reality — but it’s not clear what kind of romantic renewal is the issue in Holmes and Robach’s relationship,” he said.
Olen said the anchors shouldn’t have been penalized because “romances in the workplace are so common.”
The columnist cited surveys showing how common workplace romances are, with 10 to 30 percent of romances allegedly leading to long-term relationships or marriage. Even the fact that the two were married was not so unusual, he said. “And, yes, while we’re on the subject, a 2017 Harris Poll found that almost a quarter of workplace relationships involved adultery,” Olen wrote.
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes run in the TCS Marathon on November 06, 2022 in New York City.
(New York Road Runners via Brian Bedder/Getty Images)
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Olen insisted that the shows could survive the cheating scandal, noting that “Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough’s relationship began when they were each married to other people. The co-authors got married in 2018.
“Well, why don’t you tell your colleagues to MYOB [mind your own business] and let everyone go back to work? asked the columnist.
He once again criticized ABC for interfering in the couple’s life.
ABC’s “GMA3: What You Need To Know” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach’s extramarital affair made front page news in the New York Post.
(New York Post)
“But even in the current climate, no one should be urging ABC to take two anchors off the air because of love and lust. The relationship between Holmes and Robach may have caused their spouses great pain, but it’s not terrible. “It’s a challenge in the workplace. In an era where social media increasingly merges our public and private lives, corporate headquarters must resist this intrusion of people. We all deserve a privacy zone, even anchors,” he concluded.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.