Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes thought about releasing a statement about their relationship but ultimately decided against it.
“Maybe it would have been better had we [released statements], but what we were trying to do was keep our jobs,” Robach, 50, said on a Wednesday, December 20, episode of her and Holmes’ “Amy & T.J.” podcast. “We did have press releases ready to go, that we had written, that day.”
Robach shared that while she and Holmes, 46, were hopeful they would get to return to their jobs at GMA3, the more time that passed made it more unlikely. Despite returning to the show right after the news broke in November 2022, ABC pulled the duo from their positions before officially letting them go in January.
“Everything about us wanted to speak out. But once we didn’t speak out in those initial first few days, at what point do you then?” Robach shared. “It got really hard and this wasn’t in my wheelhouse or in [Holmes’].”
Robach explained that she never had to do press about herself before and had never been in a situation where a statement was required. As Robach reflected, Holmes decided to go to his inbox and look for the email draft of his statement which had a timestamp of November 30, 2022, the same day news broke of their relationship.
“This draft was never sent as an email because of what [Robach] just described,” Holmes admitted. “This is so wild, I’m reading it.”
Holmes revealed that both he and Robach decided that if they were going to release a statement they agreed they would do it separately rather than jointly. Holmes began reading Robach’s message aloud.
“My divorce is nearly finalized after we decided to separate. T.J. and I have been friends for years, and our relationship has evolved only in recent weeks,” he read from Robach’s never-released statement. “I ask for privacy for my family as we continue to heal.”
Holmes continued with a statement he wrote for himself: “After a month-long separation, I’m in the final stage of my divorce, a process that has been difficult and that my family — for their sake — had hoped to keep private. I have leaned on my closest friend during this painful stretch and very recently, that friendship became more. Out of respect for my family, I am requesting privacy at this time.”
Holmes reiterated that while he and Robach never spoke out about their romance at the height of the scandal, the couple was “ready to go.”
Last month, the twosome announced their plans for their podcast venture, which dropped earlier this month. In the episodes, Robach and Holmes have been candid about their relationship and how their loved ones reacted to the scandal.
