How Amy Robach's Parents Handled "Gut Punch" of Her Dating T.J. Holmes After Her Divorce

Amy Robach wasn't having quite the good morning when her relationship with cohost T.J. Holmes was made public.

In fact, the former GMA3 anchor had to face her parents on the same day photos of her and T.J.'s romantic getaway were published in November 2022, uncovering their behind-the-scenes romance.

"That was such a gut punch," Amy shared on the June 6 episode of her Amy & T.J. podcast. "It was already crazy to have the tabloids saying what they were saying, but it all broke on the day my mom and dad were flying to New York."

Recalling how "everything all went to hell" that day, Amy said she felt guilt over her parents witnessing the scandal firsthand.

"I hated that for you," she told mom Joan Robach and dad Mike Robach, who appeared as guests on the podcast. "You got caught up in this worst-case scenario situation."

The 51-year-old continued, "I could only imagine, as painful as it was for me, how hard it would be if it were my daughters going through that. To have it happen to you is one thing, to have it happen to your child—it's a whole other thing." 

However, Joan said they were "just fine" amidst all the drama.

"We were just worried about you," she told her daughter, "and what's the best way to show you that we loved you."

Still, the news did come as a shock to Mike and Joan, who admitted that "it took us a while to think through how do we show her we love her without scolding her."

"For me, this was way too fast," Mike said of Amy and T.J's relationship, which came on the heels of their respective breakups from Melrose Place alum Andrew Shue and attorney Marilee Fiebig. "We would've much preferred that the divorces had been made known publicly and finalized before you all became a couple."

While Amy and T.J., 46, were still legally married to their spouses when their romance was exposed, they have denied allegations of an affair. Ultimately, their divorces with Andrew and Marilee were finalized in 2023, with news that their exes had started dating each other surfacing in December.

"To be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship," T.J. said during the Dec. 5 premiere of their podcast, "but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterous, being outed as cheating on our spouses, and it wasn't the case. Because the odd thing is that the day those pictures were taken and the day that article was released, we had both, at that point, been in divorce proceedings."

Amy added on the same episode, "But it was hard because anyone who was a viewer or anyone outside of a very small circle didn't know that either one of us were getting divorced, so that was one of the challenges we had in the beginning. We were trying to clear everything up."

For a complete timeline to Amy and T.J.'s relationship, keep reading.

After joining the ABC morning show in 2012, Amy Robach took over the post-Good Morning America timeslot as host after the Pandemic: What You Need to Know series was turned into GMA3: What You Need to Know.

T.J. Holmes, who was recruited by ABC News in 2014 and became fast friends with Robach, was then named her co-host.

"You couldn't have picked a better person to ask me what I thought of," Robach explained to People, "because we've been trying to figure out a way to work together for literally the last five years."

Going on to describe Holmes "like my brother," Holmes said, "We just can finish each other's sentences. We get along so well. It's so wonderful to have, again, it's that trust, and you don't always have that on the set. But I know no matter what I do or say, he's got my back and vice versa, and that's everything."

Robach also shared that she and her husband, Andrew Shue, often went on double dates with Holmes and his wife, Marilee Fiebig.

Robach, Shue and Holmes all ran the United New York City Half Marathon, with Holmes sharing afterward on GMA3 that his co-anchor was the one who convinced him to do it.

"And you enjoyed it, too," Robach told her colleague, who finished slightly ahead of her. "The smile on your face was undeniable. Also, I just wanted to point out—I'm going to say it for you—TJ beat me."

Holmes modestly concurred.

"We were running together," he said. "And I ended up a second ahead, officially."

Holmes and Robach went on to run the New York City Marathon together, but this time, Shue was nowhere in sight. 

Robach later revealed that while she and Shue had already separated by this time, she had yet to share the news publicly. Still, she wasn't exactly trying to hide the information. 

"It was one of those things where everyone in my tight circle knew I was getting divorced," she explained on  her podcast, Amy and T.J. "I took my ring off early August. It was very clear to anyone who knew me that I was in the middle of a divorce. T.J. is a much more private person than me and just chose to keep that to himself."

The news anchors found themselves becoming the story when the Daily Mail published photos and video footage of the two getting cozy on several outings, including a dinner in New York City and a getaway to Upstate New York. The images were taken while the two were seemingly still married to their respective partners.

Shortly after their alleged affair made headlines, the GMA3 anchors deactivated their respective Instagram accounts. Shue also removed all photos of Robach from his own Instagram page.

When Robach and Holmes returned to work on Dec. 1, they reportedly arrived together, looking very much a couple.

And the following day, the GMA3 hosts alluded to the drama that was percolating behind the scenes.

"You know, it's too bad it's Friday," Holmes quipped during the show. "It's been a great week, just want this one to keep going, and going, and going."

It did eventually come to a swift end, however, when the pair was put on hiatus pending an internal investigation over their romantic relationship.

"I understand that the continuing coverage can be distracting from the incredibly important work our team does here at ABC News," ABC president Kim Godwin wrote in Dec. 12 a memo to staff, noting that there are a "rotation of anchors at GMA3 for the time being."

"It is my hope that we will continue to focus our energy on what we do best," Godwin continued, "and I want all of you to know how immensely proud I am of your hard work and professionalism."

Holmes filed for divorce from Fiebig after nearly 13 years of marriage.

The pair, who share 10-year-old daughter Sabine, had privately been separated, according to Holmes, who said that he didn't think to share news of his relationship with Robach right away, as he was still navigating the aspects of his breakup within his family.

"My daughter, I mean she's 10," Holmes explained in the debut episode of the Amy & T.J. podcast. "I was still trying to get her adjusted to her new reality of her parents not being together."

Holmes went on to reveal he hadn't even told his mom about his split from Fiebig before his relationship with Robach was outed. 

"So why the hell am I thinking about telling an executive and the network about it?" he posed. "So that's where our heads were. In hindsight, sure, maybe we screwed up."

Holmes and Fiebig, who slammed her ex's "lack of discretion" amid his new romance, finalized their divorce in October 2023.

ABC News confirmed that Robach and Holmes had exited the company in a Jan. 27 statement. 

"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," a spokesperson for the organization told E! News at the time. "We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions."

Leading up to the decision, the couple was spotted several times over the holidays—including at the Atlanta airport, where Holmes was seen with his arms wrapped around Amy as they wheeled their luggage—and  they seemingly confirmed their romance with a steamy kiss in Miami over the New Year's holiday.

Separated since the previous summer, Robach and Shue's divorce was finalized. 

The pair got married in February 2010 and it was the second marriage for both Robach and the Melrose Place alum. 

Robach was married to Tim McIntosh from 1996 to 2008, and shares daughters Ava and Analise with him, while Shue has sons Nate, Aidan and Wyatt from his marriage to Jennifer Hageney. He and Robach co-authored a 2021 children's book, Better Together!, about blending their families.

Almost one year after their relationship was revealed to the public, the pair finally made things Instagram official.

 On Oct. 23, Holmes posted several photos of himself and Robach getting cozy on the sidelines of a University of Arkansas Razorbacks game during a visit to his alma mater.

Robach also shared images from the outing on her Instagram page, including a photo of signs reserving their seats.

"Hog for a night," the University of Georgia alum captioned the post. "Dawg for life "#truelove."

Robach and Holmes got into the holiday spirit when they made their red carpet debut as a couple at Jingle Ball 2023. 

Robach wore a strapless black leather mini dress to the concert, while Holmes donned a black velvet tux with no tie. And the duo wasn't shy about packing on the PDA while posing for photographs, with Robach also sharing a video of Holmes playfully placing a stuffed animal on her chest and she laughed in response.

Their festive date night came just four days before the launch of their new iHeartRadio podcast, Amy & T.J.

Robach and Holmes finally broke their silence on the scandal and shared intimate details about their relationship in the debut episode of their Amy & T.J. podcast.

"To be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship," Holmes stated, "but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterous, being outed as cheating on our spouses and it wasn't the case. Because the odd thing is that the day those pictures were taken and the day that article was released, we had both, at that point, been in divorce proceedings."

The couple also opened up about the toll the controversy took on them as individuals, with Robach detailing an instance when she rushed over to Holmes' apartment after receiving a concerning text from him that he "didn't want to get up," a feeling she could relate to. 

"To feel like, you know, who is still behind me? Who supports me? Will I work again? Will I ever be trusted again?" she explained. "Will people believe what really happened versus what people have written happened? And those were all things that we had to go through and deal with and I will say that I felt extremely lucky that we had each other."

On the same day their former spouses launched their new podcast, it was reported by multiple outlets that Shue and Fiebig are now dating.