Apparently, T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach’s removal from GMA3 on Monday had NOTHING to do with his string of affairs! If you can believe that…
On Tuesday, network sources told TMZ the Good Morning America co-anchors will not face disciplinary action for their relationship since it was a consensual romance and they have similar titles on the show, meaning there’s no potentially problematic power dynamic going on here. But if all this is true, why were they banned from appearing on TV?!
While most people have blamed a DailyMail.com report on Friday, which revealed T.J. not only had a months-long secret affair with his co-star but once had a three-year affair with another married co-worker, GMA producer Natasha Singh (pictured in the bottom right inset, above), according to some sources, this isn’t the reason for T.J. and Amy’s ousting!
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TMZ spoke with several sources connected to ABC on Tuesday who all insisted their alleged relationship had nothing to do with his absence on Monday. They also insisted the stars didn’t violate any of the network’s policies. Instead, the insiders echoed what we’ve already reported: ABC News President Kim Godwin wanted them off the air to calm the “internal and external distraction” their relationship has caused. Also, Amy and T.J. have both been in open communication with ABC over the last few days and are hoping this drama blows over since they both love their jobs. But it may prove to be more complicated than that.
You see, while T.J. and Amy may not have broken any rules, it’s still unclear if Natasha and T.J. did. Doing some digging, The Sun obtained a copy of ABC talent’s relationship clause and caught up with one network source who claimed the contract may have been violated when the TV correspondent and producer linked up in 2016. The source dished:
“There is an internal investigation into T.J.’s relationship with the producer.”
Oh? So he is being investigated? Well, it would make sense why he would be taken off the air in the meantime!
The insider went on to describe what the big deal is — though it’s pretty obvious if you know anything about the Time’s Up movement, which tackles workplace harassment. According to them, the fact that the 45-year-old reporter may have been in a position to assign Natasha tasks makes their relationship problematic! And it’s outlined in the talent relationship clause as well, the contract states:
“Relationships between employees (including non-managerial employees) where one employee assigns the work duties or sets the work schedule of the other [may be prohibited].”
The legal doc also restricts romances “where the nature of the employees’ respective positions in the Company, or the functions they perform, could compromise the business judgment of one or both of the employees.” ABC is currently investigating whether or not T.J. and Natasha’s secret romp compromised their business judgment, per the confidant.
While it makes sense that ABC is trying to get on top of any potential legal issue before it becomes a bigger problem, they’re also unhappy with T.J.’s pattern of seemingly cheating on his wife of 12 years, Marilee Fiebig. The source elaborated:
“This is still family-oriented Disney. When it was just Amy [Robach] it was one thing, as some claimed they were separated from their spouses. T.J. can’t really make that same case here.”
It remains unclear if T.J. or Natasha ever disclosed their relationship to HR — which is doubtful if they were both cheating on their spouses, Marilee and Garrett Braren, respectively! Meanwhile, a second source said ABC has “reviewed” the affair and “didn’t find anything suspicious.” Natasha has since divorced her hubby and has declined to comment on the scandal.
But seeing as T.J. has now reportedly had two affairs with co-workers, those behind-the-scenes of GMA are afraid of what’s to come:
“The execs are concerned that if the Natasha fling happened, could there be anyone else who may come forward? They feel they have no choice but to investigate T.J,’s history and it will take some time. They have to go back several years here.”
They’re probably right to be scared because T.J. reportedly DID have another affair! Yowza. His poor wife!
Over on Page Six, they claimed multiple sources told them the GMA3 host has had at least one other alleged affair in addition to his romances with Amy and Natasha. Several insiders revealed Holmes had a relationship with another staff member while working at the network (and, of course, while he was married to his lawyer spouse). The individual has not been identified at this time. Because of all this mess, one insider claimed the affairs were 100% the reason T.J. and Amy, who split from her husband Andrew Shue, were banned from appearing on air this week:
“T.J.’s cheating with ABC staffers was definitely one of the reasons why they were yanked off. It has become a distraction.”
But his infidelity isn’t the only issue, it just might be the straw that broke the camel’s back:
“He’s also a d**k to producers. No one likes working with him. He yells and has the biggest ego.”
Yikes!
Related: There’s ONE GMA Host Amy Blames For Her & T.J.’s Sudden Ousting!
Even so, another source doesn’t believe the two are “off for good” — and the decision will likely have nothing to do with the show’s better ratings, they said:
“It just depends on what else comes out.”
Another confidant reflected:
“The affair was initially determined to be a personal matter, and they did not violate company policy. After more developments, the conversations went into a different direction on Monday.”
Yeah, pulling them from TV proves the mood is changing!
While Amy and T.J. didn’t violate any rules and were initially allowed to work as normal on Thursday and Friday, ABC bosses were reportedly NOT happy with how the pair showed up to the studio following news of their relationship. As we reported, they entered the studio as a couple and felt no “shame” about their fling because they are both “consenting adults,” a Page Six source previously revealed. Perhaps they should have kept things on the DL a bit more because now it’s coming back to bite them in the ass! Well that, and all of T.J.’s alleged flings!!!
It seems like ABC has a lot to sort through before deciding what to do with their on-air talent next. For T.J.’s sake, we hope he doesn’t have any more skeletons in his closet — because they aren’t staying a secret for long! Reactions, Perezcious readers?! Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via Natasha Singh/LinkedIn & GMA/YouTube]
The post T.J. Holmes' Previous Workplace Affair NOT Part Of Reason For His & Amy Robach's <i>GMA</i> Benching -- But… appeared first on Perez Hilton.