The “GMA3” anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are leaving ABC News, the network said on Friday evening, concluding a nearly two-month tabloid spectacle sparked by revelations that the co-hosts were romantically involved.
Their departures end weeks of uncertainty inside ABC about what would become of the anchors, who were abruptly taken off the air in early December.
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, the network said in a statement. We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.
The network did not elaborate on the conditions and the specific circumstances of the anchors’ exit. Representatives of the anchors and the network had entered mediation on Thursday, and negotiations continued into Friday.
A representative for Ms. Robach and Mr. Holmes declined to comment.
The departure of the anchors who until recently had been considered rising stars with the potential to take over the network’s flagship show, “Good Morning America” is another tough moment for ABC News. Last week, Cecilia Vega, the network’s chief White House correspondent, announced that she was leaving for a correspondent role at “60 Minutes” on CBS.
The on-air charisma between Mr. Holmes and Ms. Robach had been a staple of their early-afternoon talk show. But their careers were upended in late November when The Daily Mail reported that the anchors, both of whom were married, had been having an affair.
Initially, ABC News took no action. Mr. Holmes and Ms. Robach continued their anchoring duties, even alluding to the media interest in their relationship while on the air. The ABC News president, Kim Godwin, did not comment on the growing scandal during two internal meetings after The Daily Mail’s initial report.
Five days after that report, Ms. Godwin reversed course, abruptly telling her staff that she was pulling the anchors off the air. In an editorial call, Ms. Godwin said that while the anchors’ relationship did not amount to a violation of company policy, the episode had become an “internal and external distraction.
At the time, a representative for the anchors said that their relationship had begun a “few months” earlier and that both had separated from their spouses in August. The representative said Mr. Holmes and Ms. Robach had not told anyone at ABC about their relationship “because they were waiting until they both were divorced.”
In the ensuing weeks, journalists at ABC News were left in the dark as the network’s leadership kept silent on the future of both anchors. Meanwhile, a drumbeat of articles about the scandal continued to appear in gossip columns. TMZ reported on Mr. Holmes and Ms. Robach’s potential exit from the network earlier on Friday.