Former ABC News hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes may have helped rehabilitate their tainted public images by finally speaking out about their infamous adultery scandal on Tuesday, according to a crisis management guru.
"They described an apocalyptic moment for their career and showed their love was at the root and that they mishandled what became a giant crisis," Eric Schiffer, the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Fox News Digital.
Robach and Holmes, who emerged as tabloid fodder last year when the Daily Mail revealed they had been in a relationship that began when they were married to other people, broke their public silence on the premiere of their new weekly iHeartMedia podcast, titled "Amy & T.J."
The lovebirds insisted they "lost the jobs we love because we love each other," were "outed, not caught" by the press because they were already divorcing their now-former spouses and Robach described what resulted in a "welfare check" on Holmes.
"There was a warm-up process, I think they were a little rusty trying to find a groove at the beginning. But real emotion, real raw emotion, came through and Amy shared her story about seeing the person that she loved potentially in terrible health shape and the fears she went through at the time," Schiffer said. "That was tense and obviously has resonated and made headlines."
When the scandal first broke, ABC News initially declared that Holmes and Robach would not be disciplined for their relationship, as both parties were considered consenting adults. They went on the air the same week their relationship hit the tabloids, and Holmes and Robach even joked on "GMA3," the dayside ABC show they co-hosted from 2020 to 2022, about having a "great week."
The following Monday, ABC News president Kim Godwin did an about-face and pulled Holmes and Robach off the air, claiming the "distraction" had become too significant. Robach and Holmes eventually agreed to exit ABC.
Schiffer feels that if they were honest on the podcast, and truly had started divorce proceedings before they began their relationship, they might still work at the Disney-owned network if they handled it differently.
"Had they, perhaps, disclosed to their employer prior – about the relationship, it would have been a completely different situation because they may have had their bosses' support when the news broke," Schiffer said. "Because the leadership was not aware, it framed things in a way that was politically problematic for ABC."
Robach had been married to former "Melrose Place" star Andrew Shue for 12 years when the scandal broke, while Holmes had been married to Marilee Fiebig since 2010. Both couples are now divorced.
Disney’s news division was plagued with scandalous headlines that threatened the brand’s family-friendly reputation. Schiffer noted that Robach and Holmes essentially admitted they were not the best crisis managers once the Daily Mail published its shocking story that included several intimate photos of the midday then-ABC News anchors taken without their knowledge.
"Had they been [crisis managers], they would have been in front of it," he said.
"I think that their story of true love that transcends this career horror is one that people are going to relate to," Schiffer said. "A podcast is a really good vehicle for them. They have great chemistry."
Schiffer believes the podcast could be a hit, if they use their star power to land big-name guests, and "with the right tenacity" they could turn it into a successful second act.
"They were great at connecting with audiences and they both have this X factor," Schiffer said. "They’re lucky that they’re living in this time. Had this happen 10, 15 years ago, it would be a difficult second act because they likely would have been frozen out. But today, anyone can build a media empire."
Schiffer believes Holmes and Robach ultimately took a positive step by telling their version of events, adding that the public will probably take it at face value because no one knows what communications happened with their spouses at the time.
"I think they did the best job they could do given the total set of facts," he said.
Fox News’ David Rutz contributed to this report.
