TJ Holmes and Amy Robach spotted kissing and embracing after GMA departure news breaks

Amy Robach was caught kissing and jumping into T.J. Holmes’ arms just hours after ABC announced their departures from Good Morning America

In photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, Robach, 49, and Holmes, 45, can be seen embracing lovingly on a sidewalk in Los Angeles on Friday. 

The lovers were caught walking out of a Southern California establishment hand-in-hand, nearly two months after their affair was first made public by DailyMail.com. 

At one point, Robach even jumped into Holmes’ arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

The public display of affection came just hours after DailyMail.com secured a copy of the email bosses sent to GMA staff, saying that after ‘several productive conversations,’ it was agreed it was best for the couple to ‘move on from ABC News.’ 

Nothing to hide anymore! Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes clearly didn’t care who was watching when they were spotted embracing in public on Friday

Closer than ever: T.J. and Amy were seen wrapping their arms around one another on an LA sidewalk just hours after ABC announced the pair will not be returning to GMA

Closer than ever: T.J. and Amy were seen wrapping their arms around one another on an LA sidewalk just hours after ABC announced the pair will not be returning to GMA

Time to celebrate? Holmes and Robach seemed in high spirits as they publicly hugged and giggled together after leaving the Southern California establishment hand-in-hand

Time to celebrate? Holmes and Robach seemed in high spirits as they publicly hugged and giggled together after leaving the Southern California establishment hand-in-hand

The New York residents must have been celebrating their payout when they were spotted on a Southern California street laughing while holding each other closely. 

Holmes wore a black hoodie and jeans as he lifted Robach off the ground after she appeared to leap into his arms. 

The blonde journalist seemed carefree as she was seen laughing when Holmes scooped her up and she pulled her legs around him before he placed her back on the pavement. 

The pair both wore sunglasses in the January sunshine as they walked down the street, and didn’t seem to care when another person walked directly behind them during their embrace. 

Robach and Holmes’ afternoon antics are a sign they are free to go about their ‘new normal’ after weeks of firestorm and fallouts over their affair, which ABC bosses referred to as ‘a distraction for so many of us.’ 

The co-hosts first sparked headlines after they were caught in November looking cozy as they hung out together in New York City. 

They were accused of having an affair before Holmes officially filed for divorce in January. Robach’s divorce is all but finalized.

Holmes and Robach were dressed down when they were caught exiting an establishment together

Holmes and Robach were dressed down when they were caught exiting an establishment together

The pair then walked down the street, holding hands and arms

The pair then walked down the street, holding hands and arms 

Smooch break! The couple stopped to embrace on the sidewalk

Smooch break! The couple stopped to embrace on the sidewalk 

The pair did not seem to be bothered by it being the middle of the day on a public LA street

The pair did not seem to be bothered by it being the middle of the day on a public LA street

The couple appeared in their own world, even embracing as another person walked directly behind them

The couple appeared in their own world, even embracing as another person walked directly behind them 

After taking their short kiss break, they continued walking

In the email sent out Friday, the execs said they were thankful for Robach and Holmes’ years with the network but were anxious to move on. 

‘We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions,’ the email read. 

‘Let’s not forget all the great work that continues to make ABC News the #1 news network in America, and that’s because of you. 

‘I want to thank you again for your patience and professionalism during this time.’ 

The pair had been accused of not handling their romance appropriately by bosses. 

ABC executives said they believed Robach and Holmes waited too long to disclose their relationship and sources said the network felt that their ‘behavior on set’ was ‘uncomfortable’ for staff.

Hand in hand through it all! They have faced criticism for their approach to the scandal, not speaking about the incident in public and keeping it off the air

Hand in hand through it all! They have faced criticism for their approach to the scandal, not speaking about the incident in public and keeping it off the air 

This is just another outing for the pair who were first caught together in November

This is just another outing for the pair who were first caught together in November 

Despite the circumstances of their exit, they have both been given compensation packages to leave GMA. 

It was a welcome announcement for many staff members who have spent the last two months waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

‘They got what they deserved. It didn’t help that they had few friends in the building to go to bat for either of them,’ one staffer told TMZ.

It was a major shift for the ABC which initially backed their two stars and claimed they had not broken any rules when DailyMail.com exposed their affair in November.

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes have been fired by bosses at ABC News. Pictured in March 2022

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes have been fired by bosses at ABC News. Pictured in March 2022

An email was sent to all staff at the network detailing the bosses decision on Friday night

An email was sent to all staff at the network detailing the bosses decision on Friday night

Holmes officially filed for divorce from his wife in January,  with news breaking as he was enjoying time with Robach (pictured together in Miami)

Holmes officially filed for divorce from his wife in January,  with news breaking as he was enjoying time with Robach (pictured together in Miami)

DailyMail.com revealed Holmes and Robach's friendly relationship on air has evolved into a full blown secret romance off-screen, in recent months. The two are pictured having flirty post-filming drinks at a New York City bar on Thursday November 10

DailyMail.com revealed Holmes and Robach’s friendly relationship on air has evolved into a full blown secret romance off-screen, in recent months. The two are pictured having flirty post-filming drinks at a New York City bar on Thursday November 10 

The secret lovers did not spend Thanksgiving together, but wasted no time reuniting, when they were snapped traveling back and forth between each other's apartments in Manhattan on November 28

The secret lovers did not spend Thanksgiving together, but wasted no time reuniting, when they were snapped traveling back and forth between each other’s apartments in Manhattan on November 28

Until now, the network had refrained from making any public comments on the decisions around the future of the hosts – with their on-air replacements continuing to say that they were just ‘filling in’.

The co-anchors were suspended from the show after initially weathering the storm, after exclusive DailyMail.com photos showed them getting cozy in November 2022.

Initially they returned to the air on December 1, just one day after the scandal broke, and appeared to make subtle quips about their situation.

Four days later president of ABC Kim Godwin announced that they would not appear on air because their relationship was a ‘internal and external distraction.’

Robach and Holmes were seen together at a New York City pub on Monday.

The two met up for drinks at The Full Shilling bar on Pearl Street, not too far from Holmes’s Financial District apartment where Amy has been spending a lot of time in recent weeks, exclusive DailyMail.com photos show.

They arrived separately and once inside opted for the bar’s very cozy and private seating area, also known as a ‘snug’ – a small enclosed room typically found at traditional old Irish pubs where patrons could drink discreetly.

ABC had refrained from giving a public update on the decisions around the future of the hosts – with their replacement continuing to say that they were just 'filling in'. Holmes is pictured earlier this week

ABC had refrained from giving a public update on the decisions around the future of the hosts – with their replacement continuing to say that they were just ‘filling in’. Holmes is pictured earlier this week

Sources say that the network felt that their 'behavior on set' was 'uncomfortable' for ABC staff who witnessed it. Amy Robach is pictured earlier this week

Sources say that the network felt that their ‘behavior on set’ was ‘uncomfortable’ for ABC staff who witnessed it. Amy Robach is pictured earlier this week

The couple was seen having a relaxing break over Christmas together, and were pictured by DailyMail.com kissing as they went for lunch in Miami, Florida.

They tried to keep their distance in the immediate aftermath of the story breaking, as sources questioned whether the relationship could survive the attention.

Holmes’ and Robach’s 12-year marriages were left in tatters – with both couples splitting after learning of the illicit romance.

Robach shares daughters Ava, 19, and Analise, 16, with ex-husband Tim McIntosh. The duo also divorced in 2008.

Just days before Christmas, they were seen enjoying a low-key lunch at the Capital Grill near Holmes’s apartment in the Financial District.

Both Holmes and Robach have been married to their respective spouses since 2010. It is not known when or how Holmes's wife 44-year-old attorney, Marilee Fiebig (pictured together in 2012) learned of the romance

Amy and husband Andrew Shue in March 2022

Both Holmes and Robach have been married to their respective spouses since 2010. It is not known when or how Holmes’s wife, 44-year-old attorney, Marilee Fiebig, (pictured together in 2012) and Robach’s husband, former Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue, 55, (pictured right in March 2022) learned of the romance, but both couples are said to have split up in August this year 

Robach and Holmes were determined to ride out the scandal – with TJ sparking disbelief when he appeared alongside Robach and made light of their affair.

Then, speaking on Friday December 2, he joked that it had been ‘a great week’ and that he wished it would ‘just keep going.’

They then claimed they were ‘openly dating’ and speak about ‘growing their relationship.’

When Holmes was first approached for comment by DailyMail.com, his knee-jerk reaction was a career-saving attempt to ‘adamantly deny’ the relationship existed at all.

Sources later told DailyMail.com that while the two have accepted the fate of their marriages, they don’t want to ‘jeopardize their futures with the network any more than they already have.’

At first Robach and Holmes seemed determined to brazen it out – with TJ sparking disbelief when he appeared alongside Robach and made light of the scandal after their relationship became public

The scandals continued to pile-up for Holmes, who has since been accused of engaging in extramarital affairs with two other women at the network.

Most recently DailyMail.com exclusively revealed last week that Holmes had a relationship with 24-year-old Jasmin Pettaway, an ABC script coordinator 13 years his junior, back in 2015 when he had been married to his now-estranged wife, Marilee Fiebig, for five years.

A well-placed source who spoke on condition of anonymity told DailyMail.com Pettaway had reached out to him as a prospective mentor but was left feeling uncomfortable and used after the relationship turned sexual.

The source, who knew Pettaway well at the time, said: ‘He was a predator who took full advantage of his position, and he was reckless.

‘It was Jasmin’s first real job in television, and it was a big deal for her.

‘She was looking for a mentor and she reached out to several people.

‘T.J was someone who was responsive, but he absolutely abused the position of trust.’

DailyMail.com last week revealed Holmes had an affair with ABC script coordinator Jasmin Pettaway (pictured) who reached out to him for help as she settled into her new job

Pettaway was 24 at the time and Holmes (pictured on January 6) is 13 years her senior

DailyMail.com last week revealed Holmes had an affair with ABC script coordinator Jasmin Pettaway (left) who reached out to him for help as she settled into her new job. She was 24 at the time and Holmes is 13 years her senior

Pettaway (pictured) and Holmes's sexual relationship went on for several months and included him visiting her at her apartment before, the source said, 'it fizzled out'

Pettaway (pictured) and Holmes’s sexual relationship went on for several months and included him visiting her at her apartment before, the source said, ‘it fizzled out’

In an online interview with Voyage Ohio in 2021 she reflected on her departure from New York, saying that it came due to a ‘mixture of insecurity, loneliness and some naïveté.’

She also admitted ABC’s ‘toxic work environment really damaged my self-esteem.’

DailyMail.com has been told that Pettaway was not the only female subordinate on whom Holmes put the moves as, according to the multiple sources, a young network intern described herself as ‘stressed’ and ‘freaked out’ by his unwanted advances.

The year after his relationship with Pettaway, Holmes began a three-year fling with GMA producer Natasha Singh, 37.

At the time she was married to movie producer Garrett Braren, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.

Holmes had been married to Marilee Fiebig (pictured) when the affair with Pettaway happened in 2015, a well-placed source tells DailyMail.com. The husband and wife look happy together in 2013

Holmes had been married to Marilee Fiebig (pictured) when the affair with Pettaway happened in 2015, a well-placed source tells DailyMail.com. The husband and wife look happy together in 2013

Holmes and wife Marilee met in 2009 and married in Memphis in March 2010. Their daughter Sabine was born in January 2013

She and T.J. met in 2009 and married in Memphis in March 2010. Their daughter Sabine was born in January, 2013

She was also a close friend to Robach.

In fact, it was Robach who helped Holmes salvage his marriage after wife Marilee Feibig, 44, learned of his infidelity with Singh.

But neither Robach’s nor Holmes’s 12-year marriages could survive the revelation of their affair, which began as a friendship fizzing with obvious chemistry and ‘crossed the line’ last year.

Holmes’s wife filed for divorce shortly after Christmas.

Robach’s divorce from her husband, former Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue, 55, is reportedly all but finalized.

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk