Firing Amy Robach & TJ Holmes Has Left ABC Scrambling

ABC has undergone a lot of changes over the last couple of years. They seem to have been faced with talent crisis after talent crisis. Former ABC News president Kim Godwin left the network earlier this year, following several public firings. However, one of their recent staffing changes has left the network scrambling to find someone. Sources have revealed areas where they are struggling right now. Continue reading to see what they shared.

Who Will Step Up On Good Morning America?

There’s no doubt ABC has some of the biggest stars in the news world, but the network is getting worried because they have no successors for their current talent. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes were slated to follow in the footsteps of Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan.

As fans know, Amy and TJ were fired in 2022 after their affair was made public. The affair and their subsequent firing made for a rough couple of years at the network.

Sources say that the executives did not think about the implications of axing the two GMA 3 anchors.

“Losing them at GMA 3 wasn’t the point. They were the primary replacements for [flagship morning show] Good Morning America! That was their real value. Michael, George, and Robin take 70 to 80 days off a year. You don’t get rid of people like that so quickly,” an insider said.

On top of that, ABC is lacking successors elsewhere too. David Muir has been the face of World News Tonight for several years, but should he want to leave or retire, there is no clear answer as to who will take his place.

“[ABC has] good correspondents, but they’re not stars. Linsey [Davis] is not going to be the host of GMA. She can easily be David’s replacement,” the insider continued.

Linsey Davis and David Muir sat side by side for the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump last week. Overall, ABC was pleased with their performances as moderators. Another source at the network said, “It was a very proud moment” and that morale was at an “all-time high” following the debate. 

ABC News President Not Great With Managing Talent

According to sources, David Muir is becoming more powerful at the network. ABC notably passed over George Stephanopoulos to place David in the seat on World News Tonight. Now, David’s executive producer on World News has been named the new president of the news division.

This has given David more of a sense of power. However, sources are concerned about Almin Karamehmedovic’s ability to deal with talent at ABC. “No one really knows him. His circle is World News. He can’t deal with talent. He’s worked for one guy for 10 years. He’s not going to be able to deal with the ladies of The View,” an insider said.

“He’s only juggled one ego at a time. It’s a whole other level of skill you have to have in order to balance multiple anchors and keep everyone happy. And what if there’s a crisis at The View,” another source agreed.

Many people at the network that they would have hired Simone Swink to replace Kim Godwin. Apparently, Simone is the executive producer for Good Morning America. She is known for finding new revenue streams and does well with handling talent.

That said, they still haven’t brought in a number one and number two in the talent department. “They have people who are good, but they don’t have the experience to deal with high-caliber talent,” an insider concluded.