According to Variety, viewership for GMA3: What You Need to Know spiked upward by eleven percent following the controversy behind the alleged relationship between co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes. After the co-anchors were taken off the air, however, those numbers went back down.
From Nov. 28th to 30th, the average number of viewers for GMA3 was approximately 1.63 million. On Nov. 30th, the Daily Mail reported about the alleged months-long affair between Robach and Holmes and provided several photos that went viral around the Internet.
On Dec. 1st, approximately 1.81 million people tuned into the third hour of Good Morning America – an increase of 11 percent from the average of the 28th, 29th, and 30th of November. The next day, Dec. 2nd, had an audience of around 1.71 million.
The week of Thanksgiving, Nov. 21-25, three GMA3 broadcasts averaged about 1.61 million, which is five percent less than the 1.68 million views the week of Nov. 28-Dec. 2.
Despite the upward tick in spectators, ABC temporarily replaced Holmes and Robach with Gio Benitez and Stephanie Ramos on Monday, Dec. 5th. The president of ABC News, Kim Godwin, made the decision, citing that “while the relationship is not a violation of company policy… [these decisions] are necessary for the brand and for our priority which, you guys know, are all of us — the people here at ABC,” via The Hollywood Reporter. The segment still reached around 1.67 million viewers, equal to Robach and Holmes’ last appearance on the show. On Tuesday, Dec. 6th, viewership went up to 1.74 million and then decreased to 1.68 million by Wednesday, the seventh.
While on the air, Holmes and Robach did not confirm nor deny the affair and have yet to release a statement addressing the situation.
GMA3 airs on weekdays at 1 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.