It’s been about six weeks since T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach launched their new podcast, Amy and T.J., and they have certainly kept themselves in the headlines.
After diving into the details of their extramarital affair and termination in episode one, the two have since offered what some may consider too much information about their drinking habits (Holmes estimated he can “easily” have 18 drinks a day) and conflict resolution skills (or lack thereof).
This week, the former GMA3 co-hosts released a podcast that was filmed in the midst of a seemingly emotional argument between the two. They followed it up with a postmortem a few days later that led to more questions than answers.
On Friday’s show, Megyn was joined by Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, to talk about the cringey new episodes and why they don’t think the duo have a bright future in podcasting or otherwise.
Fight Show
On Tuesday, the pair dropped an episode titled “Things Ain’t Right.” The recording came about because Holmes had apparently asked Robach to come over to his home, at which point he surprised her with a taping session so they could talk about the state of their relationship. “We ain’t right,” Holmes said. “You and I aren’t okay right now. I said, ‘You know what? Let’s set up and do a podcast.’”
For 45 minutes, the couple candidly and, at points, emotionally described the “communication kinks” they’ve been experiencing as a result of mounting pressure. Robach called her partner out for being “moody” on his “really bad days,” in addition to explaining where her insecurities come from.
ROBACH: I have always been fully confident in our ability to work together… What I haven’t done as much of in my career is be responsible for content, booking, ratings… The pressure of all of that, I think, has consumed both of us… I like to talk it out, and brainstorm, and throw things out and up; and you like to quietly do your thing by yourself. And so what we’ve ended up doing is sitting in silence for hours next to each other and it’s exhausting… When it is an extended period of time or multiple days, I started to feel nervous.
HOLMES: Nervous about what?
ROBACH: How you’re feeling about us and me.
HOLMES: Is that always on the table? Like, everything that comes up, is it always– because that’s like nuclear… I don’t know how, in those moments, to take care of me and take care of somebody else.
But it didn’t end there. On Thursday, another edition of Amy & T.J. dropped and served as a follow up. While it’s unclear how much they were able to resolve (though they announced they are still together in a joint Instagram post), Holmes did say his “fears” about the episode came true. “It is going to, I fear, be viewed as a black man beating up on a white woman,” he said. “Obviously, I was not yelling, screaming, or doing anything.”
Robach said that is not something she would have considered. “The fact that you’re Black and I’m white would never have crossed my mind, and that’s kind of to your point,” she said. “You have to think about things that I don’t have to think about. And, honestly, it took me a second to kind of wrap my head around it. Once you explained it — and then once we’ve seen the reaction, a lightbulb went off for me in a way.”
The reaction to Tuesday’s episode left Holmes “scared to speak my mind,” which may mean the end of this particular social experiment. “Do not record your fights,” he added.
‘No One Feels Sorry for You’
From their origin story to their podcast, Megyn said everything surrounding Robach and Holmes feels “like a soap opera,” and she isn’t surprised to hear that they’ve had challenges. “You won’t be surprised given how their relationship appears to have begun, that it doesn’t seem like it’s doing very well,” she said. “I don’t think it’s long for the wear.”
Megyn was hard pressed to find sympathy for Robach’s grievances about her new work setup. “She can’t believe all the work she has to do now as a podcaster. She’s used to somebody doing this for her. It’s stressful,” Megyn quipped. “I guarantee you these people are working three hours a day… These are both millionaires. Just stop. No one feels sorry for you.”
While the show has been able to make some news as a result of the couple airing their own dirty laundry, Kirk was skeptical of the long-term potential. “I take coming on your show very seriously, so I had to listen to this pile of crap,” he shared. “I can’t imagine people on their commute to work turning that on while they’re sitting in traffic on the 405. Maybe I’m wrong, but podcasting is a ruthless business… and what I love about it is that if you’re a failure, people see you’re a failure very, very quickly.”
Robach and Holmes have tried to position their oversharing sessions as a kind of public service, but Megyn and Kirk were not convinced they are living up to the mission. “They were saying, ‘We don’t want people to think we’re the perfect couple.’ We don’t, don’t worry,” Megyn emphasized. “I’m sorry, I find them so unlikable. He’s an ass, and she’s victimized by everything.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Kirk by tuning in to episode 711 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.