Amy & T.J.T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are used to covering the story and interviewing the newsmakers. In a controversial twist, today, T.J. puts Amy in the hot seat.
Find out the biggest bombshells in this tell-all interview.
Hey, everybody, welcome to the podcast. Amen TJ. Here we are going to chance to interview each other. Robot sitting next to me now, and what I can't remember what your answer was when you interviewed me. Are you someone who prefers to ask the questions or do you like being interviewed?
I always like asking the questions more than answering them.
Okay, Well, with that said, I'm about to ask you a series of questions and folks, just so you know, we have not so we didn't. She has no idea what I'm about to ask her, what direction any of this is going to go? And with that, here we go. Why haven't you done an interview before? Now, since all this went down, you haven't spoken? Haven't done an interview? Why not?
Because I know as a journalist, when you give your story to someone else, you then put your story in their hands. They can edit it, they can change meanings, they can change context. And after everything that I've experienced being on the other side of the headlines, instead of reporting them, I became them, I knew what can happen when you give your story or you give an interview to someone else. It can be misconstrued and I was not interested in doing that. I wanted to tell my own story.
Was you do it live?
Yes, I would have if I had been with someone who I trusted. The problem is, and I don't mind answering questions that I don't know ahead of time. Clearly here we are right now doing it. But I wanted it to be the right time, and it wasn't the right time yet. I wanted things to quiet down. I didn't want there to be all of the mayhem that was surrounding us be a part.
Of the question do you think you're ready now?
I think that I would be ready.
I still believe that with everything that you and I want to say, it's better to have our own platform in our own home, because I do still feel a massive distrust for the industry that I once worked.
You say everything you and you want to say it was is you want to say.
I've been saying it. I just want to set the record straight. I think our narrative, I know, I don't think. I know that our narrative was stolen from us, and unfortunately many people still believe what they read. And so yes, I would still and I'm going to and we're going to still speak out and.
Speak up about it, but I'd prefer to do it on this podcast.
Do you have so you have at this point no plans were doing an interview.
I don't have any plans right now, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't at this point. I wouldn't say no. If the right opportunity came up and the right person asked, I would likely say yes.
Pick someone. Who would it be the one person to do one interview with you?
Hoe to copy Savannah Go three.
I've known them, I love them, I worked with them. I trust them probably more than any other two journalists because I know them.
You might you're gonna do that on solo?
Well, you were just asking who I would pick. We would obviously have to have a larger conversation about that.
I mean, I'm cool. I mean, Savannah's fine with that. Oda, that's sus I don't know. I'm kidding Oda. You know I love you. What do you think the general consensus is? What do you think people think of you?
Wow? The people who know me, That's not what.
I'm talking about. The people who general in general, general consensus from the public. What do you think people think of you? Wow?
I don't know the answer to that, I think that I mean, if they believe the tabloids, they think I'm a cheater and a home wrecker.
And all these awful things.
And I think if they actually have followed my career and have followed me in whatever I've chosen to share on social media, I think that they get a fuller picture and they know that I love my daughters, I love running. I am a passionate person who lives life to the fullest and uses her time to pursue joy.
Call comes from Disney today. They want you back in the same capacity that you were in previously. How long do you need to decide and call them back?
The first person I would call would be you, and it would Matt. It would I would need to know what the job.
Was, same same thing, coming back to the exact same role.
But would you be there with me? No, then the answer would be no. That wouldn't take me long at all.
I am with you. It's a different answer.
I would need to discuss it with you, and I would need we would need at least twenty four hours to think about that.
Would you have ever left that job?
I would almost certainly have not chosen to leave the job that I had because it was a dream job.
Did you ever, at any point your ABC career get close to leaving voluntarily?
I considered it after the hot mic incident where I was talking about my frustrations about not getting to air a piece I had had and had worked on about Jeffrey Epstein, and when I was taken off the air for a bit or at least just not asked to be on the show for a month, I considered leaving.
Yes, who is someone that stands out to you that you are actually shocked that you have not heard from still since all this happened.
That's a tough one.
Who have I not heard from since this all happened that I'm shocked by? I don't know if I want to say.
But you do have something in mine? Yes, but you I.
Don't want to call this person out.
I give us Obviously you would be able to say it to me but in private. But is there nothing you can say about who this person was or where they were in your life without actually given giving away whould Actually I.
Would just say there are people who I worked with every single day, who I thought I was close to, who then showed me who they really were When They didn't check in ever, not.
Once outside of me. What relationship in your life is better after all this happened than it was before all this happened?
My mom and dad?
What relationship is worse after all this happened than it was?
Two friendships?
But those two friendships still exist?
No, they're gone, so.
That doesn't count.
It was because of all of this.
Okay, But that relationship is not worse, is non existent. So what relationship do you still have that still exists that is a struggle now versus what it was before?
Right now, in this moment, a relationship that is worse because of all of this? I believe right now there were ones that took hits along the way, But right now, in this moment, there's no relationship that I currently have that is worse because of what happened. I think, well, I know all of them are now currently better than they were.
You spoke a moment ago about what people think. How important is it to you what people think of you? Not privately but on a larger public way.
It matters to me.
I have always and I wish that it didn't, but it does. I have always wanted to.
Be liked, to be respected, to be someone that someone looks up to. Yes, so it does.
Matter a lot. That's in all of us. I guess you're not alone in that. I'm saying. Is there something you can think of that you should or could say? I am sorry to your pan parents about for your behavior from birth through college graduation, so essentially when you were still under their care. There anything you would okay, I'm sorry or apologize to them for.
Sure, Mom and dad.
I am sorry for my selfish attitude as a teenager. I am sorry for sneaking out almost every weekend when you grounded me. I am sorry for not understanding how hard it is to be a parent and to not give them. I didn't give them the grace to just be humans. I wanted them to be perfect, and I was angry when they weren't. I am sorry for.
This is up until college, you said, Oh.
Yeah, I am sorry for all the back talking I did. I think that doesn't come as a surprise to you. And I'm sorry for all the doors I slammed. I think we're good.
It was absolutely the most, the funniest and most tragic story I've heard from anyone's childhood is that your dad told me the story of it sounds crazy, all the doors I slammed, but her dad actually, to punish her, removed her door from the hinges and she did not have a door your entire senior year of high school? Do I have that story right?
That is correct? And I will give you the lead up to that. So when I have a.
Temper and when I get angry, I slammed doors when I was younger. I don't do that anymore, obviously, but when I was younger, it was my one thing I could do, and I would just get upstairs and slam my door. So my parents, as a punishment would make me open and close the door nicely, quietly, fifty times fifty This happened a couple of times, and on forty nine, when I got to fifty, on my fiftieth one, I would slam it. And so I did that, I believe twice. And that is it for my dad. He removed my door. True story, And my dad told you it so, oh yeah earlier.
He's actually really proud of it.
So many things start to make sense, don't they. Amn Are you were you nervous about the impression you were going to make on my parents?
Oh? Absolutely, yes, I was nervous.
I was very nervous about what they would think of me, And yeah, I definitely was.
Did you prepare in some way for it?
No, I just I just leaned into my like, I am who I am. I can't be anything other than who I am, and so I'm just gonna be me.
You didn't ask for advice from anyone. You didn't read up on the civil rights movement or anything like that.
Wait, you made fun of me. I was watching a movie on a plane. I was coming back from something right before I met them, this thing you made fun of me.
Yet, Wait, it was something. It was a really black movie.
You were with your parents already and I happened to watch.
It was some black movie that I hadn't seen before, and I just saw it on the plane. It was not timed in any way to meeting your parents, and you called me out on it and were making fun of me, as if I was doing that to prepare to meet your parents.
It is.
I wish I can remember which movie it was.
And I'm joking. It wasn't as bad as soul playing, y'all. I'm kidding something it was.
It wasn't Boomerang because I've already seen that, but it was something like that.
It was like a heavy movie like it was. It was a Spike Lee movie. I knew I was going to come up with it. It was Do the Right Thing, you know what. I had never seen it, and I got.
Worried, well, because you hadn't seen Do the Right Thing.
And I've interviewed Spike before, and I was so nervous, and I remember being mad at myself that I hadn't watched it beforehand. I wasn't talking to him about that movie, but I thought, my god, how can I interview Spike Lee and not have seen that. So it was always in the back of my mind. And when I was on a plane, I saw it was not timing it out with meeting her parents, and I happened to watch it and I loved it.
I'm okay, I'm going off my list here a little bit. Have you seen Roots?
No, I was young when it came out. What year did that come out?
I was a young girl?
Yeah, yeah, we know, we know.
Okay, on my list, you know, I'm I'm gonna stop there, but up next we are going to get a little more personal, including about our relationship and the questioning is going to start with a spelling bee. Stay here. Great, all right, we are back here with the Q and a TJ interviewing Roebock. Right now, we left off talking about roots, soul plaining, do the right thing, and some watching we need to do over the weekend. Yes, but I'll continue with the line of questioning here. Next question is can you spell lutilius?
I'm going to write it out as I say it. L o U t E l I o U s what you had to spell it out?
I mean you had to write it.
That made me feel more comfortable.
Okay, I do that with Roebock as well.
I'm a visual person.
When was the first time you looked at me in a non friend zone way?
I believe that we were walking back.
From have dinner with friends, and on the walk back you walk me back. I felt something different in the way we were looking at each other.
I know that exact time you're talking about. I know exactly what you're talking about.
We didn't say anything. I didn't say anything, you didn't say anything, but I felt something.
We had That was a fun night. That was I remember that. Okay, we made a stop. Yes, given your experience, your life experience, your love experience. What advice would you give to someone regarding the reasons to get married again. I don't want you to say, hey, don't get not reasons not to reasons to get married.
The reasons to get married when someone enhances your life, you come to the union as a full, fully formed person. I don't think people can plead each other. I think they enhance each other. And so if you can find that person. If you're looking for someone to complete you, I think it's the expectations end up killing so much so if you can actually find someone who enhances who you are, who brings out the best in you, and who makes you want to be a better person, those are all really good reasons to get married. And then finding that person, of course, it's not going to be perfect. You have to be willing to recognize that you're not always going to get along and not always you can't have this rom com version of what you think a marriage should look like. You have to go in with real expectations. But once you realize that you want to be with that person through the good times and through the really tough times, is that the person you want in the foxhole with you, is that the person you can lean on when things aren't going well. And I think when you can find a partnership like that, I want a partner in life. I have always wanted that. I think that's why I've kept trying. And I do believe there is something so beautiful about coming together with someone and choosing to be with someone and loving someone.
I think, I think I've heard this.
If you like someone, it's because if you love someone, it's in spite of But that idea of loving someone as much as you love yourself, perhaps even greater than you love yourself. That idea of sacrifice, that idea of giving instead of getting, I love that, and it enhances your life to have a partner. I mean, there's nothing I want more, I think than that. I want that for my children. I want that for my daughters.
All right, So, again, giving your experience, what advice would you now give to someone regarding reasons to stay or not stay in a relationship.
Who you stay in a relationship, it's worth fighting for if you have mutual respect for each other. I do believe that love becomes a choice. It's not always just this feeling where you're like, oh my god, I'm so in love with him. And it's that that comes and goes, that that's cyclical. It's when you find someone who you can respect and like and are friends with. If you can go through life laughing with someone, friends with someone, even if you're angry at them and you're mad at them, and things may go and events may happen, and they may do things that really upset you and anger you. But I think if you have that mutual respect, you stay and you go if I think it's a really tough, tough, tough call to make, But when there are more I really think it comes down to when you lose respect for someone, I don't know that you can get it back. And if you don't like doing basic things with him, I think those are big red flags. But respect would be the number one thing. When you lose respect for someone, I think it's really hard to stay in a marriage.
Can you tell me a bad health habit that you have right now that you'd like to break.
Bad health habit that I would like to break. I'm working on it. French fries. I love French fries and eating French fries and fried food, fried food.
I'm gonna go the whole thing.
That is one of my biggest health habits that I am working on getting rid of. There's nothing good that comes from eating fried food.
Is there a bad health habit that I have that you would like for me to break?
M well, sleeping, lack thereof acting.
I think you recognized it now, and you've come a long way from when I first we're friends with you. I think you I don't know. I feel like you did not prioritize sleep, and so the more sleep you get, the healthier you are. I want you to live as long as possible, and so I would like you to sleep even more than you do.
When do you think race has shown up in our relationship?
It doesn't show up that often, but I'm trying to think when it has. It In a recent fight, it has, and we're still working through that.
We've talked about how.
I react, how you react differently to things and people based on experiences, and I think I have learned even more than I ever could have seeing the world through as much as you can show me.
You can't.
Obviously, I can't walk into your body and know what it's like. But I have seen seen things and heard things differently because you've experienced them, and I'm standing by your side. So in a week we've had these conversations and it's been incredibly I opening to me in a lot of ways. So it's been a part of our relationship. It doesn't take center stage, but it's something I think we mostly I don't think we want to laugh at it, but we keep it lighter. But there have been heavy moments.
Can you tell one You've said things you've learned, but can you think of something you have learned regarding black folks black experience dating a black man that you did not know until you got into this with me.
I hear things that friends or family might say that before I was dating you, I wouldn't have considered offensive that Now I see r when people are trying to when white people and I know who they are, and I know they're not bad people, but are kind of desperate to connect make bad choices in making everything that they say to you about black things, and it's embarrassing now to hear it. I think you know most of the time it comes from a good place, but it's still so hard to listen to now that I know how you experience that where you're singled out and you're treated differently.
Do you think it matters to your family whether or not we get married.
I think they would like us to get married. That's they are religious people. They are Catholic. And here's the thing. My parents have an amazing marriage fifty five no, sorry, fifty years, whoops, fifty years and because they have seen all the good that comes out of that type of commitment and weathering storms, they want that from me.
So, yes, they do want us to get married.
But you said you think so, but they've stated so, and not just a matter.
Of when I have said, this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don't know for sure if that means us legally getting married, but it's on the table. My parents had a very positive response, right, well, that's so good to hear they want that for me and you and us.
Do you think about us missing out on having kids?
Absolutely?
Yes, And what do you think.
I see your parenting style and it's very similar to mine, And that is a gift if any of you all out there, any of you out there, have a shared parenting style with your partner that makes life h so much easier or at least a little bit easier, and it feels good to have a similar mode of operation when it comes to what we want for our kids, what we want to teach them. And what I love about you is that you're willing to let your child not like you in the moment to teach them a lesson to do the right thing.
And I appreciate that.
So yes, I have multiple times been a little sad that we did not come together at a time where we could have had that option.
I asked you, do you think it matters to your family if we get married? Do you think it matters in any aspect publicly whether or not we get married.
I think people are always rooting for love, and in this culture, in this society, that usually ends with a wedding. So I do think that people who are rooting for us are rooting for marriage. Yes, I do.
I think that.
All right, up next, folks, chapstick, tattoos, necklaces, cooking. When we come back, I're back with the final installment here, Q and A with robes and TJ. I will pick right up with these will be on just a variety of things, and most of it lighter, fair, but thank god, how long Have you had this chapstick addiction for.
As long as I can remember, as long as I think? It started for me when I was seven or eight and for Christmas, Santa Claus brought me.
Do you all remember?
It came in a candy cane, clear candy cane case, and there were soda chapsticks, so doctor pepper, Coca Cola A and w root beer. Doctor pepper was my absolute favorite. And I think that was the moment, probably at eight, where I became addicted to chapstick.
Do you have any intention of getting any more tattoos?
Yes?
What are you getting?
I don't know yet, but I would only get a tattoo at this point probably.
I mean, I never want to say never, but my thinking.
Is that I would get another tattoo with you, and we have an idea and we're considering it, and I'm considering it all right.
Do you ever want to publicly reveal the significance of that chain and pendent around you neck?
I'm not hiding it and I have no problem revealing it.
Okay, Well, so hold on to that one at some point. Does it are you comfortable? Does it make you uneasy? I know you like the food, but is there any issue with me doing all the cooking?
I love when you cook.
It's a strange thing for me because I spent the first I don't know up until last year doing all the cooking. So I'm actually relieved and happy that you love to cook. Cooking was always obligatory for me, and I did it because I had to, and it was more of a chore than something that I love to do. And I see the love you have for it, so I'm more than happy to abdicate. But I do feel a little guilty about it because I'm used to doing it, So there's like a guilty part of me that feels like he shouldn't be doing it all.
I should be I should be stepping up.
Do you fear that breast cancer or something related to it will be the thing that gets you in the end.
Yes, I do. I fear that I'm not.
Yeah, I hate to admit this, but I don't think a day goes by or I don't think about that.
What was the funniest or most absurd thing you read about yourself the past year?
Oh? Wow, where do I begin?
Oh my gosh, this is hard because I'm trying to think about all the barbs that were thrown my way.
I think.
I don't know if it was funny or absurd.
That I basically had like an open bar in my dressing room. That was absurd and completely not true. That made me I did actually laugh at that, because I had a couple bottles of wine in my refrigerator that were given to me by my bosses, So that actually made me laugh. I just thought that was hilarious. And gosh, there have been so many. I'd have to think about what some of the silly things were. Can you remember any See you look at me trying to interview you. All right, Well, if something else comes to my mind, I'll bring it up. But that one stands out.
How many sets about air pods have you lost?
Okay? So it doesn't lie.
When I look at my Bluetooth and it says my current AirPods, it says Amy AirPod six.
Yep.
Okay. Why does your brother keep getting goats?
He is really enjoying farm life in Athens, Georgia. He is a doctor, and I think it's just such a high stress job. Coming back home and being a gentleman farmer of sorts gives him just the peace of being one with the land, and he really likes goats. He keeps getting more and then they keep having babies.
They're really cute, as cute as a goat can be. What is the thing I do that annoys you most.
Oh, that's easy. You pop your right elbow.
That's it a lot? Oh my god, I'm doing any great.
It's multiple times a day, three tops. Okay, fine, it's three times a day.
That annoys you most well.
Okay, that's on the silly side, on the deeper side, on the deeper side.
And you already know this. I think you already know the answer. When you.
Don't talk to me when you're quiet, I like to talk, but maybe I should like to listen more, and then you'd talk more. Why are you doing that not talking thing?
Waiting for you to fill the void?
Because you know I will, yes, because silence makes me uncomfortable.
Is do you find that in order to live out your life with someone, it's necessary for those two people to live together.
I don't think it's necessary, but I would prefer it. But I've seen plenty of people who love having a partner and having their own apartment and it works for them. I crave connection. I don't need a lot of alone time, but I respect someone who does. And I do think it's possible to have a life partner who you don't live with, but I wouldn't prefer it.
What are you concerned after this Q and A that is going to be manipulated for a negative headline to attack you or me?
Uh? I don't know.
I actually try not to overthink about what I mean. I know it's there and it's in the back of my mind, and it makes me nervous generally that anything I say kenan will be used against me in a twisted, out of context way, because it's happened time and time again, and I found it to be kind of fascinating that I won't even know the things that.
They'll pull out. Like I do look at the headlines.
I don't necessarily read the body, but sometimes it's a head scratcher, like that's.
What they jumped on, that's what they said. So I honestly don't know.
I'm kind of surprised every time I do see headlines and see how they twist them, and so I kind of don't want to think about it too much because I don't want to edit who I am or me being honest and open.
Last two things here. One, what do you want for your birthday?
I want?
I want my friends around me. I want there to be a celebration of life. I have always been a big believer that birthdays are important, and I love when people are loud and proud about how old they are, because that is something to be grateful for. Every single year you get is a gift. So I really do think it's nice to be able to take a day and celebrate, not necessarily yourself, but just that you get to be here, and you get to live another life, and you get another year, hopefully on this planet. So I just I like to mark time like that. So what I want for my birthday is joy. I want celebration, I want friends, and oh my gosh, I'll be able to have a glass of champagne.
I meant. More so, like, what do I need to go buy?
You know that you don't want me to tell you what to get me. You know what, You're a really good gift giver if even if.
You told me, I wouldn't go get it. Actually, that's right. And last question, where do you want your third wedding to be?
Justice of the piece Vegas.
Wait, which one?
Either one? Maybe super.
That's where you want to have it?
I'm joking.
Mmm, my third wedding, I really would want it to be a very intimate gathering, and I would absolutely run off an envelope somewhere. I think that's probably if I had to pick, I'd pick eloping and going to Fiji or somewhere really nice and far away.
Right, you really want to get away?
All right?
And ma'm is there anything we didn't talk about that you wish you had gotten an opportunity to say?
I think you covered everything well.
Thank you so much for your time, ma'am, and good luck for you down the road. We wish you well. Bye bye now, folks, Oh that wasn't too bad for you? What threw you?
It was good? Yeah, that's the first time you've ever interviewed me.
Won't be the last. Folks. You can find us, we've said. We are now officially on TikTok. The show is. You could find Robot and I individually. Also you can find us on Instagram at Amy and TJ podcast, but we have our individual Instagram pages as well. So thanks for listening.
