Former ABC broadcasters Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes opened up on the “Amy and TJ” podcast about their drinking habits amidst a challenging year, which took an unexpected turn when they were fired following their life-changing cheating scandal.
The tumultuous experience led at least one of them to cope by turning to heavy drinking. On the Jan. 10 podcast episode titled “A Year On The Rocks,” Robach revealed that she had more than 30 drinks a week in 2023. The stage 2 invasive breast cancer survivor, who is currently divorcing from her husband of 13 years, Andrew Shue, said that she drinks to “enhance joy,” dismissing assumptions the hard year amped up her drinking.
“I always drink to enhance joy. I love that little extra kick. I like to laugh. It’s probably my favorite thing to do in life … Life just gets a little more fun as long as you know not to drink too much,” she confessed, sharing that while she drank a lot in college, in her 30s she became a moderate-to-heavy drinker.
However, Robach describes the last year as her “Pandemic,” noting that with all of the attention from the scandal, she was unemployed and secluded from loved ones, which led to more drinking than normal.
“We were laying low. So what did I do? I drank a lot. A lot more than I ever have. I don’t think I have ever gone a full year where I drink every single day, and that was 2023 for me,” Robach confessed.
Robach clarified that she wasn’t getting drunk every day but using alcohol to keep a buzz or relaxed state of mind throughout the day.
“I’m appalled when I look back at how much I actually drank,” she added before calculating that she probably drank 21-30 alcoholic beverages per week.
Holmes shared that he was at about 18 drinks per week. The couple also revealed that their December Drizly receipt totaled $2,869 for the month.
The couple’s revelation, which included confessing that they started their relationship as drinking buddies, sparked a debate on social media about what constitutes normal drinking and raised concerns about whether the two might have a serious drinking problem.
“With love, if you’re having 30 drinks a week, you need to get help. That is unsustainable and Black people are particularly susceptible to substance abuse-related deaths,” an X user wrote regarding the admission.
Someone else said that the amount of drinks Robach admitted should be considered an alcoholic.
“30 drinks a week is a drunk lol especially for a woman,” the person tweeted. “Please do not let anyone try to justify that, and if they do get that person some help as well.”
30 drinks a week is a drunk lol especially for a woman. Please do not let anyone try to justify that, and if they do get that person some help as well.
— alexis (@alexisfromvegas) January 13, 2024
Even Robach said once she actually did the math on how much she drank in a week, she found it “appalling.”
“That is appalling to me. That is embarrassing to me,” she said before adding, “That is not what I wish it were.”
Holmes, who is not just her co-host but her boyfriend, tried to lessen the blow by saying, “But you’re not alone in it, and we just happen to be saying it out loud,” admitting that the difference is that she actually said the number out loud.
Like her partner, others didn’t think Robach had a problem.
“I feel like folk are being deeply dishonest on the 30 drinks a week thing,” one person wrote on the X platform. “It’s relatively easy to do that. And to be honest, a lot of people you know are drinking that much. Many of us have a disordered relationship with alcohol.”
I feel like folk are being deeply dishonest on the 30 drinks a week thing. It’s relatively easy to do that. And to be honest, a lot of people you know are drinking that much. Many of us have a disordered relationship with alcohol.
— Nneka M. Okona 🇳🇬 (@afrosypaella) January 13, 2024
Holmes, while trying to provide comfort to his lady about her drinking, did keep it real and gave her the average number of drinks most women who drink have a week.
“I mean, the number for heavy drinking for a week for a woman is eight or more per week. So you certainly fall into the category of heavy [drinker],” he said matter of factly.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stipulates that alcohol is best avoided completely, and “excessive drinking is typically defined as consuming five or more drinks per occasion or 15 or more drinks per week for men, and four or more drinks per occasion or eight or more drinks per week for women.”
The pair are now participating in Dry January, not because of any stigma connected to drinking, but because they want to be healthier.
“Not just about the amount of alcohol that I consumed but also what I know about alcohol and cancer – and specifically breast cancer,” Robach said.
According to her, though she said the drinking was not heightened by her trying year, the cheating controversy did impact her.
“This past year was an anomaly,” she said, “It was not a year that hopefully will ever be repeated, but it’s been weighing heavily on me.”
