T.J. Holmes

Loutelious “T. J.” Holmes Jr. was born on August 19, 1977, in West Memphis, Arkansas. He earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Arkansas. Holmes began his television career at KSNF Channel 16 in Joplin, Missouri, serving as a producer, assignment reporter, and weekend anchor for less than a year. In 2000, he moved to KTHV in Little Rock, Arkansas, as a general assignment reporter, quickly becoming a weekend anchor. His career progressed to KNTV in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003, where he anchored the 5 p.m. evening news. During his time at KNTV, Holmes covered significant national events including the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the California gubernatorial recall election involving Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Scott Peterson murder trial.

Holmes gained national prominence after joining CNN in October 2006. He initially co-anchored “CNN Saturday & Sunday Morning” and later anchored the newscast solo. At CNN, he reported from various breaking news events, such as the Joplin, Missouri tornadoes in 2011, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in New Orleans in 2010, and the Virginia Tech shootings. He also covered the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks from Ground Zero, the 2008 papal visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, and secured early interviews with survivors of US Airways Flight 1549. His contributions to CNN’s coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 2008 presidential primary campaigns were recognized with Peabody Awards. Holmes departed CNN in December 2011.

Following his tenure at CNN, Holmes signed a multi-platform talent deal with BET Networks in December 2011, where he hosted the show “Don’t Sleep” from October 2012 until its cancellation in 2013. He also had a brief stint as a substitute weekend anchor for MSNBC in December 2012, and returned to CNN for specific coverage in June 2013. In September 2014, Holmes joined ABC News, where he served as a correspondent and anchor, notably becoming the permanent co-anchor of “World News Now” in December 2014 and later co-anchoring “GMA3: What You Need to Know” starting in September 2020. In January 2023, Holmes was terminated from ABC News following the public disclosure of a romantic relationship with co-host Amy Robach. In December 2023, he launched a podcast, “Amy & T.J.,” with Amy Robach, in partnership with iHeartRadio.