Each year in January, many people engage in “Dry January,” in which they abstain from alcohol, often as a way to reset the body and mind after indulging over the holiday season. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes opened up about their decision to give up the booze this month and got real on their podcast about how much they drank in general — particularly over the past year, after their secret relationship was exposed and they lost their jobs as co-anchors of GMA3: What You Need to Know. In fact, they added up their receipts and revealed that they spent $2,869 on alcohol in December alone.
On the Amy & T.J. episode “A Year on the Rocks,” the former ABC News employees took an honest and sobering look at their alcohol consumption, admitting that their drinking had increased after parting ways with GMA3 and amid the affair accusations. The most recent month was a big one, too, with family and friends visiting for the holidays, and as Amy Robach cringed at the “absurd” monetary value of their purchases, T.J. Holmes stated:
We spent, in the month of December, $2,869 on alcohol alone. Period.
The couple reached that total by adding up their receipts from when they went out and their Drizly orders, and T.J. Holmes admitted that’s a good chunk of change he’s happy to not spend this January.
In addition to looking at how their booze purchases affected their bank account, they also got real about how much they drank. Amy Robach at first estimated her intake to be about 15 to 20 drinks per week; however, after remembering that one drink counts as just 5 ounces of wine or one shot of liquor, she had to amend her estimate, saying, “I’m over 30 drinks a week.” She admitted that the media frenzy that surrounded her and T.J. Holmes played into that, saying:
I didn't have a job to go to. I was staying away from a lot of friends and family. We were laying low, and so what did I do? I drank a lot. A lot more than I ever have. I don't think I've ever gone a full year where I drank every single day, and that was 2023 for me. And it wasn't that I was getting wasted or drunk or any of that. It was just keeping a buzz going all day, or at least keeping a relaxed state of mind in a heightened anxious year, and so I'm appalled when I look back at how much I actually drank.
T.J. Holmes fessed up to an even larger number than his partner, telling the podcast audience:
I can easily go through 18 drinks a day.
He then broke down exactly how he reached that number, which added up quickly when he pointed out that a typical glass of wine or margarita might count as two drinks.
Power to them for being so honest with themselves and their listeners, because it was clear that they weren't exactly proud of their admissions. T.J. Holmes pointed out that they're definitely not alone, and “Dry January” gave them a chance to really take a look at the past year and be honest with themselves. Both admitted that just in the first couple of weeks of 2024, they feel great and have even lost a few pounds.
We’ll have to see if having that extra couple thousand dollars in the bank inspires them to make the change more permanent. You can find Amy & T.J. wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming up.
