What We Know About T.J. Holmes' Former Relationship With TLC Singer Chilli
With the revelation of the affair between "Good Morning America" hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, people are looking closely into the dating history of both news anchors. Aside from his previous extramarital relationships, it was uncovered that Holmes actually used to be linked to one of the singers from the R&B girl group TLC, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas!
The "Waterfalls" singer is notoriously choosy about who she decides to date, but it seems that — at one point in time — Holmes made the cut. "There's no such thing as being too picky. I know exactly what I want. I know the things I can bring to the table," Chilli explained on Access Hollywood Live in 2011. "I don't think anybody should settle. Settling is for houses." She then stipulated that her ideal partner would need to be a man of faith and a non-smoker. Add those to the list of what could make a man a scrub.
So, when did the "GMA" anchor and TLC singer get together in the first place, and why did it end?
Chilli denied being a 'home wrecker' during brief fling with T.J.
Even back in the day, cheating rumors were haunting T.J. Holmes. Long before his current divorce from his second wife, Holmes was married to fellow journalist Amy Ferson until they split in 2007 (per Us Weekly). According to reporting by TMZ, it was around this time in 2007 that the news anchor and TLC's Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas began going out. During that time, Holmes was working for CNN in Georgia, which was also Chilli's place of residence and home state. TMZ's sources claimed that the couple was "super affectionate" around his workplace at the CNN Center. People close to Holmes told TMZ that the two dated for around one year, but Chilli's sources claimed that it was closer to a few months.
Even though their relationship seemed to be relatively lowkey, rumors swirled that there was some overlap between Holmes dating Chilli and separating from his ex-wife, Ferson. When Essence asked the singer about the "home wrecker" allegations after their breakup, she adamantly denied them. "I would never date a man that is legally separated or tied to another woman," Chilli insisted. "We dated, but it was brief. I'm a godly person and try to do all the things that God wants me to do. I have a conscience; I could never do that." From this, it seems like Holmes and Chilli were more of a fling than anything.
T.J. and Chilli went their separate ways
Regardless of the 2000's drama between T.J. Holmes and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, both have certainly moved on in their love lives. Of course, we know all about the multiple alleged affairs Holmes is accused of having during his marriage to attorney Marilee Fiebig since 2010, as noted by Page Six. The couple officially filed for divorce on December 28 amidst his continued relationship with co-anchor Amy Robach (per USA Today).
As for the "No Scrubs" singer, Chilli and actor Matthew Lawrence announced their new relationship on January 3. The two reportedly began dating around last Thanksgiving, which was just over a couple of months after Lawrence and his ex-wife Cheryl Burke finalized their divorce. It seems like this wasn't so cool with Burke, who posted an Instagram story on January 4 reading, "That was fast...," with the song "Boy's a liar" by Pink Panthress attached (via Us Weekly). Yikes...