ABC News Hit with Major Layoffs, GMA3 Team “Gutted” in Latest Disney Cuts

ABC News has been rocked by a major round of layoffs, with approximately 200 employees across the network and other Disney-owned divisions receiving termination notices on Wednesday.

The cuts, which have significantly impacted Good Morning America 3 (GMA3), come amid ongoing restructuring efforts at the media giant.

According to Status reporter Oliver Darcy, GMA3 was hit particularly hard by the layoffs, with much of its team being let go.

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The program, which has gone through multiple changes in format and personnel over the past two years, was already under scrutiny following the 2022 scandal involving former co-hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach.

ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic acknowledged the severity of the situation in a statement to employees.

“It will undoubtedly be difficult for our organization,” he said, as news of the terminations spread through ABC’s Manhattan offices.

Employees at the network’s headquarters reportedly reacted with shock, making frantic phone calls to determine who would be next to go.

“It’s a very somber scene in the building—people crying and upset,” one staffer told Darcy.

“Lots of panicked phone calls between staffers trying to make sense of it.”

Despite the sweeping layoffs, GMA3 hosts Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan, who were brought in to replace Holmes and Robach, were not affected by the job cuts.

However, the show’s executive producer, Catherine McKenzie, was among those terminated.

The layoffs will officially take effect on May 10.

Woah 538 Is DEAD

Mass Layoffs at ABC pic.twitter.com/tlJ5dUXqCS

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) March 5, 2025

Employees impacted by the decision will receive severance packages that include 60 days of regular pay and an additional week of pay per year of service.

Some staff members expressed frustration, as previous rounds of layoffs at ABC News had provided two weeks of severance pay per year worked.

In addition to the cuts at GMA3, ABC News announced a series of structural changes. ABC News Studios, 20/20, Nightline, and Impact x Nightline will now be merged under a single leadership structure.

Digital and social media operations will also be further integrated with the network’s news-gathering teams.

Seni Tienabeso, formerly the executive director of ABC News Live, has been promoted to Vice President of the streaming service, reflecting the network’s continued shift toward digital platforms.

Many of the job losses occurred among employees who had recently relocated from ABC’s longtime Upper West Side studio to Disney’s new offices in Lower Manhattan.

“The vast majority of affected staffers were based in New York,” a source familiar with the matter told Status.

ABC News is not the only network experiencing major workforce reductions. CNN recently eliminated nearly 200 positions as part of a broader shift toward digital-first content.

The network has also lost high-profile figures such as Oliver Darcy and Jim Acosta, who have moved to independent digital ventures.

NBC News has also undergone significant changes, including longtime Meet the Press host Chuck Todd departing to launch his own podcast.

Additionally, NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt is set to step down from his role this summer after a decade at the helm.

“It’s all about doing more with less,” an ABC staffer told Status. “That’s what this is.”

Both Good Morning America and GMA3 remain available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, though not live.

The latest wave of layoffs suggests that ABC News, like its competitors, is attempting to navigate the rapidly changing media landscape by cutting costs and shifting focus toward digital content.

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