ABC News' Kim Godwin facing internal backlash at network over leadership style: 'People there are restless'

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ABC News president Kim Godwin is reportedly facing internal backlash at the network over her leadership style, as frustrated insiders at ABC argued Debra OConnell, who oversees the news division, needed to take action. 

OConnell, who was promoted to a role that oversees the ABC News division in February, is reportedly conducting leadership reviews at the company, which could affect Godwin and her team. OConnell has reportedly voiced concerns about Godwin's "hands-off leadership style," which OConnell believes only made problems worse. 

"She has to take swift moves," a person close to ABC's internal operations told CNN of OConnell. "People there are restless. They are extremely frustrated."

Godwin came under fire for her handling of the extramarital affair between former ABC co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes in January 2023. 

Kim Godwin, President, ABC News and Debra OConnell President, Networks, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, attend Alliance for Women in Media presents the Gracies Leadership Awards on November 14, 2022, in New York City.  ( (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Alliance for Women in Media))

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Several ABC News staffers told CNN that Godwin had made several prominent mistakes, including the creation of an inner circle that has "alienated staffers," according to the report.

OConnell has also reportedly noticed that staffers have become more anxious about the future of the company under Godwin's leadership. 

Godwin has also privately complained of being micromanaged by OConnell, according to Puck News. The outlet reported that in conversations with several current ABC News employees, that "representation" and the fact that Godwin is the first Black woman to head a broadcast news division, had become the obvious, underlying problem in any discussions about the future of the company, and her possible firing. 

"Race in the workplace is so nuanced that it can be easily weaponized by all sides and bad actors of any race," a Black ABC News veteran told Puck.

ABC News president Kim Godwin is reportedly facing backlash at ABC News over her leadership style. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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"Disney fell into the trap of the soft bigotry of low expectations and appointed someone everyone knows is unqualified to do the job... Now [they] are worried that firing the first Black woman would be an act of racism, when she is simply bad at her job," the person continued. 

ABC employees reportedly believe OConnell is a problem solver, and say Godwin is more concerned about her personal image, rather than the newsroom. 

OConnell took issue with Godwin's failure to fill former head of talent Galen Gordon's position more than a year after his departure, and was frustrated by recently losing its Washington bureau chief, Jonathan Greenberger, to Politico, according to CNN. 

ABC News' "Good Morning America" is also falling behind in ratings, and risks coming in behind both "CBS Mornings" and NBC's "Today," according to reports. 

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach attend iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball 2023 Presented By Capital One at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 2023, in New York City.  ( (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage))

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After Holmes and Robach made headlines over their relationship, Godwin first insisted that Holmes and Robach would not be disciplined for their affair, and she allowed them to go on air the day after the scandalous relationship became public. 

Godwin then did an about-face and pulled Holmes and Robach off the air after a weekend of reflection, claiming the "distraction" had become too significant. ABC News insiders suggested at the time that Disney stepped in and the decision to bench Holmes and Robach wasn’t even made by Godwin. 

Holmes and Robach eventually reached a decision with ABC News at the end of January 2023 and exited the company.

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.