News Anchor Fired from ABC for What He Was Allegedly Caught on Hot Mic Saying
An anchor with New York City’s ABC affiliate was abruptly fired earlier this month after a hot mic allegedly caught him using a four-letter while he referred to a female colleague.
The word did not make it on the air, but it did reportedly lead to the anchor’s termination.
Page Six reported WABC-TV host Ken Rosato made a disparaging comment about fellow anchor Shirleen Allicot during a broadcast.
The outlet reported that the longtime host of the city’s “Eyewitness News This Morning” was “immediately” terminated after he “called her a c**t” on a hot mic.
Insiders at the network told Page Six that upon using the four-letter word, Rosato was “immediately let go” by management.
WABC-TV has not confirmed Rosato’s termination.
Additionally, the host has not commented publicly on the matter and denied requests for comment.
It was initially claimed he had used a racial slur while referring to Allicot but a representative for Rosato told Page Six that was untrue.
“Being fired for any racial slur is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue,” the person said. “Ken Rosato had a benchmark of 20 years at WABC of supporting all equality.”
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Station staffers were reportedly informed that Rosato would not return to the network but were not told what word he had used.
Rosato’s final tweet was posted on May 2:
Commuter Alert: @heatherorourke7 and @FlyJohnnyD say in NJ.. watch out for flooding on the EB I-280 exit ramp to exit 17 #abc7NY pic.twitter.com/DWvvBJ5sS2
— Ken Rosato (@KenRosatoTV) May 2, 2023
On Twitter that same day, the veteran tagged Allicot:
Sam’s AccuWeather forecast is calling for clouds and sun.. it’ll be brisk and cool with scattered showers.. highs around 55°. #abc7NY @SamChampion @heatherorourke7 @ShirleenAllicot pic.twitter.com/VBpw16GYTm
— Ken Rosato (@KenRosatoTV) May 2, 2023
Rosato was also active on Instagram until three weeks ago.
View this post on Instagram
He posed with Allicot in a short Instagram video he posted six weeks ago:
View this post on Instagram
On his LinkedIn page, Rosato says he began at WABC-TV in the year 2003 after he spent a year with New York City’s FOX affiliate WNYW-TV.
Rosato was also the news director of WLNY-TV in New York beginning in 1996.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
