New York ABC Anchor Ken Rosato Fired After Hot Mic Comment
Ken Rosato, a long-time news anchor of Eyewitness News This Morning on New York’s WABC 7, has been fired after a hot mic reportedly caught him making an “off-color remark” about his co-host.
According to Page Six, an anonymous source claimed that Rosato was “immediately fired” after he was picked up “on an open mic” calling his co-anchor Shirleen Allicot a “c***.” The publication received email confirmation that Rosato’s contract had been terminated and that colleagues were informed of his exit on Friday (May 12).
Before it was revealed that Rosato allegedly used the c-word to refer to his colleague, the Page Six source speculated he might have used a racial slur. But this was immediately shot down by Rosato’s rep.
“Being fired for any racial slur is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue. Ken Rosato had a benchmark of 20 years at WABC of supporting all equality,” the rep told the outlet on Friday.
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Rosato joined Eyewitness News in 2003 as a freelance reporter and was promoted to morning and noon anchor in 2007. He replaced former anchor Steve Bartelstein, who was also fired, though not for offensive remarks but for “sleeping through a newsbreak he was to anchor.”
Since taking over as anchor, Rosato first hosted the news program with Lori Stokes and Bill Evans. In recent years, he hosted alongside Allicot, Heather O’Rourke, and Sam Champion. He won an Emmy Award for his reporting on a steam pipe explosion in New York City on July 19, 2007.
While WABC has yet to comment publicly, an email sent to staffers allegedly confirmed that Rosato “is no longer with WABC.” The email concluded, “We thank him for his years of service.”
Since Friday, Rosato’s profile has been removed from the network’s website, and his official Twitter account associated with ABC 7 has been deactivated.
