ABC New York’s Ken Rosato Fired After ‘Hot Mic’ Comment, Reps Say It Wasn’t Racist
A long-time New York City news anchor and reporter is out of work making offensive comments that were picked up by a hot microphone.
ABC 7 New York’s Ken Rosato was fired at the beginning of the month over the crude comments, which his agent says do not contain racist remarks, reports Page six.
An insider told the newspaper that he was “immediately released” and that he was “fired for serious reasons,” but went no further.
There is no official statement from the channel about the dismissal. DailyMail.com has reached out to the ABC affiliate for further comment.
“Getting fired for racist comments is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue. Ken Rosato had a 20-year credential at WABC in supporting all equality,” his spokesperson said.
Rosato reportedly made an “off-color” comment on the air and was fired “immediately with cause.”
Ken Rosato was fired from ABC New York after 20 years with the channel after a hot mic incident
Rosato’s former colleagues were informed of his resignation in a series of one-on-one conversations on Friday. They didn’t hear what Rosato said.
An email was also sent to staff stating that he was ‘no longer with WABC’. We thank him for his many years of service.’
Rosato joined ABC New York in 2003 as a freelance reporter for the brand’s Eyewitness News show.
In 2007, Rosato was given an opportunity at the anchor desk and continued to host This Morning alongside Shirleen Allicot, Heather O’Rourke and Sam Champion.
Rosato’s presence has been deleted from ABC New York’s website and social media, including a profile segment done on him in September 2020.
An email was also sent to staff stating that Rosato ‘is no longer with WABC. We thank him for his many years of service’
The host started the channel in 2003 and began anchoring in 2007
In the segment, Rosato says his first love was opera and his dream job was to become a veterinarian. The former presenter also talks about his love of cooking in the play.
During the interview, Rosato is asked what was the most glorious moment of his life, the anchor replies by saying it was when he was asked to lead ABC New York’s news program.
‘I was a full-time freelance reporter, I got the chance to fill in Anchoring. The ratings skyrocketed. The ratings skyrocketed.
“Then I was told: ‘We are offering you a new contract. You are our new morning anchor.’ That was the moment I dreamed of for about 20 years and it came true.’
According to his LinkedIn page, Rosato previously worked for Fox New York and for CBS Miami before landing at the ABC affiliate. He graduated from NYU where he studied radio, Italian and Spanish.
In a 2020 interview, Rosato described his rise to the anchor desk at ABC New York as the “most glorious moment” of his life.
It appears that Rosato has suffered the same fate as Don Lemon, who was fired in April shortly after he was caught on a hot microphone disparaging former Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
That instance was one of many that likely contributed to Lemon’s parting with CNN.
On his morning show, Lemon referenced a clip in which Jon Stewart interviewed US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in which Stewart confronted the official about what he called extreme wastage in the Defense Department’s $850 million budget.
Hicks disagreed with Stewart’s description of the problem, to which he replied, “I can’t figure out how $850 billion to a department means the rank and file should still be on food stamps.” To me that’s fucking corruption.’
As the video faded, Lemon can be heard on his mic saying, “He gets a lot of leeway with the comedy thing though.” It appeared that Lemon had been talking about Stewart with his co-anchors during the time the clip was playing.
After a few seconds of silence, Lemon came back to say that Stewart is so much more than a comedian, a point he then repeated several times.
In addition to being a comedian, Stewart has become a staunch advocate for American military and first responders over the years.
He has lobbied Washington lawmakers many times on issues such as benefits for 9/11 first responders and health care coverage for military personnel exposed to burn pits.
When Lemon realized what had happened, he tried to take control of the situation, saying, “We were just talking about Jon Stewart being so much more than a comedian. He’s a thought leader.’