Hot Mic Moment Gets Longtime News Anchor Immediately Fired

Longtime New York City ABC 7 anchor Ken Rosato was promptly fired after a hot-mic moment reportedly caught him directing a nasty insult to his co-host.

According to Page Six, Rosato allegedly called his co-host Shirleen Allicot the c-word, which was picked up on a live microphone, according to an anonymous source.

The incident took place off the air but the mic could still reportedly be heard in studio. And as a result, Rosato was fired immediately.

Although ABC 7 has not officially announced Rosato’s departure, an internal email had been sent to staff and his bio has been removed from the station’s website, according to Deadline.

It was previously speculated that Rosato was fired over a racial slur, but that allegation has been fiercely denied by his representative in a statement to Page Six. “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.”

Rostao was a longtime anchor on the station and hosted the morning newscast alongside Allicot, traffic reporter Heather O’Rourke and meteorologist Sam Champion.