Longtime New York anchor Ken Rosato was allegedly fired by ABC 7 for calling his co-anchor Shirleen Allicot a vulgar term, according to sources. The incident was reportedly caught on an open mic, leading to Rosato’s immediate termination. Rosato’s representative denied rumors about him making racial remarks and the station has yet to publicly announce his exit.
Ken Rosato was fired from ABC 7 for allegedly using a vulgar term to refer to his co-anchor Shirleen Allicot while off-air.
Ken Rosato, a local anchor for ABC 7 in New York, has been fired from his job for allegedly using a derogatory term to refer to his co-anchor, Shirleen Allicot. Sources close to the matter claim that Rosato called Allicot the “c-word” while his microphone was still on. While Rosato’s representative refused to confirm or deny the allegation, the network has not commented on the situation.
Rosato had been a co-anchor on “Eyewitness News This Morning” for several years alongside Allicot, meteorologist Sam Champion, and Heather O’Rourke. Despite being a fixture on the morning news program, Rosato’s bio has been removed from the station’s website, and he has not tweeted from the anchor desk since May 2.
The specifics of what happened are unknown, and the network has yet to publicly announce Rosato’s departure. However, sources claim that brass at WABC7 informed other reporters and anchors that Rosato would not be returning to the anchor desk, but did not disclose the reason.
A spokesperson for ABC has declined to comment on the situation. Rosato’s representative previously denied rumors that Rosato was caught making racial remarks on an open mic, stating that “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.”
Regardless of the specific reason behind Rosato’s firing, the move has surprised viewers and colleagues alike given his long tenure at the station.