New details emerge on how Ken Rosato hot mic remark was flagged as insiders say his contract had been renewed for $500K
KEN Rosato's hot mic remark was caught by another area of the newsroom and flagged to management as insiders tell The U.S. Sun his contract had just been renewed for $500,000.
The veteran WABC news anchor was axed after he allegedly called his co-host Shirleen Allicot a c**t, which was picked up on a hot mic, with one insider saying that the vulgar insult was then heard in another area of the newsroom.
"Ken didn't say it to her face. It was said and it was picked in a different area of the studio. It was picked up by people in the control room and it was ultimately reported."
Multiple sources previously revealed that Ken's lucrative contract with the local flagship was recently renewed.
Another source said the 56-year-old was making around $500,000 a year when he was axed after using the curse to reference his colleague.
TARGETED ATTACK?
Insiders told The U.S. Sun that the New York news anchor may have had a target on his back leading up to his dismissal earlier this month following the c**t incident.
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"The station has been going for younger, less expensive talent," one source said of Ken's firing - that sentiment was echoed by several other insiders.
However, one source who was close to the incident confirmed that despite rampant rumors execs wanted him out, the 56-year-old newsman had his contract renewed in the months before his firing for allegedly using the vulgar term.
"ABC had just renewed his contract. He still had plenty of time," one insider argued, adding that if they wanted him out, ABC wouldn't have renewed him.
A second insider close to Ken also confirmed that his contract with WABC was recently renewed, however, they added his firing was more complicated than that.
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"Nobody gets fired for saying a curse word. Yes, it was terrible what he said, and he shouldn't have said it, but people don't get fired for using the C-word."
A rep for Ken declined to comment.
THE INCIDENT
The anchor, who covered the New York City area with WABC for two decades, disappeared from the network earlier this month.
"It was the C-word that got him fired," an insider told The U.S. Sun.
"He said it on the hot mic, off-air."
Ken allegedly called his co-anchor Shirleen Allicot a "c**t," Page Six reported.
A source told the outlet the anchor was "immediately let go" after the incident.
ABC would not disclose the vulgar remark that got Ken fired when the network told employees he wouldn't be returning.
A general manager at the station informed staffers that Ken "is no longer with WABC" in an internal email last week.
"We thank him for his years of service," the note said.
His bio was scrubbed from WABC's website last week.
There had been speculation that Rosato has used a racial slur, but the former anchor's representative quickly shut this down.
"Being fired for any racial slur is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue," the spokesperson told Page Six.
"Ken Rosato had a benchmark of 20 years at WABC of supporting all equality."
He started at the network as a freelancer in 2003 and was promoted to a full-time anchor position in 2007.
Rosato hosted the network's morning show alongside Allicot, Heather O’Rourke, and Sam Champion.
His previous Twitter handle, @KenRosatoABC7, appeared to no longer be available as of Monday evening.
Before that, the last tweet he sent out from the news desk was on May 2.
The former anchor's Instagram account is still up. Many fans left supportive comments below his most recent picture.
"I'm done with ABC news unless they bring Ken back," one commenter said.
"Horrible if you were terminated," said another.
"ABC and their cancel culture is getting out of hand! Best of luck... Will miss seeing your cooking and funny stories!"
Others, however, recognized the alleged comment as unacceptable.
One person wrote on Twitter: "Ken Rosato was really good but this was dumb."
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Someone else said: "Be a decent human - insulting other people only brings you down."
The firing comes shortly after Good Morning America hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach left the program after it was revealed that they were having an affair.
