KTLA Anchor Responds On-Air to Controversy Over Meteorologist Being Handed Sweater

A KTLA anchor responded on Monday to the controversy ignited when a female meteorologist was handed a sweater during a weekend newscast to cover up the "little black dress" she wore on the air.

"What we want to do here is recap what happened. And then have Liberte [Chan] in her own words explain the context of what happened. Context is really important and a word that is often lost in the trigger-happy world of the Internet," KTLA anchor Sam Rubin said.

"On Saturday morning, Liberte brought a dress to work. And it didn't work. The green screen here has a fashion sense of its own. Some things bleed, sometimes you see the map, not the outfit. It's a thing," he continued. "So she has a little black dress on hand here for events. So she wore the little black dress and some viewers sent emails complaining."

Rubin continued, explaining to viewers that the act of handing Chan a sweater was intended to be interpreted as a joke.

"In the spirit of satirizing the viewer complaints, Liberte was handed a sweater on the air," Rubin said. "To change the little black dress for something that isn't so much evening wear. On average, we do what? 6.8 gags per morning? Some work, some don't. But there is a certain atmosphere here."

Chan also took to her blog to set things straight, writing that she was not "ordered" to wear the sweater and that it was a "spontaneous moment."

"For the record, I was not ordered by KTLA to put on the sweater. I was simply playing along with my co-anchor’s joke, and if you’ve ever watched the morning show, you know we poke fun at each other all the time," she wrote in a blog.

"And, also for the record, there is no controversy at KTLA. My bosses did not order me to put on the cardigan, it was a spontaneous moment," Chan added. "I truly love my job, I like my bosses and enjoy working with my coworkers. Since talking to my team, I want our viewers to know it was never our intention to offend anyone. We are friends on and off the air and if you watch our newscast, you know that."

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