News anchor 'immediately' fired from NYC station over alleged hot-mic insult about his female co-anchor

New York City news anchor Ken Rosato was abruptly fired after he was caught on a hot mic allegedly calling his co-anchor a four-letter expletive.

Rosato, co-host of WABC-TV's "Eyewitness News This Morning," was "immediately let go," according to sources who spoke to Page Six, after a hot mic recently captured him allegedly referring to his co-anchor, Shirleen Allicot, as a "c**t." Though his mic was live, Rosato was not on air at the time of the alleged remark.

Though WABC has not yet officially announced Rosato's ouster, station leadership told staffers last Friday that Rosato "is no longer with WABC."

Sources who spoke with Page Six first suggested that Rosato was fired for uttering a racial slur. But a representative denied the rumor.

"Being fired for any racial slur is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue," the representative told Page Six. "Ken Rosato had a benchmark of 20 years at WABC of supporting all equality."

According to his WABC profile — which has been scrubbed from the station's website — Rosato joined the station as a freelance reporter in 2003 after stints at other stations in the Big Apple, Miami, and Binghamton, New York. He became an anchor for WABC in 2007.

He also previously served as a priest in a Florida church.

Rosato's alleged ouster is unusual in that typically when someone is caught on a hot mic making distasteful or offensive comments, the person is suspended before termination, especially in the case of employees who have dedicated years of their career to the company.

For example, Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper was suspended after he appeared to say the N-word on air last week — not immediately fired. He later apologized.

Still, it is perfectly legal for New York employers to dismiss employees for unfair reasons or no reason at all, which is not to say that insulting your colleague does not necessitate the possibility of termination. Sources told Page Six that Rosato was fired "for cause," meaning his employers believed he violated his work contract.

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