Top 20 Reporters Who RUINED Their Career in One Moment
#20: A.J. Clemente
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On the first day of a new job, most people, especially on TV, want to make it memorable. However, A.J. Clemente became famous for all the wrong reasons. In 2013, he was the new weekend co-anchor for the NBC affiliate news program KFYR-TV in Bismarck, North Dakota. Yet seconds into the opening, Clemente mumbled multiple swear words on live TV, leaving co-host Van Tieu to pretend that wasn’t the worst news debut ever. While Clemente apologized for his outburst, he was still fired by KFYR-TV. Instead of marinating in the scandal, the former news anchor quickly returned to his previous job as a bartender in Delaware, as offers to be on reality TV trickled in.
#19: Trent Evans
At one time, Trent Evans was enjoying life as an award-winning TV reporter for Australia’s Channel 7 in Queensland. However, in 2016, as the pressures of the job mounted, his mental health deteriorated, causing him to leave his position. Evans spent several years struggling financially and getting help from mental health services. In 2021, he and Rex Willox spent the day drinking several bottles of champagne in Melbourne. Evans then drove Willox’s car with the owner in the passenger seat. After driving nearly double the speed limit, the vehicle struck a power pole. While Evans survived, Willox sadly didn’t. In 2022, after pleading guilty, Evans was sentenced to 7 years and 10 months in jail.
#18: James Gordon Meek
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As well as working as an advisor to the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, James Gordon Meek was also an investigative producer for ABC news programs such as “20/20” and “Nightline,” specializing in national security. However, all the respect he had accumulated over the years evaporated in 2022. That year, Meek was arrested by the FBI for possession of indecent child focused media and exchanging them with other people. Meek quickly vanished from public life after resigning from ABC, causing a lot of speculation in the media. In 2023, after pleading guilty to the offense, the former reporter was sentenced to 6 years in jail.
#17: Thom Brennaman
When it comes to apologizing, sincerity really matters. Otherwise, you could become a viral meme. Since 1994, Thom Brennaman had worked for Fox Sports, typically covering football and baseball. In 2020, he was commentating on the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals. During it, Brennaman used a homophobic slur when talking about San Francisco that went out live. Just before he was pulled from the game, Brennaman attempted to apologize and use his faith as an excuse. However, during it, he suddenly got distracted by calling a Nick Castellanos home run before switching back to his apology. It was bonkers. Brennaman was soon fired by Fox. Since the incident, he has worked with Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente League and Chatterbox Sports.
#16: Sabrina Erdely
In 2014, the world of education was rocked by Sabrina Erdely's article for Rolling Stone about student Jackie Coakley’s account of a horrible incident at the University of Virginia. Coakley spoke about how she was assaulted in 2012 by a group as part of a fraternity initiation ritual. The article also explored the university’s lack of support for her. However, as the media examined the story in more detail, Erdely’s article wasn't adding up, and her bias was questioned. A police investigation also found no evidence to support the article's claims. In 2015, Rolling Stone retracted the story. Regardless, the magazine and Erdely faced several defamation lawsuits. In 2017, Rolling Stone settled one case with the University of Virginia for $1.65 million.
#15: Dan Rather
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Starting in 1962, Dan Rather worked for CBS in various capacities, even anchoring “CBS Evening News.” Seemingly, he was going to retire at the company. However, that changed in 2004 when Rather hosted a “60 Minutes II” exploring what were called “the Killian documents.” These papers were apparently written in 1973 and contained criticism of President George W. Bush’s time at the Texas Air National Guard. However, after their release, their authenticity was questioned, as they appeared to have been written with modern typography. After defending the papers, Rather and CBS admitted they were wrong. In 2005, Rather stepped down from his anchor role and was fired the following year. He attempted to sue CBS, only to have the case thrown out.
#14: Don Lemon
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In 2006, Don Lemon joined CNN. By 2014, he was becoming one of the news’ most well-known faces as he was showcased across the channel’s programming as a host. But then things took a turn. In 2023, Lemon was heavily criticized for the misogynistic comments he made about Nikki Haley not being in her “prime” as she was not in her 20s, 30s, or 40s. Yikes. Not long after, Variety reported on allegations that Lemon had a history of misogynistic and abusive comments toward female colleagues. As the scandal grew, CNN fired Lemon. In 2024, the former anchor received around $24.5 million from his former employers as part of a separation deal.
#13: Ken Rosato
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Having joined New York’s WABC-TV in 2003 as a reporter, the Emmy Award-winning Ken Rosato eventually became the channel’s anchor for “Eyewitness News This Morning.” Yet after decades in the business, in 2023 Rosato found himself in hot water. Reportedly, he was heard calling co-host Shirleen Allicot an insult on an open microphone. While the show was off-air and the audio wasn’t broadcast to the viewing audience, it was heard by production staff in the studio. There were allegations the comment was offensive. However, Rosato’s representatives denied this to be the case. Regardless, WABC-TV moved quickly and fired the anchor.
#12: Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose was noted for his work on both CBS and PBS, hosting a self-titled talk show for the latter. He was one of the most famous interviewers on US television. But in 2017, all of that fell apart. The Washington Post released an article with allegations of Rose’s sexual misconduct against several women who were his employees or hoping to be. After a brief suspension, Rose was fired by CBS and PBS as he apologized for his behavior. By 2018, 35 women had accused him of harassment, resulting in lawsuits against him. Rose attempted to dismiss one case by claiming the women were “exploiting the #MeToo Movement.” In 2022, he began releasing interviews on his own website.
#11: Tucker Carlson
In 2009, Tucker Carlson found his home with Fox News after working with other channels. He got his own show with “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2016, soon becoming one of the channel’s most-watched series. But in 2023, that relationship abruptly ended when Carlson was fired by Fox. While no reason was given immediately, reports soon came out about Carlson’s behind-the-scenes attitude. It’s alleged he sent several inflammatory messages about Fox higher-ups and used racist language. With that and other incidents, there were liability concerns from the network’s lawyers. Afterward, Carlson created the Tucker Carlson Network and released controversial interviews there and on X, formerly Twitter.
#10: Brian Williams
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Brian Williams was a high-profile managing editor and anchor for “NBC Nightly News.” But in 2015, his rep took a big hit due to allegations concerning his coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. At first, Williams claimed he had been in a helicopter in Iraq that had to land after another chopper was nearly struck by an RPG. Over the years, his story changed to his aircraft needing to land after being hit. Soldiers who were there at the time contested the newer versions of Williams’s story. While the anchor eventually apologized for exaggeration, the damage was done, and he was suspended and eventually moved to a lesser position.
#9: Ivory Hecker
It’s not often a reporter purposely tanks their career live on TV. But in 2021, that’s what Ivory Hecker did on the local news affiliate Fox 26 Houston. On the air, Hecker launched into a rant that Fox had been what she called muzzling her and other reporters about topics she wanted to cover. She stated she would release secret recordings made with the right-wing activist group Project Veritas. These revolved around promoting the disproven hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. After being initially suspended for her on-air outburst, unsurprisingly, Hecker was fired.
#8: Aaron Calvin
It started with a man named Carson King in the background of ESPN’s “College GameDay” coverage, holding a jokey sign with his Venmo stating he needed beer money. After a big response, King started raising money for The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and finished his campaign with millions in donations. During the fame, reporter Aaron Calvin did a profile on King for the Des Moines Register, in which he mentioned the fundraiser’s problematic social media account from years before when he was a teen. After making the post, and King’s apology, Calvin was harassed, had his life threatened, and his own potentially problematic tweets parsed. Eventually, the Des Moines Register fired Calvin.
#7: Lydia Cumming
It’s usually not great when a reporter becomes a viral meme. But that’s what happened to reporter Lydia Cumming in 2016 as she covered a flood in Puebla, Mexico, for TV Azteca. Taken by a photographer at the scene, Cumming was hoisted up in the air by two locals, seemingly to avoid her shoes getting wet. After the image got out, she was photoshopped into all sorts of situations. However, TV Azteca was less than impressed with the social media fame. They fired Cumming for disrespectfully using local residents in a trying time. In an interview afterward, Cumming claimed the residents wanted to show her their elderly disabled neighbor and offered to carry her, which she briefly agreed to.
#6: Rick Sanchez
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After joining CNN in 2004 as a reporter, Rick Sanchez quickly rose up the ranks as a news anchor, even getting his own program with “Rick’s List.” But in 2010, that vanished when he appeared on Sirius XM's radio program “Stand Up With Pete Dominick.” Angered by reports about his show’s time slot being replaced, and with Jon Stewart for comedic jabs at him, Sanchez called Stewart a “bigot.” Sanchez then claimed CNN and other networks discriminated against him, and made comments about Stewart’s ethnic background and the news business. Very unsurprisingly, Sanchez was soon fired from CNN and later joined Fox.
#5: Bill O’Reilly
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After making his name on various channels, in 1996, Bill O’Reilly joined the brand-new Fox News and was handed his own show, “The O'Reilly Factor.” He regularly courted controversy, but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the country's biggest political commentators. But then, in 2017, the New York Times released an article detailing sexual misconduct lawsuits issued against O'Reilly. It stated that Fox had helped him settle cases issued by 5 women at the cost of $13 million. Quickly, advertisers began dropping “The O'Reilly Factor.” After another lawsuit was discovered that was settled for $32 million, Fox and his talent agencies fired O'Reilly. Since then, he’s hosted the show and podcast “No Spin News” and had a speaking tour with Donald Trump.
#4: Marly Rivera
As a reporter for ESPN and the Spanish-language channel ESPN Deportes, Marly Rivera was one of the biggest names in sports journalism. After all, she was included in the Sports Illustrated article “The 30 Most Influential Hispanics in Sports” in 2017. But in 2023, that reputation took a hit. Before a New York Yankees game, freelancer Ivón Gaete tried to interview Aaron Judge, but Rivera argued with Gaete that she had already scheduled an interview with the MLB star. The faceoff was recorded, which included Rivera using an expletive while insulting Gaete. To make it worse for Rivera, Gaete is married to the MLB vice president of communications, John Blundell. While Rivera apologized, Gaete reportedly rejected it, and Rivera was soon fired by ESPN.
#3: Chris Cuomo
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Prominent anchor and journalist Chris Cuomo joined CNN in 2013 and eventually got his own program, “Cuomo Prime Time.” And with his brother, Andrew Cuomo, being the governor of New York, he had some pretty good connections. Well, that was until multiple misconduct allegations came out about the governor. While Cuomo publicly stated he couldn’t talk about the story due to his close connection, reportedly, behind the scenes, the anchor and licensed attorney advised his brother on dealing with the scandal and used his sources to gather information on the accusers. After being briefly suspended by CNN during an investigation, Cuomo was let go by the network in 2021.
#2: Megyn Kelly
After leaving Fox, Megyn Kelly became one of the highest-paid anchors when she joined NBC in 2017. And one of her main tasks was hosting her own talk show, “Megyn Kelly Today.” Yet in 2018, one segment, in particular, caused a massive scandal for Kelly. As a panel discussed the topic of offensive blackface, Kelly stated when she was a child, that was okay as long as people were playing a character. She then defended the actions of Luann de Lesseps, who was criticized when cosplaying as Diana Ross. Days later, Kelly’s show was canceled. In early 2019, she was dropped by NBC but also received the remaining $30 million from her contract.
#1: Matt Lauer
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After joining NBC in 1992, Matt Lauer would become one of the network’s most recognizable and marketable faces. On top of being an anchor for the “Today” show, Matt Lauer also hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Olympic Games opening ceremonies. Then, in 2017, NBC received a detailed report from a female colleague accusing Lauer of harassment that began during the coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. After an investigation by the network, they fired the host from his hosting and reporting.duties. And not long after, further allegations came out about Lauer during his time at NBC. Which reporter is the most beloved of all time? Walter Cronkite? Ann Curry? Trevor McDonald? Or someone else? Let us know below!