An American radio host was fired by WBIG-FM on Sunday for his sexist remarks towards a female reporter while on air.
Michael Sorce, whose on-air name is Don Geronimo, has been accused of having made several offensive comments on WUSA9 Washington DC reporter Sharla McBride while having a chat with his co-host Crash Young.
It’s alleged that Geronimo at one point yelled, “Hi Barbie girl” as McBride walked past him.
WBIG-FM signed a three-year partnership with the Commanders in 2022 and its parent company iHeartMedia has confirmed they no longer employ Geronimo.
“After an internal review, Don Geronimo is no longer an employee of WBIG,” iHeartMedia’s D.C. Region president Aaron Hyland told Washington Post in a statement. “We take matters of this nature very seriously and this behavior does not align with our core values.”
Geronimo also reportedly said to McBride, “I thought she was a cheerleader” and later in the broadcast said, “Oh, hey, there’s that chick that you thought said tight.”
McBride said she felt insulted and embarrassed after the comments calling them sexist and misogynistic.
“When I heard the comments made about me on the radio show, I felt incredibly insulted and embarrassed,” McBride was quoted as saying by ESPN. “In my 17 years as a professional journalist, I have never been disrespected in such a blatant manner while trying to do my job. Their words were sexist and misogynistic. No woman should experience this in the workplace, and I appreciate the Commanders swift response in handling this matter.”
Meanwhile, the Commanders have barred both Geronimo and Young from their training camp while launching their investigation into the matter. They have also asked the radio station to not air a recorded interview with their new owner Josh Harris.
“We have worked hard to ensure that everyone feels safe and respected in our workplace, and we took swift action when we learned that an employee of our partner iHeart made sexually disparaging remarks to and about a member of the media while she was broadcasting live from training camp yesterday,” the team told WUSA9 in a statement Friday.
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