News anchors behaving badly, With their camera-ready looks and poise, news anchors usually keep things serious when reporting the day’s events. However, let’s see what happens when the tables get turned and the reporters become the "reportees." From getting the giggles to inappropriate on air behavior to serious criminal activity, click through to get the scoop.
CHARLO GREENE
This reporter for KTVA 11 News in Anchorage, Alaska, became the biggest headline of the day when she quit on air in September. Charlo Greene, who had been discussing the hot topic of legalizing marijuana, flew into an outburst (what’d she say?) and walked off the set.
BRENDAN HIGGINS
Dallas news anchor Brendan Higgins had a more than memorable trip to Aspen, Colorado, last August. According to cops, the 46-year-old wasn’t just drunk — he cursed at them, punched a man, tried to bite someone (who?) and pretended to be knocked out, a charade that didn’t last long due to his giggling. Needless to say, he was arrested, spent a night in jail and had some serious questions to answer from his studio bosses.
BRENDAN HIGGINS
Dallas news anchor Brendan Higgins had a more than memorable trip to Aspen, Colorado, last August. According to cops, the 46-year-old wasn’t just drunk — he cursed at them, punched a man, tried to bite someone (who?) and pretended to be knocked out, a charade that didn’t last long due to his giggling. Needless to say, he was arrested, spent a night in jail and had some serious questions to answer from his studio bosses.
RUI CHENGGANG
China Central Television anchor Rui Chenggang, one of the nation’s most popular news anchors, shocked the country when he was arrested last July. Chenggang, who hit the headlines previously for lashing out at this American institution in Beijing’s Forbidden City, was just the latest in a series of arrests made at the network. He remains under investigation.
KRISTIE LU STOUT
CNN news reporter Kristie Lu Stout proved everyone gets a case of the giggles at times — even if you’re live on air. The international correspondent was doing a segment on mascots last summer and simply couldn’t contain her laughter when watching the yellow, dancing pear "Funassyi" (where’s it from?) bounce around.
ONYA HEITSHUSEN
Sonya Heitshusen, a news anchor (see more pics) for WHO-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, became the talk of the town in June when she was arrested for drunk driving. Though she refused to take a breath test, her slurred speech and difficulty walking were enough to warrant a trip to the county jail. The veteran reporter, who has won multiple Emmys (how many?), seemed to be following a string of embarrassing events for the television station.
GREGG JARRETT
Anchorman Gregg Jarrett (what network?) became the day’s headline earlier this year when video footage of him in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport emerged (watch clips). The 59-year-old former lawyer was visibly intoxicated and acting so belligerent he was handcuffed.
BREE WALKER
Though it’s been years since she’s been involved in a scandal, veteran news anchor and disability-rights activist (the birth defect she’s brought awareness to?) Bree Walker isn’t without a headline or two. The now 61-year-old was a hot topic for discussion in the '90s when an affair with her co-anchor (who?) became known to the public. But what's the deal with this mug shot? An arrest for driving under the influence. She’s since been to rehab.
ADRIENNE ALVAREZ
Award-winning El Paso anchorwoman Adrienne Alvarez faced serious criminal charges of her own when she was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in August 2013. It was determined that Alvarez (see her mug shot) was the "primary aggressor" in a domestic dispute with husband Hazael Dominguez and she was subsequently shipped off to the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
A.J. CLEMENTE
Well, A.J. Clemente’s first day as a broadcaster for NBC affiliate KFYR in North Dakota has to go down as one of the worst ever. The rookie reporter (how old was he at the time?) seemingly forgot his microphone was on and committed a major TV no-no.
SABRINA RODRIQUEZ
Fox40 News anchor Sabrina Rodriguez was in the hot seat earlier this year when she was accused of a pricey shoplifting spree. The reporter and an accomplice allegedly took thousands of dollars (how much, exactly?) worth of Coach wallets from a Folsom, California, outlet store. Rodriguez has since resigned from her position at the station but, if how she was caught is anything to go by, she might want to quit being a criminal and go back to her day job.
TONY CONSIGLIO & CINDY MICHAELS
Anchors Tony Consiglio and Cindy Michaels handed in their "notice" in a rather different way in late 2012. The newscasting duo out of Bangor, Maine, had reportedly had enough of the upper management at the station and quit live on air, stunning staff and viewers alike.
MEGYN KELLY
Fox News' Megyn Kelly couldn’t keep a straight face when she presented a story about a stripper back in 2012. Kelly kept inadvertently making stripper references after giving details about a woman fired from her job (ironically, where did she work?) when her employer found out she was a part-time stripper. The news anchor slipped up, saying "hottiest" instead of "hottest" and "pole" instead of "fold," and laughed hysterically throughout the segment.
ALYCIA LANE
Though she worked in television for years, anchor Alycia Lane was quite often the subject of news stories herself. She worked for Philadelphia-based CBS affiliate KYW until 2008, when she was fired following a string of scandals. Lane sent photos of herself in a bikini to this married sports journalist, was arrested for assaulting a police officer and reportedly had an affair with co-anchor Larry Mendte (watch them on air together). In 2011, Lane sued CBS for wrongful dismissal and a decision on the case was made in 2013.
NORMAN ROBINSON
Seemingly upstanding citizen and veteran New Orleans news anchor Norman Robinson went through a rough spot a few years ago. The recently-retired journalist (when was his last newscast?) was arrested for driving while intoxicated — and given this embarrassing citation — after he flipped his car back in 2008. When testifying in court in 2009, Robinson explained how he was feeling at the time of the accident.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski did what many anchors want to do but never have the courage — she refused to report on a silly subject. The object of her refusal? A story about socialite Paris Hilton. The 2007 on-air debacle included Brzezinski ripping up her script and trying to set it on fire (how’d she eventually get rid of it?).
JIM VANCE
It’s hilarious whenever someone can’t stop laughing but it’s especially funny when it's the stern, serious faces reporting the news. News4’s Jim Vance and the late George Michael failed to hold it together when reporting on this major fashion event a few years ago. Watching models walk the runway, they exploded with laughter when one model fell not once but twice.
CHAD MYERS & CAROL COSTELLO
Even newscasters are allowed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes, so maybe that’s all that happened with CNN’s Chad Myers back in 2005. The weatherman completely snapped at anchor Carol Costello — and dramatically threw his papers to the floor — when she interrupted him during a segment. It was a very big story so we suppose he can be forgiven.
