News Anchor Gives On-Air Response to Viewer That Body Shamed Her

The internet has brought a lot of good things into our lives. But sadly, it has also allowed people to hide behind a faceless avatar to make comments they wouldn’t say out loud. Leslie Horton, a Canadian news anchor, has been a victim of this. But not willing to take it anymore, she decided to speak up on air about a harmful message that she had gotten earlier that day.

Horton, a 59-year old reporter for Global TV Calgary, got an email after one of her morning traffic updates. It read, “Congratulations on your pregnancy. If you’re going to wear old bus driver pants, you can expect emails like this.” While hosts are not supposed to address the mean comments they get, this wasn’t the first time this person had body shamed Horton. And so, she chose to bring attention to the subject during her following segment.

“He’s reached out several times over the years, and his intent is always to humiliate and hurt me,” Horton told Today.  “We’re not supposed to respond to trolls—so I had no plans to address it, but then the words just came out of my mouth. I had this visceral reaction.”

After relaying the message to the viewers, she said, “No, I’m not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year, and this is what women my age look like,” the reporter said while speaking directly into the camera. “So, if it’s offensive to you, that is unfortunate. Think about the emails you send.”

Horton identified the sender as a regular viewer. This means that they must be aware that she fought endometrial cancer, which resulted in a radical hysterectomy, since she informed her audience back in 2020 and had regular health updates on the show. In the end, Horton’s defying moment was met with an outpouring of support, with many reaching out on Twitter to praise her for her speaking up and delivering such a powerful response in a matter of seconds.

“Maybe I was responding to the pregnancy, no uterus, cancer thing,” Horton said. “Or maybe it’s just the fact that I’m tired female broadcasters—and women in general—are being treated this way. And I would say it hit a nerve because I’ve received thousands of messages from people—men and women—saying, ‘Good for you. This is not right and it needs to stop.’ ”

During a live broadcast, Canadian news anchor Leslie Horton addressed a body shaming message she had gotten earlier that day.

“This is what women my age look like,” the reporter said. “So, if it’s offensive to you, that is unfortunate. Think about the emails you send.”

In the end, Horton’s defying moment was met with an outpouring of support, with many reaching out on Twitter to praise her for her speaking up.

Leslie Horton: Twitter
h/t: [Today]

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