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‘Hi, Barbie girl’: Prominent radio host Don Geronimo fired over sexist remarks toward female reporter
Don Geronimo made various inappropriate comments about WUSA9 Washington D.C. reporter Sharla McBride during a conversation with co-host Crash Young
Sports radio host Michael Sorce was fired by WBIG-FM last week for making sexist remarks toward a female reporter at Washington Commanders training camp. Michael goes by the name Don Geronimo on air.
Don made various inappropriate comments about WUSA9 Washington D.C. reporter Sharla McBride during a conversation with co-host Crash Young. At one point he even shouted “Hi, Barbie girl” as Sharla walked past him.
iHeartMedia is the parent company of WBIG-FM. “After an internal review, Don Geronimo is no longer an employee of WBIG,” iHeartMedia’s D.C. Region president Aaron Hyland said in a statement to the Washington Post. “We take matters of this nature very seriously and this behavior does not align with our core values.”
What did Don Geronimo say?
Besides the ‘Barbie’ remark, Don also shouted, “I thought she was a cheerleader” at Sharla. Later in the broadcast, he spotted Sharla again and said, “Oh, hey, there’s that chick that you thought said tight.” It is unclear what he referred to as “tight.”
Don and Crash were barred from training camp. The incident is under investigation. The station has also been ordered not to air a previously recorded interview with new owner Josh Harris.
“When I heard the comments made about me on the radio show, I felt incredibly insulted and embarrassed,” McBride told ESPN in a statement. “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.”
“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.
