On Live TV, Reporter Claps Back At Troll Who Sent Her Body-Shaming Email – News18

In an interesting turn of events, a reporter responded to a rude email while she was on live TV. Leslie Horton, who works as a traffic reporter for Canadian news outlet Global News Calgary, addressed the man who wrote her an email that body shamed her while criticising her sartorial choices. Horton said, “I’m just going to respond to an email that I just got, saying, ‘Congratulations on your pregnancy. If you’re gonna wear old bus driver pants then you have to expect emails like this.’” To this, the 59-year-old said, “No, I am not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year. And, this is what women of my age look like. So, if it is offensive to you, that is unfortunate. Think about the emails you send.”

On Wednesday, Global News Calgary shared a clip of Horton’s response on their X account. This clip soon gathered over 4 million views and thousands of likes. Many people lauded Horton for her calm and composed response. An X user wrote, “Why are some people such giant piles of trash? Her job is to REPORT THE TRAFFIC. That’s it. She could do it wearing a ballgown and clown shoes, it shouldn’t matter. Her reply was amazing, but she should not have had to make it.”

Another stated, “I’m so sorry you had to experience this body shaming global_leslie. It is disgusting how some people think they have a right to police the size and shape of people’s bodies. Fat and/or body shaming, ageism, and misogyny often go hand in hand. Your response was spot on.”

Horton spoke to Good Morning America about her now-viral response and said that she had been getting similar emails from the same man for about four years now and while she typically ignores them, she chose to address a particular email on Wednesday because it hit her “too close to home”. Horton explained that she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in December 2021. While she is now cancer-free, she had to lose her uterus during the treatment.

The veteran weather reporter also gave a message to women who get body shamed and said, “Your body is no one’s business. You get to decide how you feel about your body. And if you are unhappy with it, there are lots of things that you can do to feel better. But you are going to look like who you are and you don’t need to apologize for that. And you don’t need to accept people lashing out and saying mean things on purpose, to bring you down, because no one has the power to bring you down, except yourself. Figure out who you are on the inside, and then build it out from there.”