Hot mic gaffes are a magical door into the mind of TV news readers who are usually polished and restrained. Seeing one live is akin to spotting a unicorn. To this day, I can’t forget hearing Sue Simmons ask a very important curse filled question live on the air during an ad for WNBC’s 11 o’clock news. For viewers of Los Angeles’ KTLA, Ginger Chan’s hot mic verbal slip doesn’t quite compare, but it’s better than the typical candy coated banter that one usually finds on a morning show.
Sam Rubin, one of the morning anchors at KTLA 5 in Los Angeles, was in the middle of a self-deprecating story about the time his wife asked him, “When did you become the fat one on that show?” when a reporter had to cut in to deliver a breaking totally sick burn.
“He’s always been!” Ginger Chan blurted from the traffic center, not realizing her mic was still on.
While this certainly makes for a humorous moment, it’s hardly the most embarrassing on-air gaffe in KTLA history. That title might actually belong to Rubin, who you may remember from his Sam Jackson/Laurence Fishburne Super Bowl commercial flub back in February.