‘He’s Exhilarated by the Overwhelming Support’: NY1 Meteorologist Plans Next Steps After Leaked Nudes
A beloved New York weather reporter was fired from his position after an anonymous individual sent nude photographs of him to his employers and mother. Erick Adame, a Spectrum News NY1 meteorologist, said the photos were taken from consensual encounters but apologized nonetheless for any “embarrassment or humiliation” caused to his former employers, co-workers, friends, and family.
Adame, who began working at NY1 in 2017, revealed Monday that he appeared on an adult webcam site and acted out what he called “compulsive behaviors” for other men. Adame said the encounters were not paid and were completely consensual but he was still suspended and then fired when an anonymous individual sent screenshots of a video to his employers and mother. When reached by Rolling Stone, Spectrum News NY1 declined to comment.
More from Rolling Stone
Gawker Got Shut Down for Posting a Sex Tape. Why Can the 'Daily Mail' Publish Nudes of Katie Hill?
Deepfake Porn Is Still a Threat, Particularly for K-Pop Stars
“As a public figure I recognize that I have certain responsibilities that come along with the privileges I enjoyed,” Adame said in a statement posted to his Instagram. “But, let me be clear about something: I don’t apologize for being openly gay or for being sex positive — those are gifts and I have no shame about them.”
Adame added Monday that he spoke “his truth” in an effort to stop others from controlling the narrative of his life. Following the release of his statement, long-time viewers and fans of Adame showed their support for the meteorologist on social media.
Howard Bragman, Adame’s publicist, did not comment on what clause violation Adame’s employers cited as cause for his termination but mentioned a general “embarrassment” clause common in front-facing media positions. Bragman tells Rolling Stone that the meteorologist is “exhilarated by the overwhelming support” but focused on an initial lawsuit aimed at finding out who sent the photographs.
The nudes were screenshots taken from a video chat run by an online media forum owned by Unit 4 Media, Ltd. In court documents shared with Rolling Stone, Adame’s legal counsel argues Unit 4 Media, Ltd. has a legal responsibility to identify the IP address of the user who shared Adame’s photos, as the website prohibits sharing photos without written consent. Adame’s legal team has requested a subpoena to obtain the information.
“Our client’s policy is to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas and to provide relevant user data when legally required,” a lawyer for Unit 4 Media tells Rolling Stone. “Capturing and disseminating user content without consent violates our client’s Terms of Service and forum Rules which may result in a suspension or banning of the offending accounts.”
Bragman added that a larger conversation around nudes and professionalism is continuing to take place, especially as younger generations begin to make up a larger percentage of the workforce.
“[Nudes] are just not a big deal,” Bragman tells Rolling Stone. “If you’re a cisgender, heterosexual white man in his 60s, at corporate headquarters, you may not necessarily understand that, but I would urge anybody in the corporate world…to look at the social media response. It’s kind of a yawn and an eye roll for younger people.”
At the end of his statement, Adame said he is still hopeful that he can return to television work and urged future employers to judge him on his hours of TV excellence rather than the “salacious” news surrounding his firing.
In the meantime, Bragman suggests to Rolling Stone that Adame might be open to returning to Spectrum.
“It may be a dream,” Bragman says, “but when Spectrum looks at all the support and all the viewers that have weighed in, maybe they’ll look in their hearts and see that people really love Erick.”
Best of Rolling Stone
