New York Times deletes tweet 'glorifying' couple that met when woman was 16 and man was 27: 'This is grooming'

Elise Solé
The New York Times deleted a controversial tweet about a married couple who met when the woman was 16 and the man 27. (Photo: Getty Images)
The New York Times deleted a controversial tweet about a married couple that met when the woman was 16 and the man 27. (Photo: Getty Images)

The New York Times has deleted a “poorly-framed” tweet promoting a story about a couple who met when the groom was 27 and the girl 16.

“We've deleted an earlier tweet to this story that was poorly framed,” tweeted the newspaper’s “Vows” section on Thursday, attaching a Saturday story called “On the Second Try, Both Found a Partner in Business and for Life.”

The original tweet read, “Mr. Fazio was already married when he met Abby, but he noticed an instant connection between the two,” and had a quote from John: “We knew we had something special. But she was 16 and too young. I was willing to wait."

In the profile of Abby Mouzakitis-Fazio, 59, and John Fazio, 70, the married couple of 28 years shares how they first met: working at a New York City drugstore that they presently co-own, when Abby was 16 and John was 27 and married.

“I was 16 and very shy, John was 11 years older than me,” Abby told the New York Times. “I liked him. I didn’t think he liked me back.”

They flirted for two years, secretly staring at each other and “flirting” over breakfast or coffee breaks. Sometimes, they would hold hands.

“We would write little notes to each other, he would kiss me on my forehead,” Abby told the New York Times. “A slow love was happening without either of us knowing it. I always wanted to be with him, talk to him, but it wasn’t allowed because he wasn’t Greek and he was married, but not happily.”

Abby and John went on to marry other people, but never left each other’s thoughts. And in 1993, after divorcing their respective spouses, they married each other.

Many people didn’t see the “How we met” story as cute, however, tweeting that the story “glorified” child abuse, workplace harassment and infidelity.

Quickly after posting the original tweet, the paper replaced its blurb promoting the story with a new one that read, “Abby Mouzakitis-Fazio and John Fazio, who have been married 28 years, own the New London Pharmacy in Manhattan. "We’ve learned what makes each other happy, to meet halfway and figure things out together.”

However, because the story was still promoted on Twitter, the backlash didn’t cease. And on Wednesday, the newspaper reminded, “We've deleted an earlier tweet to this story that was poorly framed.”

Yahoo Lifestyle did not immediately hear back on requests for comment from either the New York Times or the couple.

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