Was local TV reporter canned for her handstand?

Supporters suspect gymnastics during 'America's Got Talent' report led to Julie Tremmel's firing

Julie Tremmel, a popular TV reporter with NBC affiliate WJAR in Rhode Island, was recently fired, and many are wondering if the cause was a handstand she performed during a segment on "America's Got Talent" auditions.

File under "O" for outrage.

Tremmel's dismissal inspired an online petition from fans, one of whom wrote, "She had no intention of causing any problems. She was similar living in the moment. I, and many will never understand why she would be fired over something so silly. BRING HER BACK!!!"

A Facebook page advocating for Tremmel's return to the airwaves is also making the rounds.

Specifics of Tremmel's dismissal are difficult to come by. She told GoLocal Prov, "I was terminated without cause from WJAR and my Union and I are fighting it through the grievance and arbitration process in our Contract with the Station."

Yahoo News spoke to a representative from WJAR's human resources department, who declined to comment.

There doesn't appear to be any explicit proof that the handstand directly lead to Tremmel's dismissal, but the timing is curious. She was fired on Feb. 11, the Telegram reports. The handstand seen round the world occurred a week earlier.

Tremmel isn't new to Web celebrity. Last year, her light-hearted report on what to do if you come across a bear went viral.

Following that bear video, Jim Taricani, an investigative reporter for WJAR, posted a comment to Facebook that appeared to be directed at his former colleague, blogger Jim Romensko reported.

Via JimRomensko.com:

Veteran WJAR investigative reporter Jim Taricani complained on Facebook that Tremmel’s antic was “a smudge on our station’s reputation,” and said that “some TV reporters like to draw attention to themselves… [which is] an insult to most of us trying to be professional.”

Follow Mike Krumboltz on Twitter (@mikekrumboltz).

Related: Julie Tremmel demonstrates how to survive a run-in with a bear: