A Canadian Journalist Called Out A Viewer Who Asked If She's Pregnant & People Love Her Response
A Canadian journalist is receiving a wave of support after she called out a viewer's email live on-air.
A TikToker shared a clip of Leslie Horton with Global News Calgary responding to an email she was sent which asked if she was pregnant and then criticized her wardrobe.
In the TikTok video posted by @sarantium, the traffic reporter appears to be looking at something off-camera before diving into her remarks about the email.
"I'm just gonna respond to an email that I just got saying 'congratulations on your pregnancy, if you're gonna wear old bus driver pants you have to expect emails like this,'" Horton said.
"So thanks for that. No, I'm 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 that you send," she concluded and then appeared to go back to reporting on traffic.
@sarantium This just makes me so mad. How dare someone reach out and say something so shitty. #lesliehorton #globalnews #yyc #meanemail
The TikTok clip has been viewed over 50,000 times since it was shared on Tuesday, with many people sharing their outrage in the comments and expressing their support towards Horton.
"Wtf! Not to the treasure that is Leslie Horton," one person wrote in the comments.
"I absolutely love Leslie. She's a Calgary treasure and doesn't deserve that kind of hate!" another viewer said.
Many others commented that they loved how Horton handled the whole situation.
"Good on her!! Beautiful response," one person commented, while another said they were "so glad she called them out."
It looks like Horton has been directly receiving messages of support as well because she expressed her gratitude to viewers in a tweet on Wednesday.
"Thanks for all your kind messages this morning It took me hours to stop shaking... but I'm shaking it off and setting up for Cookie Sale tomorrow," Horton wrote and referenced an event hosted by Blue Flame Kitchen.
This isn't the first time a Canadian journalist was criticized by a viewer over an outfit they wore on air.
In January 2023, Tess van Straaten, a news personality with CHEK News in Victoria, B.C. shared a message she received about a sleeveless dress she wore.
The viewer wrote it was "inappropriate" for the journalist to "wear sleeveless tops in the wintertime to report on the weather."
Van Straaten received a load of support from viewers calling out the message she was sent.
The Victoria journalist said she was "floored" by all the support and that she hoped "by talking about this, people will finally stop telling women how to look and dress."
August 2023 Housing Statistics Tables from the Calgary Real Estate Board.