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TV weather forecaster Erick Adame said he was fired after appearing on an adult cam website.
Adame, who is gay, said he acted out his "compulsive behaviors" and didn't think of the consequences as an employee of Spectrum News NY1, in New York City–the country's biggest media market.
The out meteorologist wrote a lengthy Instagram post expressing his regrets.
“It was absurd of me to think I could keep this private,” he wrote, adding:
“Nonetheless, my employer found out and I was suspended and then terminated.”
He admitted "despite being a public figure and being on television ... in front of millions of people five days a week for more than a decade and a half, I secretly appeared on an adult webcam website."
"On this site, I acted out my compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men."
He noted his participation was "100% consensual" and he was not financially compensated for his performance on cam.
After being let go from Spectrum, he publicly apologized to his employers and coworkers at the news station, as well as to his friends and family "for any embarrassment or humiliation" he might have caused them.
"I can't take it back, and I can't change what I did, but I am getting the professional help I need so I can make appropriate decisions that don't affect those I care deeply about, as well as my career, as I move forward in my life."
@erickadameontv/Instagram
He continued:
"As a public figure I recognize that I have certain responsibilities that come along with the privileges I enjoyed."
"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."
"Righ now I'm adrift in my life for the first time in many years. I had the job of my dreams and I lost it due to my own lapse in judgment."
@erickadameontv/Instagram
@erickadameontv/Instagram
However, Adame remained optimistic "and perhaps naive enough" to hope he will one day return to television someday.
"After all, the odds were against me almost two decades ago as the son of working-class Mexican immigrants: was the first in the family to go to college; the first to be on television; the first to 'make somthing of himself'."
@erickadameontv/Instagram
Adame addressed news directors across the country who will ultimately make the decision whether or not to hire him in the future.
He asked them to base their decisions on the "hundreds and thousands of hours of television" he was so proud of and has been commended for–not for the few minutes of "salacious video" that will presumably define him in our "click-bait" culture.
@erickadameontv/Instagram
"Think about your management of the newsroom–what have you overlooked, forgiven or ignored?" he challenged.
"In the end, all talent is fallible, full of human foibles, and your job is not made easier by our antics."
"One thing I can promise is that I have learned a lesson and I will be an exemplary employee and the most informed and enthusiastic meteorologist you have ever seen."
@erickadameontv/Instagram
@erickadameontv/Instagram
@erickadameontv/Instagram
@erickadameontv/Instagram
He concluded his post by expressing how much he loved his job and it was an honor being a part of the viewers' days for years.
"I have been blessed and know it and will act accordingly moving forward."