Reporter Michelle Mackey was recently both the reporter and the topic of conversation while she was doing a live news report for CityNews Toronto on St. Patrick's Day at McVeigh's Irish Pub.
While completing her report, Mackey commented on the bustling atmosphere around her, but she remained unaware that there was a man making sexual hand gestures targeted at her while her back was turned.
The man repeatedly raised the hand gesture commonly known as "The Shocker," which features the pinkie, the pointer, and the middle finger being raised while the ring finger is folded down. He also appears to suck on his pinkie finger multiple times throughout the report, only confirming the lewd nature of the gesture.
He also made several other gestures with his fingers, specifically gesturing at Mackey's back.
The man attempted to cover for himself whenever Mackey started to turn his way by changing his hand gesture to the much-loved "Rock On" hand symbol, raising a glass to the camera for the party going on around them, or lifting both of his hands in an attempt to "raise the roof."
You can watch the original report here:
When Mackey discovered what had been going on behind her, the reporter was disturbed.
"I wasn't aware of what was happening behind me, but watching the video back, I feel so violated."
"Shocking that people would still pull this on live TV. Everyone can see you doing this, your parents, your employer..."
Fortunately, before the night was over, Mackey was able to confront the man about his behavior.
When she went live again, the man immediately moved into view of the camera and began to make the same hand gestures again.
As the camera panned over the crowd of people, Mackey could be heard saying:
"You've had your time. Off you go!"
Mackey later reflected:
"[It] felt good to tell him off on live TV when he tried it again."
You can see the brief clip of their interaction here:
CityNews Producer Laura Matte was vehement about the situation.
"I don't care that he's drunk. [Michelle Mackey] should be able to report live without having to put up with this."
Other Twitter users empathized with Mackey and cheered her on for standing up for herself.
Unfortunately, it's not surprising that something like this happened to a woman, even if she was working at the time.
What's wild was that he was so willing to perform on camera for the world to see.
@GregAbbott_TX/X
