The Internet giveth, and the Internet taketh away.
One day after a viral gaffe brought rookie news anchor A.J. Clemente some short-lived fame on Twitter, the good-natured -- but apparently mistake prone -- reporter said he's been fired by his local station.
Sunday night was apparently Clemente's very first stint anchoring for a local news station in Bismarck, N.D. It did not go well.
First, he muttered the dual-obscenity "F-S bomb" under his breath just as he appeared on camera, seemingly not realizing that he and his co-anchor were, in fact, on air. Then he had about the most awkward self introduction imaginable, struggling to string together a series of words that resembled the English language but didn't really make any sense. But this description can't do the moment justice, so check out the YouTube video embedded below for yourself:
The funny clip quickly became a hot topic in some Twitter circles Sunday night. Clemente, via his Twitter account, displayed a pretty positive attitude about the whole thing:
That couldn't have gone any worse!— A.J. Clemente (@ClementeAJ) April 21, 2013
Tough day,Thanks for the support,We all make mistakes. Im truly sorry for mine. I'll try my hardest to come back better and learn from this.— A.J. Clemente (@ClementeAJ) April 22, 2013
Then, on Monday morning, a bit of bad news:
Unfortunately KFYRTV has decided to let me go. Thank you to them and everyone in ND for the opportunity and everyone for the support.— A.J. Clemente (@ClementeAJ) April 22, 2013
Rookie mistake. I'm a free agent.Cant help but laugh at myself and stay positive.Wish i didnt trip over my "Freaking Shoes" out of the gate.— A.J. Clemente (@ClementeAJ) April 22, 2013
TV veterans including SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt tweeted support to Clemente, who doesn't look like one to dwell on his hard luck. By Monday afternoon, he was already rallying followers to help him get back on his feet:
Find #teamAJ a job— A.J. Clemente (@ClementeAJ) April 22, 2013
Did Clemente deserve to be fired for his on-air gaffe? Give us your take in the comments.
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