Ginger Zee had no patience for a viewer who accused her of pushing a climate change agenda during a live cross.
The ABC's chief meteorologist made her regular appearance on Good Morning America to talk about the latest weather trends and forecasts, but one person accused her of being part of the "radical left."
The person replied to a clip on GMA's official X account, formerly Twitter, of Zee talking about rising temperatures in some parts of the country that are experiencing severe heatwaves.
"Really stretching now. Using global temperatures to say it was a hot summer a record hot summer. It's only hot in some places and cooler in others but you know you radical left want to push your global warming global crisis of weather whatever the f*** you wanna call it," they wrote.
But Zee, who is no stranger to standing up for herself on social media, clapped back.
"Did you even listen? I said we have had a cool summer until now... also showed this in a later hit ... which is not the planet," she replied with a photo of a map of the U.S. which shows the five coolest and warmest places in the country.
Did you even listen? I said we have had a cool summer until now… also showed this in a later hit … which is not the planet pic.twitter.com/MWwRZizHLP
— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) September 6, 2023
It's not the first time Zee—who was born Ginger Renee Zuidgeest—spoke out when ABC viewers accused her of being politically biased.
In April, she quickly shut down one critic after she tweeted about rising sea levels on the south east and Gulf coasts of the U.S. Zee responded to a tweet asking why the rich and famous still have homes in towns such as Martha's Vineyard when there was a great risk of coastal erosion.
"I think it's because they like the beach, have the wealth to live there and the wealth to take the risk of erosion. People living on a beach do not negate sea level rise..." Zee replied.
But then another person replied to the conversation with accusations of political bias.
"I just had to check, and yes, she has a political agenda. Blocked and moving on," they wrote.
The weather reporter wrote back: "??? Where did you check that? I don't! I report on science and research. That's it."
Zee has hosted several ABC specials about the environment, including the 2020 show Lit: America's Future, which also aired on Hulu, about U.S. efforts to provide clean energy.
In 2021, Zee hosted a one-hour special on Earth Day dedicated to climate change, called It's Not Too Late.
She became ABC's chief meteorologist in 2013 after getting her start on Weekend Good Morning America on November 12, 2011.
In her role as chief weather reporter, she stars on GMA and other ABC flagship news programs, where she delivers major weather updates, often live from locations around the country.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
