Ex-Detroit TV news anchor fired after obscenity-laden rant
Former WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) news anchor Vic Faust, who spent more than a decade on the air in Detroit, lost his job at the Fox affiliate in St. Louis on the heels of a media controversy in the Midwestern city.
Last week, a recording was leaked to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Faust’s obscenity-laden rant that he delivered off the air and aimed at the woman who co-hosted his St. Louis area radio show.
On Wednesday, the newspaper reported that Faust had been fired from the Fox affiliate where he anchored the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts.
“Vic Faust no longer works for Fox 2, KPLR (Channel 11) or Nexstar Media,” said station general manager Kurt Krueger, according to the Post-Dispatch.
Faust dropped about 40 profanities during a tirade against the co-host of his morning-drive radio show, Crystal Cooper, on KFNS (100.7 FM). His comments, made off the air to her near the end of their radio show, included calling her "fat" and "stupid," insulting her parenting skills and using a curse word that the newspaper described as "most commonly directed at women."
Faust tweeted an apology on Wednesday afternoon that said in part: “My words hurt Crystal, my colleagues and family. I made a huge mistake and I’m ashamed.”
More:Ex-Detroit news anchor aims profanity, insults at woman who co-hosts his St. Louis radio show
I am very sorry. My words hurt Crystal, my colleagues and family. I made a huge mistake and I’m ashamed. As I work to earn trust again, I hope we can have an open dialogue about respect in the workplace and forgiveness. My mistake is not my kids'. Please respect their privacy.
— Victor Faust (@victorjfaust) September 21, 2022
After indicating he wants to work “to earn trust again,” Faust wrote on Twitter that he hoped to have “an open dialogue about respect in the workplace and forgiveness.” He also asked that the privacy of his children be respected.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Faust’s rant happened after he and Cooper were on the air having “an uncomfortable exchange after Faust had become irked by Cooper’s criticism of his computer skills, something that had come up on a previous show."
Faust was born in the St. Louis region and grew up there. He graduated from the University of Missouri, which he attended on a football scholarship. He has worked in both radio and television and launched his TV career in 1998.
Before returning home to St. Louis in 2015, he had stints at two TV stations in Missouri, one in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at WXYZ in Detroit, where he spent 11 years. He started at WXYZ in 2004 and was a sports reporter and anchor before moving to the news desk.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Detroit TV anchor loses job in St. Louis over tirade at co-host
