A Canadian television reporter made headlines but for a reason completely unrelated to the news she was covering.
Michelle Mackey, a CityNews Toronto reporter, was describing the lively atmosphere outside the city’s Rogers Centre on March 27 when, out of nowhere, a young boy yelled obscene words at her.
“F**k her right in the p**y,” the boy yelled, with his guardian, a grown-up man, reportedly laughing alongside him.
A clip capturing the disturbing moment was uploaded by Mackey last Monday (April 7), in which she described the incident as “one of the most alarming things” she had witnessed in her career as a reporter.
TV reporter goes viral after a young boy yelled an obscene comment at her with the seeming approval of his father
Image credits: mich_mack
“What looked to be an 8 or 9-year-old boy yelled this at me, with his father by his side,” she wrote. “They proceeded to laugh and walk away.”
While she had initially posted a video to her TikTok immediately after the insult was thrown at her on March 27, it wasn’t until she uploaded the clip captured by her accompanying CityNews camera man that she went viral.
Image credits: michellemackeytiktok
The video struck a nerve with her audience, garnering over 3 million views and 4,000 comments over the course of the week.
“Out of respect for the child, I’m blurring their faces. Whether this is yelled at a man or woman, it perpetuates and normalizes misogyny,” Mackey added. “I thought this horrible trend was over.”
Image credits: michellemackeytiktok
A debate soon erupted in her comment section, with a small number of users arguing that the insult was part of a joke and shouldn’t be taken seriously, while others saw the incident as proof of a much more complex societal issue.
@michellemackeytiktokThis was one of the most alarming things I’ve witnessed as a news reporter. What looked to be an 8 or 9-year-old boy yelled this at me, WITH HIS FATHER BY HIS SIDE. They proceeded to laugh and walk away. Out of respect for the child, I’m blurring their faces. Whether this is yelled at a man or woman, it perpetuates and normalizes misogyny. I thought this horrible trend was over.♬ original sound – Michelle Mackey
“Ah, misogyny, still teaching our children it’s ok to be violent towards women,” one user said.
“For those saying it’s a joke, it’s not. This type of behavior is unacceptable, and you should be ashamed if you think it’s fine,” another wrote.
Mackey lamented the father’s role in his son’s disrespectful behavior, describing the experience as “violating”
Image credits: michellemackeytiktok
Mackey uploaded an update to her story last Friday (April 11) in which she addressed the most commonly asked questions by her viewers.
For instance, many of her followers felt the identities of both the boy and his father should’ve been revealed and were confused as to why the reporter chose to blur their faces.
“I’m not sure. Maybe I’m just too nice. But I assure you, if that happens again, I will not be blurring out faces,” she said.
@michellemackeytiktokThank you so much for the support, I love this community ♥️♬ Club Penguin Pizza Parlor – Cozy Penguin
The reporter described the experience as “violating” in an interview with Today, made worse by the tacit approval of the boy’s father.
“I waved them back. I just wanted to be able to look that father and kid in the eye and say, ‘Can you say that again to me, looking me in the eye as a human being?’” she recounted.
“But they wouldn’t come back. They just laughed and gave me a thumbs up and kept on walking.”
The reporter was able to post the clip to her social media with the full approval of her TV station
Image credits: mich_mack
Mackey carried with her the anger of the experience for days, but it was thanks to her co-workers and social media followers that she was able to move on.
“My newsroom is like a family, and they have all rallied around me,” she explained, obtaining the approval of her TV station to distribute the now-viral clip on social media.
“I felt like it was important to take the risk and just share this and say, ‘This is happening. Let’s nip it in the bud,’ you know? Like, let’s stop it now.”
Image credits: mich_mack
While not blaming the child due to his apparent age, she nevertheless felt a message should be sent for parents not to teach children that violence of that or any other nature is acceptable or funny.
“I don’t fault the kid. Like, he’s so young,” she said. “I really do fault the adult in this situation for not saying something.”
This is not the first time Mackey goes viral for her interactions with children being captured on camera. In August 2023, a young girl captured the hearts of her audience by interrupting the reporter while she was preparing to record, asking her if she could hug her.
The video capturing the tender moment has almost 10 million views at the time of writing.