On July 2, 20424, Jason Hackett, a television news anchor in Minnesota, surprised viewers by publicly declaring he is gay during a live broadcast.
Hackett, who hosts the morning show on KARE 11, had kept his relationship private for the past 5 years.
Although his friends and coworkers knew, Hackett had never shared this information with his family, especially his parents who are from Jamaica, a country not particularly friendly towards the LGBTQ+ community.
When deciding to come out, Hackett admitted he was very nervous before doing so.
"There was a moment where I was like, 'Oh my God, am I really going to do this?'" he recounted.
"When that red light came on, my heart was beating through my chest."
Despite his nerves, Hackett went on to bravely share his truth with viewers.
He continued, acknowledging it's the largest group he's come out to at once. Being authentic is important to him and everyone at 'Sunrise'.
"I'm not going to lie," he continued.
"This is no doubt the most people I've ever come out to at once. But what me... and everyone here on 'Sunrise' strive for, is authenticity. And I can't preach that without being my authentic self."
Hackett had tried to come out to his Jamaican parents three times before, but it wasn't until he showed them a photo of his boyfriend that the news truly began to sink in for them.
However, Hackett assured he's always known his parents love him.
After making his announcement on air, Hackett said he felt a "huge weight had been lifted" off his shoulders.
He expressed relief, stating that coming out can be daunting each time, but now that he has done so publicly, he feels relieved.
"I was so relieved," he expressed.
"It feels like gay people are constantly coming out to new people — you come out to your barber, and your butcher — and it's scary every single time. Now that I've come out to the entire world, I don't have to worry anymore."
After this announcement, Jason Hackett received divided opinions on social media.
I don't care how you like to get it on mate just read the fucking news. this is not the fucking news. get over yourself, one user said.
I think we live in a time where this is unnecessary. It's no longer empowering, because it's not uncommon anymore... Honestly it would be just as shocking if he told everyone his favorite color. Like, okay? We've accepted y'all along time ago. Tell your crush, not us, the second user said.
They should fired him he was hired to be anchor not come out as if it changes his contract, the third user said.
Should have found a different platform to come out on. People wanted news not that, another wrote.
This is not the first time a news anchor caused a stir during a live broadcast.
On August 12, 2023, a BBC presenter named Maryam Moshiri accidentally gave the middle finger to the camera during a live broadcast.
The incident was caught on camera and quickly went viral, leaving viewers shocked.
Moshiri later explained that she was joking around with the production team and was pretending to count down from 10 to 1 using her fingers.
When she got to 1, she turned her finger around as a joke, not realizing it would be visible on camera.
She apologized for the mistake, saying it was not her intention to offend anyone.
However, some viewers were critical of her behavior, calling it unprofessional and saying she was unworthy of being a presenter.
They argued that standards at the BBC had fallen and that this incident was an example of the decline in professionalism at the broadcaster.
