Ousted weather forecaster Rob Marciano’s stormy tenure at ABC News included conflict with fellow meteorologist Ginger Gee, a bitter feud that lasted for years at the station. The Post has learned that this has been kept a closely guarded secret.
Marciano, who was fired Tuesday over an “anger management” issue, had joined Good Morning America in 2014 to appear on Gee’s Weekend Show, sources said.
At the time, Gee was slated to be promoted to the daily newspaper GMA, replacing chief meteorologist Sam Champion, who left the Weather Channel.
From the beginning, Gee and Marciano’s working relationship was as turbulent as a Category 5 hurricane — and remained so for years, sources told The Post on Wednesday.
Marciano’s “hot temper” caused problems on the show, but Gee was similarly “mean”, sources said.
“I think she brought out the worst in him. I don’t give him a pass,” the source said. “It’s a shame because they were two people who were passionate about climate science. Unfortunately, their personalities just didn’t work out.”
Sources say Mr. Marciano, now 55, who joined ABC from “Entertainment Tonight” after 10 years as a meteorologist for CNN, and Mr. Gee, now 43, often clashed. That’s what it means.
“She treated him as a beta and she was an alpha,” the media executive said. “But in terms of experience, they were much more equal than Ginger was to Sam.”
Marciano’s arrival follows the station’s decision to launch a 24/7 weather unit aimed at providing round-the-clock coverage on ABC News’ various programs, including “GMA” and “World News Tonight.” It was done at the same time.
But the two did not cooperate, and Gee quickly “lowered down” over the assignment, the source said.
The Post has reached out to ABC News and Gee for comment.
A representative for Mr. Marciano had no comment.
“Ginger knows everything. If you say something that doesn’t agree with her, she cites her Twitter followers and says, ‘You’re wrong, my followers on Twitter loved it.’ ” said the media executive.
Meanwhile, during meetings, Marciano’s “body language and tone sometimes changed” if he disagreed with management’s decisions.
“If he was unhappy about something, you would know it,” said Mr. Siad, the executive. “He lost his cool during the meeting when he heard news he didn’t like.”
Sources close to Gee countered that Marciano was difficult to work with, claiming he had “behavior” issues.
“Ginger is a collaborative, inclusive and hard-working leader who is respected by her colleagues and has never complained about the way she works,” the source said, adding that any other suggestions were “sexist.” “It’s a target,” he added.
The official also noted that the two worked different schedules with minimal overlap.
It is unclear why Marciano was fired, but officials speculate that his contract was not renewed after a number of complaints about his conduct came to light last year.
Last year, the Cornell University graduate was temporarily “banned” from the “GMA” studio in Times Square for making a co-worker feel uncomfortable. Page 6 Reported in March 2023.
“It turns out he did something wrong, he was punished for it, and they still haven’t brought him back,” one source told Page Six at the time.
Most recently, he was transferred to “World News Tonight” and provided occasional on-the-ground reporting for “GMA,” but was prevented from coming to the studio, a second source said.
One source said Mr. Marciano’s salary — which one executive said was just under $1 million when he was hired from Entertainment Tonight, where he co-anchored — may be too much. I guessed it.
Debra O’Connell, the new president of ABC News Group, may have reviewed the budget and determined that her salary was not commensurate with her small workload, the person said.
It’s unclear what exactly happened between Marciano and his coworkers last year, but another source said Marciano was said to have been dealing with “anger management issues” at work. Ta. going through a divorce from his wife.
The two were married for 11 years and had two children.
Sources who have worked with Marciano said Marciano’s actions were not related to the divorce or the conflict with Gee.
“His personality is not the result of divorce or being treated as a beta,” the source said. “He has a bad temper. He has a short fuse.”
