PEOPLE
Reporter Calls Out Young Boy for Yelling ‘1 of the Most Alarming Things’ While on Camera
By Michael Nied Published on April 16, 2025 10:30AM EDT
Michelle Mackey, a reporter for CityNews Toronto, called out a young boy for shouting a misogynistic joke at her while she was filming a news segment.
On Monday, April 7, Mackey posted a clip of the moment on TikTok. It showed that she was in the middle of a report about the Toronto Blue Jays' home opener outside Rogers Centre in Toronto. The segment was derailed when the young heckler yelled a once-viral joke at her, leaving her shocked and upset.
"This 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," she captioned the video, which has since amassed more than 3.3 million views. "They proceeded to laugh and walk away."
She continued, writing, "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."
In another video on TikTok, Mackey shared more context: "So for the first time in a very long time, someone walked by while I was recording and said the old 'Ef her right in the you know what.' What was so disturbing about this: It was probably a 9-year-old boy with his dad."
“I haven’t heard [the phrase] in a really long time. I’ve heard it before, but it’s been years, and I was shocked to hear it again,” she told Today, adding that she was "beyond disturbed" to see that it came from someone so young.
Mackey said that the boy was "with his dad or grandfather, and the two of them were just giggling."
“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 told the outlet. "But they wouldn’t come back. They just laughed and gave me a thumbs up and kept on walking.”
Mackey acknowledged that she felt "violated in a way," adding that she "was so angry after the shock kind of wore off.”
She said that the boy was "so young" that he wasn't the one at fault in the incident. "I really do fault the adult in this situation for not saying something," Mackey explained.
The reporter shared a message that she'd have for that man if he were to see the story: “You probably are coming at this from a place of humor, and you probably think this is funny and not harmful, but I just hope you can consider the words that came out of your mouth."
"And really think about what those words mean. And just ask yourself... would you look in the eye of someone you love and say that to them?” she continued.
Mackey provided more context about the situation in a follow-up video on TikTok. In it, she said that it's "a good thing" if people do not know what the censored joke was in the original video.
As for her decision to blur out the faces of the boy and man, she said, "Maybe I'm just too nice." But she added, "I can assure you if that happens again, I will not be blurring out faces.
In response to people who told her that the joke was an old meme that was recirculated, Mackey simply replied: "I know, I'm very aware of that. I don't care, changes nothing."
AH: I'm guessing this man said this phrase to his wife at some point since he has a son.
I have never been tempted to yell the obscenity this kid said to this reporter, but I have been tempted to yell, "Get a **** brain in your head", "Stop lying all the **** time", or "Cover something ****ing important for once."
By the way, the same company that owns the TV station referred to herein also owns the Toronto Bluejays.
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