"A visceral reaction": Canadian anchor details why she called out viewer on-air

A Canadian news anchor has been going viral after calling out a nasty viewer email on-air, and now she’s speaking out about what led to her decision.

Leslie Horton is an anchor and traffic reporter for Global News in Calgary, and chose to stand-up for herself after getting an email from a viewer which read, “Congratulations on your pregnancy, if you’re going to wear old bus driver pants, you have to expect emails like this.’”

@sarantium This just makes me so mad. How dare someone reach out and say something so shitty. #lesliehorton #globalnews #yyc #meanemail ♬ original sound – Sarantium

She’s now saying it was a “visceral reaction” after receiving emails from the male viewer for a few years.

“These words just came out of my mouth; they came out on a cellular level. I didn’t know I was going to respond. I didn’t plan on the words I was using. They just came out, and afterwards, I thought, ‘Well, apparently I hit my line of saying you may not speak to me that way,'” said Horton in an interview on Global National.

You might also like:
• "No, I'm not pregnant": Canadian TV anchor calls out viewer email on air
• "I'm anxious all the time": Woman from viral Goodlife gym confrontation speaks out
• GoodLife Fitness clarifies filming policies after viral confrontation caught on video

She also says most of the comments she’s received have been positive, which isn’t surprising the way it’s taken the internet by storm with people showing their support.

It also seems like she’s made some new fans along the way, according to a TikTok video that seems to have instigated the frenzy.

She says her takeaway from the experience is that “the world is full of kind people,” and her advice for the viewer that sparked her global spotlight? She says, “If you feel like you need to hurt somebody and lash out at a Calgary mum on TV, then maybe have a Snickers or get a dog.”