June 08, 2020
Joseph Santoliquito/for PhillyVoice
Mike Missanelli during his 97.5 The Fanatic afternoon drive show.
On Monday, Mike Missanelli returned to the 97.5 The Fanatic airwaves after an extended absence stemming from an argument between he, co-host Tyrone Johnson and update anchor Natalie Egenolf over a viral video of a white woman calling the cops on a black man in Central Park after he asked her to put her dog on a leash, as was required by law.
Wow!! This just happened. @MikeMiss975 just lost his cool a bit. @975TheFanatic @NatalieEgenolf pic.twitter.com/GFSTwWCUQq
— Jay McKenna (@redbirdjay) May 26, 2020
When they came back from break, Missanelli could be seen cursing out Johnson on the television broadcast while the return music was playing.
@MikeMiss975 you’re embarrassing yourself pic.twitter.com/RE5TbI7PQU
— Tom McCarthy (@Tmccarthy54) May 26, 2020
That took place on the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and by Wednesday, Missanelli was off the air, prompting some to question whether or not he had been suspended.
Missanelli's absence continued throughout last week, which the afternoon host claimed was due to vacation. While it's still unclear whether or not the entire hiatus was a vacation or if part of it was indeed a suspension, Missanelli only stated on Monday that he was on vacation last week, making no mention of his three-day absence the prior week.
More importantly, an emotional Missanelli opened Monday's show with an apology to both Johnson and Egenolf, who seemed visibly shook during the outburst, as well as anyone who was listening or watching that show live on NBC Sports Philadelphia. At one point, Missanelli was moved to tears before rounding out the first segment with a lengthy monologue about the current state of America in the midst of protests against racism and police brutality.
First, here's the text of the apology.
Before people take Mike's "Sicilian DNA" comment out of context, here's the full apology: pic.twitter.com/fhlCZMZlTQ
— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) June 8, 2020
Here's video of the apology (which I had string together from 30-second clips, so apologies if there are some weird jumps, but I assure you, this has not been otherwise edited.)
That led directly in to Missanelli's apology to Tyrone and Natalie, when the host really started to get emotional.
When they returned from break, it seemed more like business as usual.
The apology and emotion from Missanelli seemed legit and heartfelt, but it's easy to look beaten down when you've been on the receiving end of public criticism for nearly two weeks. What comes next — as in, Missanelli making good on his promise that it won't happen again — is the important part.
Stay tuned...
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