Ousted weatherman Rob Marciano’s stormy tenure at ABC News included clashes with fellow meteorologist Ginger Zee — a bitter feud that was kept tightly under wraps for years at the network, The Post has learned.
Marciano, who was fired on Tuesday over alleged “anger management” issues, according to a source, had joined “Good Morning America” in 2014 to take Zee’s weekend gig. At the time, Zee had been promoted to the daily “GMA” set to replace chief meteorologist Sam Champion, who had decamped for the Weather Channel at the time.
From the outset, Zee and Marciano’s working relationship was as turbulent as a Category 5 hurricane — and stayed that way for years, sources with knowledge told The Post on Wednesday. While Marciano’s “hot temper” caused problems on the show, Zee was equally capable of being “nasty,” the source said.
“I think she brought out the worst in him. I’m not giving him a pass,” the source said. “It’s sad because they are two people who are really into the science of the weather, unfortunately their personalities didn’t work.”
The now-55-year-old Marciano — who joined ABC from “Entertainment Tonight” after spending 10 years as CNN’s meteorologist — and the now-43-year-old Zee frequently butted heads, according to multiple sources. “She treated him as a beta and she was the alpha,” the media executive said. “But they were much more peers in terms of experience, more than Ginger was with Sam.”
Marciano’s arrival coincided with the network’s decision to launch a 24/7 weather unit meant to provide around-the-clock coverage for ABC News’ various programs, including “GMA” and “World News Tonight.” However, the two did not collaborate, and Zee immediately “pulled rank” over assignments, the insider said.
The Post reached out to ABC News and Zee for comment. Representatives for Marciano did not comment.
“Ginger is a know-it-all. If you say something she disagrees with, she references her Twitter followers, saying, ‘You are wrong, my followers on Twitter loved it,’” the media executive said. Meanwhile, in meetings, when Marciano didn’t agree with a management decision, his “body language and tone would change.”
“If he was unhappy about something, you’d know it,” the exec said. “He lost his cool in meetings when he got news he didn’t like.”
A source close to Zee claimed Marciano had “behavioral” issues and disputed that she was difficult to work with. “Ginger is a collaborative, inclusive and hard-working leader who is well respected by her colleagues and has never had a complaint about her working style,” the source said, adding that any other suggestion is “sexist.”
The source also noted that the two worked different schedules with minimal overlap. It is unclear why Marciano was let go, but sources speculated that his contract did not get renewed after a spate of complaints about his behavior came to light last year.
Last year, the Cornell University graduate was temporarily “banned” from the Times Square studios of “GMA” after he allegedly made a colleague feel uncomfortable, Page Six reported in March 2023. “He was found to have done something … that was improper, but he was punished for it, and they still haven’t let him return,” one insider told Page Six at the time.
More recently, he was moved to “World News Tonight” and provided occasional field reports for “GMA” — but was prevented from coming to the studio, the second source said. A source speculated that Marciano’s salary — which one exec said was a little less than $1 million when he was hired away from “Entertainment Tonight,” where he co-anchored the show — was too much money.
The source said it’s possible that Debra O’Connell, the newly appointed president of ABC’s news group, may be looking at the budget and saw his salary didn’t justify his lower workload. It’s unclear what exactly transpired between Marciano and his colleague last year, but another source said he had allegedly been dealing with some “anger management issues” while going through a divorce from his wife.
The two were married for 11 years and share two kids. A source who has worked with Marciano said his behavior wasn’t linked to his divorce or his run-ins with Zee. “His personality wasn’t caused by his divorce or being treated like a beta,” said the source. “He’s got a temper. He’s got a short fuse.”
Rob Marciano was fired from ABC News on Tuesday, April 30. At the time, Zee was promoted to be the daily GMA weatherwoman after chief meteorologist Sam Champion left the network for a gig at the Weather Channel. Zee and Marciano’s workplace relationship was extremely rocky and remained a tension-filled problem for years, sources with knowledge about the newsroom environment spilled to a news publication on Wednesday, May 1.
While Marciano had a “hot temper” that ultimately left him jobless, Zee was just as “nasty” at times, the insider admitted. The confidante confessed: “I think she brought out the worst in him. I’m not giving him a pass.” “It’s sad because they are two people who are really into the science of the weather, unfortunately their personalities didn’t work,” the source continued. “She treated him as a beta and she was the alpha.” “But they were much more peers in terms of experience, more than Ginger was with Sam,” the insider pointed out in reference to the dynamic between Champion and Zee before Marciano entered the ABC News scene.
Despite almost equivalent resumes, Zee immediately “pulled rank” when it came to assignments, as the source claimed: “Ginger is a know-it-all. If you say something she disagrees with, she references her Twitter followers, saying ‘you are wrong, my followers on Twitter loved it.'” Marciano certainly didn’t have a better attitude, as his “body language and tone would [allegedly] change” during meetings with management as soon as he disagreed with a decision.
“If he was unhappy about something, you’d know it,” the media executive revealed. “He lost his cool in meetings when he got news he didn’t like.” Marciano first joined ABC News for the weekend edition of Good Morning America in 2014 after previously working as an anchor for Entertainment Tonight and a CNN meteorologist for a decade prior.
While the 55-year-old has yet to comment publicly about his abrupt departure from the Disney-owned network, Marciano did emerge from his home for the first time since then on Thursday, May 2. Marciano was caught by paparazzi outside of his Westchester County residence, though he avoided questions from reporters while making his way into his black Ford Bronco SUV, as seen in photos obtained by the news outlet.
ABC News weatherman Rob Marciano was fired by the Disney-owned network this week after engaging in a “heated screaming match” with one of the show’s producers that was witnessed by other staffers, according to a report. News of Marciano’s tirade, which was reported by the Daily Beast, got back to Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC and “Good Morning America,” who alerted her superiors, according to the report.
Marciano’s history of alleged “anger management issues” as well as complaints about his behavior prompted network executives to decide that the latest outburst “was the last straw,” insiders told the Daily Beast. The Post reported earlier this week that Marciano, who was hired by “GMA” in 2014 to replace Zee as its weekend meteorologist, frequently clashed with Zee over a period of years.
The feud between the two was kept under wraps for years by management, which was aware of Marciano’s “hot temper” as well as Zee’s tendency to be “nasty,” sources told The Post. “She treated him as a beta and she was the alpha,” a media executive told The Post.
Marciano allegedly made female staffers at “GMA” uncomfortable because of his awkward tendency to “overshare” information about his divorce from his then-wife, Eryn Marciano, according to the Daily Beast. Marciano’s marriage to Eryn Marciano ended in January last year. The two were married for 11 years and share two kids.
Staffers also complained that Marciano had been “cranky” throughout the course of his divorce proceedings. The Post has sought comment from ABC News, Marciano and Zee. Marciano was hired at the same time the network launched an around-the-clock weather unit meant to provide 24-hour-a-day coverage for ABC News’ various programs, including “GMA” and “World News Tonight.”
At the time, Zee was promoted to chief meteorologist at “GMA” following Sam Champion’s departure for the Weather Channel. However, the two clashed often, and Zee immediately “pulled rank” on assignments, an insider told The Post. Marciano is also reported to have alienated other staffers at the network with his behavior.
Last year, ABC network honchos banned him from the Times Square studios of “GMA” after he allegedly made a colleague feel uncomfortable. Page Six was the first to report the news. “He was found to have done something … that was improper, but he was punished for it, and they still haven’t let him return,” one insider told Page Six at the time.
Marciano contributed occasional field reports for “GMA” but was not permitted to enter the studio. He was moved recently to “World News Tonight.” A source speculated to The Post earlier this week that Marciano’s salary — which was said to be a little less than $1 million when he was hired away from “Entertainment Tonight” — was deemed too much money.
Source: ABC News, Mega, New York Post, Daily Beast
