While Greta Gerwig's Barbie film set several box office records, it has led to a sports radio host from the US getting fired. Michael Sorce, popularly known as Don Geronimo was sacked by WBIG-FM for calling a female reporter "Barbie" on air. WUSA9 Washington D.C. reporter Sharla McBride was covering Washington Commanders when Geronimo while speaking with his co-host Crash Young made sexist remarks and said, "Hey look, Barbie's here. Hi, Barbie girl. "I'm guessing she's a cheerleader."
Aaron Hyland, iHeartMedia's D.C. regional president, said in a statement, "After an internal review, Don Geronimo is no longer an employee of WBIG. We take matters of this nature very seriously and this behaviour does not align with our core values."
Meanwhile, McBride told a news portal, "When I heard the comments made about me on the radio show, I felt incredibly insulted and embarrassed. In my 17 years as a professional journalist, I have never been disrespected in such a blatant manner while trying to do my job. Their words were sexist and misogynistic. No woman should experience this in the workplace, and I appreciate the Commander's swift response in handling this matter."
After receiving backlash, Geronimo took to Twitter and wrote, "At this time I will not be providing comment on the events of the last few days. I am consulting with my advisors as to my options moving forward, including an accurate reflection of the situation."
On a related note, the Greta Gerwig-directed 'Barbie stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles, as Barbie and Ken, respectively. The movie has Barbie and Ken stuck in the real world, where the former learns the difficulties of being a live woman. It was released in theatres on July 21.
