Nick Jansen, the chief meteorologist at Minnesota’s KTTC, explained why he had texted his wife while on-air: “I am a husband and a father first.”
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Nick Jansen is striking back at these stormy responses.
When the chief meteorologist was caught texting his wife mid-broadcast as the KTTC team tracked severe weather in Minnesota, he quickly apologized when he realized the camera was on him. Now, he’s still standing by his decision.
After receiving emails that accused Nick of being unprofessional, he told TODAY.com in an interview published Aug. 5, “I was like, you know what? I don’t think it’s acceptable that I can’t take a second to make sure my loved ones are OK.”
As winds exceeded 75 miles per hour on July 28, the weatherman had reached out to his wife Angie, who was in their home’s basement with their 5-month-old daughter Jamie.
“I’m sure a lot of viewers were texting their families,” he said. “We always say on-air, ‘If you know someone in such-and-such a town, make sure to let them know this is coming.’ So I was kind of taking my own advice.”
The camera had been on Nick—who joined the NBC-affiliate station in 2019—as reporter Zach Fuller gave an update on the power outages in Rochester. The meteorologist put his phone down after the notice and explained, “I just had to text my wife. Baby was sleeping well tonight, so that’s gonna be over with at this point in time.”
Following the brief moment on-air, Nick, who had been tracking the storm for nearly three hours, shared further insight into his decision to contact Angie.
KTTC
“I take my job and your safety very seriously,” he wrote on Facebook July 30 alongside a clip of the segment. “But I’m also a husband and a father. In the middle of severe weather, I decided to take a brief moment to make sure my wife and child were safely in the basement.”
“That’s not me being unprofessional, it’s me being human,” he emphasized. “I am a husband and a father FIRST. Let’s all try to show each other a little more understanding and respect in life.”
(E! News and TODAY.com are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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