After 25 years, Holly Morris said goodbye to FOX 5 DC in 2024.

Her journalism career has been so impressive — but a viral video on YouTube with millions of views might not be what she wants to be remembered for…

Quickly gained recognition

Holly Morris, Washington DC TV reporter, has had a remarkable career.

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the 54-year-old journalist graduated from Duke University with a degree in civil engineering in 1993.

In 1998, Holly Morris kicked off her career at WTTG, a Fox network outlet in Washington D.C. As part of a team of four anchors, she became a familiar face on the morning newscast and the Good Day DC show.

She quickly gained recognition thanks to her hands-on approach to remote reporting, often diving right into the community events she covered — participating in the activities herself while delivering the latest news.

To gauge just how appreciated Holly Morris has been, look at her trophy shelf. Holly has won four regional Emmy Awards for ”Best Live Reporting,” along with a regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

But Holly Morris’ career hasn’t been without its share of controversies and awkward moments. In 2014, she took part in the viral Ice Bucket Challenge on Fox 5 to help raise awareness for ALS.

However, long before that, she became a target of ridicule on the nationally syndicated Don and Mike Show, which in 2007 featured a weekly segment called the Wheel of Holly, where old clips of her reporting were played at random for laughs.

Messy divorce

After years of speculation, in 2016,Fox 5 anchor Holly Morris finally opened up about the messy details of her 2005 divorce from former station weatherman Tom Sater.

In a candid discussion on Fox 5’s new podcast, Morris shared how her marriage unraveled because of Sater’s af-fai-r with a co-worker and his struggles with addiction —details she had never publicly addressed until then.

Morris recalled the emotional toll of discovering that many of her colleagues had known about the a-ff-air long before she did. To make matters worse, she unknowingly co-anchored morning newscasts alongside the very woman her husband had been seeing behind her back.

Although Morris refrained from naming those involved, it was widely known that Sater’s af-fai-r had been with former Fox 5 anchor Gurvir Dhindsa, whom he later married, as per Washington Post.

The pair went on to have twins in 2008. In the mean time, Sater’s time at Fox 5 came to an abrupt end under unclear circumstances, leaving questions about whether his personal life had played a role in his departure.

The situation remained complicated even after the truth surfaced. Morris and Dhindsa continued working together at the station for several years, creating what she described as an incredibly awkward work environment. Morris even claimed that Dhindsa had developed an unusual fixation on her, mimicking her clothing choices and even sending her emails under a fake name.

“She’s cray-cray,” Morris claimed.

Holly Morris husband

In spite of the personal turmoil, Morris eventually found happiness. She reconnected with her former college crush, lawyer Thomas Espy, and the two married on July 21, 2007. The couple settled in Rockville, Maryland, where they built a life together and welcomed their son, Hayden Espy.

Talking about her divorce, she viewed it as a blessing in disguise.

“It’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me,” she said.

Slip up with Obama

One of the most notable controversies related to Holly Morris occurred in 2013 when a live TV slip-up sparked immediate outrage from viewers and social media users.

During a broadcast about President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, Morris intended to say “inaugural” but instead mistakenly uttered a racial s-lur before continuing as if nothing had happened.

”We are live this morning at the Willard Continental Hotel,” she said. ”It’s been a key n—– inaugural spot for over 150 years.”

The incident quickly went viral, with many Twitter users expressing disbelief and anger. One user wrote, ”Fox 5’s Holly Morris is an evil human being. The ‘N’ inaugural. WTF?” while another added, ”Ok, no one makes ‘mistakes’ like that unless ur using the word frequently.”

In spite of the backlash, Morris never publicly addressed the slip, and some came to her defense. Rival TV correspondent Russ Ptacek suggested it was an unfortunate mistake, tweeting, ”Words can come out backwards live and sound like offensive words. Not funny, but not intentional.”

Millions views on Youtube

Morris said goodbye to FOX 5 and local TV news on March 15, 2024. In recent years, things have been relatively quiet for Holly Morris, but a widely circulated YouTube clip has suddenly made her go viral.

The video, reportedly from June 4, 2023, shows Morris in her usual cheerful and upbeat manner on the morning show Good Day DC. However, it wasn’t her reporting that caught everyone’s attention this time.

In the video, Morris is seen wearing a short dress while seated in a position that may have revealed more than intended.

What’s particularly surprising is that neither she nor the cameraman appeared to notice what was happening.

The shot was still unchanged, and no visible effort was made to adjust the angle or prevent the revealing moment from airing. The clip quickly spread online, sparking discussions about live TV slip-ups and on-air wardrobe choices.

summed up the reaction online, writing, ”How does she just go on about her day knowing what she did? I think everyone in news is talking about this… hopefully learning lol.”, One commenter wrote.

The same user later added, ”After this day, it’s like a memo went out. The last couple of weeks have been brutal. Mainly pants and long dresses on everyone.”