I almost made it through this entire vacation* sans interruption, but I feel obligated to hop on for a minute because Jamie Apody finally made her Action News departure official:

Nothing in there as far as a reason why she’s out. She does call it “bittersweet” and talks about “mixed emotions.”

Separate from that social media post, there’s a prepared horseshit statement that Action News sent out, reading like this:

“I am thankful to so many sports fans in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys who have welcomed me into their homes every evening for the past 18 years. I am so grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love, support, and concern shown to me over the past 5 months while I made a decision about my future.”

In the Inquirer story, there’s also this:

“The decision to leave was her choice, according to a statement from Thomas Davis, vice president of news at 6abc, who described her as “an inspiration to so many throughout the Delaware Valley.”

Hilarious. These statements mean nothing. They’re typically lawyer-negotiated nonsense that goes out when a settlement is reached, or exit terms are successfully negotiated. If you think Jamie Apody left Action News willingly, smack in the middle of the Eagles season while still under contract, then I’ve got beachfront property in Clifton Heights to sell you.

Here’s something more interesting than a prepared statement. Another clue.

A tipster noted this recent story, written by former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, and saw a response from Apody in the comments:

“This article was incredibly written, and VERY MUCH hit home for me. Thank you for putting it out there. You are not alone.”

Now that’s interesting! Female TV anchor with rocky exit relates to female TV anchor who also had a rocky exit. No reading between the lines necessary, but we do have to read the story itself, which is about Baldwin’s toxic CNN departure.

The CliffsNotes:

  • CNN moved Baldwin from Atlanta to New York, but her producers stayed in ATL
  • the relationship with her executive producer began to fray, and she uses the words “gaslighting,” “manipulation,” and “bullying”
  • she went to her boss, Jeff Zucker, and asked for the producer to be removed from her team
  • Zucker denied the request, then called a meeting with Baldwin and her agent
  • she was pulled off the air for a couple of months in 2020, and her show was cut in half
  • at the beginning of 2021 she got a phone call from her agent, telling her she was out
  • she had to lie about her exit, which “My lawyer and publicist worked hard to negotiate”
  • she ultimately called out gender inequality at CNN

Baldwin wraps her story around a general theme of women keeping their mouths shut and not speaking up for themselves. Apody, in her reply, says that “VERY MUCH” hits home for her, so think about it for a moment.

As far as I’m concerned, the truth is still out there. If you’re a loyal Action News viewer, you still have no explanation for what actually happened here. The middle aged white women of the Delaware Valley deserve answers!

*when you have small children, you don’t really go on ”vacation,” you just take care of them in a different location