After 25 years, Holly Morris said goodbye to FOX 5 DC in 2024.
Her journalism career has been nothing short of impressive — but a viral video on YouTube with millions of views might not be what she wants to be remembered for…
Quickly gained recognition
Washington DC TV reporter Holly Morris has had a remarkable career.
Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the 54-year-old journalist graduated from Duke University in 1993 with a degree in civil engineering.
Holly Morris kicked off her career at WTTG, a Fox network outlet in Washington D.C., back in 1998. 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 for 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, all you need to do is 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
In 2016, after years of speculation, 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 due to Sater’s affair 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 affair 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.
Though Morris refrained from naming those involved, it was widely known that Sater’s affair had been with former Fox 5 anchor Gurvir Dhindsa, whom he later married, according to Washington Post.
The couple went on to have twins in 2008. Meanwhile, 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.
Even after the truth surfaced, the situation remained complicated. 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
Despite 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.
Reflecting on her divorce, she viewed it as a blessing in disguise.
“It’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me,” she said.
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Slip up with Obama
One of the most notable controversies surrounding Holly Morris occurred in 2013 when a live TV slip-up sparked immediate outrage from viewers and social media users.
During a broadcast covering President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, Morris intended to say “inaugural” but instead mistakenly uttered a racial slur 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 anger and disbelief. 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.”
Despite 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
On March 15, 2024, Morris said goodbye to FOX 5 and local TV news. 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 upbeat and cheerful 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 remained 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.
One commenter 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.”
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.”
In the end, live TV is full of surprises, and sometimes those unplanned moments are what make it all the more interesting.
Whether it’s a wardrobe mishap or a slip-up, they remind us that nothing is scripted — and that’s what keeps viewers engaged.
So, while Holly Morris’ viral moment may have sparked some debates, it’s just another example of how unpredictable and, at times, entertaining live television can be.
