A Minnesota meteorologist stirred up a storm of his own by texting his wife during a live broadcast.
Nick Jansen had been in the KTTC studio for three hours on July 28, tracking severe weather across the Twin Cities with his team. During a colleague’s power outage update, the cameras cut to Jansen, who was caught with his head down, typing on his phone.
Jansen, 32, quickly apologized to viewers, explaining that he was making sure his wife, Angie, and their 5-month-old daughter, Jamie, were secure in the basement.
In an interview with TODAY.com, Jansen said Angie typically goes to bed early, but he asked her to keep her ringer on in case the weather worsened.
After sending the message, Jansen then continued reporting on thunderstorms and wind gusts exceeding 76 miles per hour.
Later, Jansen received an email from a viewer, which he addressed in a Facebook post that has since gone viral. The message accused him of being “unprofessional,” but it was one line in particular that struck a nerve: “That he has to call his wife to make sure she takes the baby to safety? Maybe some people think it’s noble or cute. I don’t.”
While speaking to TODAY, Jansen revealed that a few years earlier, he had texted Angie during a tornado warning that directly impacted their home, and received backlash for that as well.
“So when I received this latest email, 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,” Jansen says. “I’m sure a lot of viewers were texting their families. And 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.”
Rather than simply brushing off the criticism, Jansen responded with honesty and vulnerability, offering a glimpse into the difficult balance between his professional responsibilities and his role at home.
“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,” Jansen wrote on Facebook. “That’s not me being unprofessional, it’s me being human. I am a husband and a father FIRST. Let’s all try to show each other a little more understanding and respect in life.”
KTTC vice president and general manager Stephanie Hendrick praised Jansen and the First Alert weather team for their dedication to keeping the public informed and protected.
“KTTC knows that when our meteorologists, anchors and reporters are delivering the news, they are also talking to their own families- informing them and helping to keep them safe,” Hendrick said in a statement. “In this case, viewers saw that happen live — Nick being a good husband and dad by taking a moment and making sure they were safe.”
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