Former “Good Morning America Weekend” anchor Janai Norman has been blasting ABC News and some of its biggest stars just months after her ouster — raising eyebrows among her former colleagues at the Disney-owned network, according to a report.
Norman has unleashed a string of blistering social media critiques of her old employer, including accusing it and other news organizations of becoming “complicit in upholding white supremacy” in a video that took aim at “GMA” host Michael Strahan’s interview with the parents of a dead Mississippi teen.
The unusually public broadsides have irked staffers at ABC News, according to the Status newsletter, which reported Friday that Norman’s attacks have “raised eyebrows among many” at the network.
Norman, whose contract was not renewed by ABC earlier this year, ripped Strahan over his questioning of the parents of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old who was found dead after a boating trip with friends.
During the interview, Strahan asked the grieving parents why their son would have voluntarily stayed behind on Horn Island, according to a clip included in Norman’s video.
“Bless Michael, ’cause he had it right the first time,” Norman said in her commentary.
“The question should have been, ‘Do you believe that?’ Not asking these grieving parents to defend a decision that we don’t even know for certain their deceased son made.”
“That was not an objective question,” Norman continued. “Subjectively, I would say that it was insensitive.”
Norman then broadened her criticism beyond Strahan, accusing news outlets of placing too much trust in law enforcement.
“Many news organizations haven’t yet learned that they cannot always trust law enforcement as primary sources of credible information, and that is what plays into racial divisions,” Norman said.
She cited what she called the “historical context of Mississippi — the state with the most recorded lynchings in history” before arguing that news organizations had failed to apply sufficient skepticism to authorities investigating Wells’ death.
“By ignoring that context, news organizations become complicit in upholding white supremacy and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, end up playing into racial divisions,” Norman said.
Norman has repeatedly gone after ABC’s handling of the Wells story, including accusing the network of “gaslighting” the public and calling one of its digital stories “problematic” and “blame the victim.”
Her criticism of her former network has not stopped there.
She also took aim at “World News Tonight with David Muir” over its coverage of a New Mexico ruling ordering Meta to pay $567 million in penalties in a child-safety case.
Norman compared ABC’s report with NBC’s coverage and faulted her former network for not using some of the judge’s stronger language.
“ABC never uses that language,” Norman said. “They still tell the story, use the New Mexico attorney general for a strong soundbite, but it’s not as strong as the language of the judge.”
“And by not using it, it almost protects Meta,” she added. “It softens how the story lands.”
Norman has also been critical of ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jon Karl and Stephen A. Smith, the outspoken star of sister network ESPN.
The barrage is particularly striking because Norman left ABC only months ago after the network decided not to renew her contract.
Status, which first reported her exit in April, reported Friday that Norman was “not well-liked by ABC News brass” and that there had been friction between her and others inside the network, citing unnamed sources.
The newsletter also reported that ABC and Norman engaged in a “contentious back-and-forth” following her departure, primarily involving her forthcoming book.
According to Status, ABC wanted information about the book’s contents and details. Norman later disclosed publicly that its cover had been changed because of her former employer.
She wrote on Instagram that she had changed the cover photo “to respect ABC News’ wishes not to allow us use of the photo for the original cover,” according to Status.
Norman had made clear after her departure that she was unhappy with how her ABC tenure ended.
“I’d hoped that we’d have more time, and it’s been hard on me that our time was cut short,” Norman said in an Instagram farewell.
“I have loved my job. It has been a joy to connect with my co-workers and with viewers, to help keep you informed and entertained, and to create this community.”
“So it really breaks my heart that I don’t get to say goodbye,” she said. “I’m so sorry that I don’t get to say goodbye.”
Norman had reportedly known since early March that ABC would not renew her contract and continued appearing on air for several weeks, according to a source cited by People.
But after news of the decision leaked in early April, she was abruptly pulled from the air despite her contract reportedly running until early May, according to the outlet.
The escalating war of words comes as Norman is set to appear Friday at the National Association of Black Journalists conference with former ABC News president Kim Godwin, according to Status.
Godwin, who also did not respond to the newsletter’s request for comment, has teased that she is prepared to discuss her own experience running ABC News, according to the report.
Norman’s recent videos suggest she has few qualms about publicly scrutinizing the network where she spent years building her career.
“I used to do the news,” she has repeatedly told her followers. “Now I just report the facts and uncomfortable truths.”
The Post has sought comment from Norman and ABC News.
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