What happened to Don Geronimo? His ‘Barbie’ comments and the fallout, explained

The world of broadcasting is male-dominated and can be difficult for women to navigate comfortably. This issue became especially apparent after one Washington DC radio host made off-color remarks about Sharla McBride, a local TV news anchor, at a Washington Commanders event. While hosting a broadcast for his sports show on WBIG-FM, Michael Sorce, AKA on-air personality Don Geronimo, noticed McBride while she was working in her professional capacity as a journalist.

ESPN reported that during the broadcast, Geronimo referred to McBride, saying: “Hey look, Barbie’s here. Hi, Barbie girl!” He went even further later, commenting: “I’m guessing she’s a cheerleader.”

The realm of sports can already weaponize stereotypical attitudes towards women, and Geronimo’s actions were a thoughtless and disheartening representation of that. Publicly belittling women based on their looks should be a relic of days gone by, and iHeartMedia seemed to agree. The radio parent company wasted no time in severing ties with the host after the show aired. Geronimo was fired, and his previous interview with the new owner of the Commanders, Josh Harris, was axed. This quick response is a masterclass on how to deal with these situations, but it shouldn’t be necessary. McBride released a statement to ESPN, vocalizing her shock at being disparaged in such a matter.

“When I heard the comments made about me on the radio show, I felt incredibly insulted and embarrassed. In my 17 years as a professional journalist, I have never been disrespected in such a blatant manner while trying to do my job. Their words were sexist and misogynistic. No woman should experience this in the workplace, and I appreciate the Commanders swift response in handling this matter.”

This is still happening in this day and age?

Perhaps what is most concerning is that even today, someone can think it’s acceptable to say something so flagrantly sexist on a live broadcast. As McBride intimated, women should be able to work in their chosen field with no worry about being verbally accosted. Even more odd is how close these comments were made in conjunction with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film. Though the connection may seem surface-level, it is what that film is all about and why it is so necessary.

Gerwig takes great pains to demonstrate how toxic masculinity hurts both men and women in the box office smash. The Barbie brand has been used for many years to degrade women to be just about their looks, despite its roots in feminism. Barbie has projected the lesson that women can be anything. But to this day, women who have had almost two decades of experience in a professional field can still be objectified. More work needs to be done to support women in the workplace, proving that the lessons in the film are needed now more than ever.