Fired Weatherman Case Complicated by Chaturbate Audio
A recently released audio tape has former NYC weatherman Erick Adame revealing his identity in a Chaturbate audio, contradicting his claims that he was anonymous on the adult social media sites he broadcasted to.
When Erick Adame was fired from his job as a New York City meteorologist, he went public on Instagram as to why: Nude screenshots from an online video chat were sent by an anonymous user to his bosses at work as well as his own mother.
In an Instagram post, Adame wrote: "I secretly appeared on an adult webcam website. On this site, I acted out my compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men. It was 100% consensual on both our parts. I wasn't paid for this, and it was absurd of me to think I could keep this private. Nonetheless, my employer found out and I was suspended and then terminated."
But a report from the website The Desk claimed that Adame "gave out his home address, cell phone number and other personal details about his life and work to hundreds of viewers during an hour-long sexual encounter that was live-streamed on the Internet last year." It appeared on the adult site Chaturbate.
The report continued: "The broadcast calls into question claims made by former Spectrum News NY1 meteorologist Erick Adame that he was the victim of a so-called 'revenge porn' plot in which an unknown person [sent] a recording and still images of his online sex broadcasts to his work colleagues and superiors at the television station."
The Desk said that last Wednesday it received a copy of the broadcast that was streamed over the adult website Chaturbate three days after Christmas. "During the broadcast, Adame gives out his personal cell phone number and his home address, encouraging anyone who may be watching locally to come by his house for an early-morning sexual encounter."
"At one point, a viewer uses the chat feature to post Adame's full, legal name — the same name that he used on-air at Spectrum News NY1. Adame acknowledges the comment, and the broadcast continues for another 40 minutes."
"At this point, I'm pretty sure my first name, last name, address, has all f—king been out there, and this p—y still hasn't been f—ked," Adame complains.
This report complicates Adame's defense put forth in an IG post where he took responsibility for his actions while saying it all happened on what was said to be a private site where users are known only by their screen names.
In the Chaturbate post Adame also said: "I think it'd be hot if my boss saw me. I would love my boss to f—k me on camera."
"Later in the broadcast, Adame urges a viewer named 'Bad Boy' to give him a phrase that he promises to write across his chest in marker. He ultimately writes the words 'Erick Sl-t Adame NY1' on his upper torso, the video shows," according to The Desk.
The website spoke with Howard Bragman, a Los Angeles-based crisis manager hired by Adame, who said that numerous allegations about what Adame said and did during the Chaturbate broadcasts — including the claim that he mentioned his boss during a live stream — were "partially or wholly inaccurate." He declined to respond to a follow-up message asking for clarification on what was inaccurate.
In his initial IG post Adame wrote: "I am taking this opportunity to share my truth rather than let others control the narrative of my life."
He continued to describe what he called his "reckless" behavior.
"Despite being a public figure and being on television in the biggest market in the country in front of millions of people five days a week for more than decade and a half, I secretly appeared on an adult webcam website. On this site, I acted out my compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men. It was 100% consensual on both our parts. I wasn't paid for this, and it was absurd of me to think I could keep this private. Nonetheless, my employer found out and I was suspended and then terminated."
This past weekend the New York Times took a deep dive into Adame's story, revealing that there were three instances of Spectrum receiving different pics of the weatherman from the private site.
"The trouble began for Mr. Adame last December," reported the Times, "when someone took screenshots of him during one of those sessions. The photos appeared on the message boards of LPSG, a website that says it forbids revenge porn but where users nonetheless post nude pictures of other people without their knowledge or consent."
In March photos were sent to Spectrum. "Mr. Adame said he told his employer the pictures were taken without his consent, that he was in treatment for his compulsive behavior, and that he stopped using webcam sites in December 2021," the Times said. "Spectrum accepted his explanation, he said, but told him it might be forced to take action if new pictures emerged or if he continued to use webcam sites."
But in June Spectrum received additional photos, as did Adame's mother with the message "I want you to know what your son is doing." The message to Spectrum came from someone calling themselves "a concerned citizen."
"Mr. Adame told them he had put his compulsive webcam use behind him and that the pictures were old, he said. But when the third batch arrived in September, Mr. Adame was fired," the Times reported.
On September 29 Adame "filed a legal proceeding under the provisions of New York Civil Rights Law that covers revenge porn, seeking to compel the parent company of LPSG to provide him with identifying information about people who posted his pictures, so that he might pursue a criminal complaint or lawsuit." He also has asked Spectrum for the email address of the "concerned citizen," but has yet to hear back.
"Now, Mr. Adame finds himself at the center of a debate over whether employers should be policing their workers' legal off-the-clock activities online — particularly at a time when many people's sex lives are increasingly led on the internet, and as Americans have become more open-minded about sex in general," the Times said.
Adame has found much support online.
"Celebrities and politicians, including the actress and former candidate for New York governor, Cynthia Nixon, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou and Councilman Erik Bottcher, rushed to Mr. Adame's defense," the Times said.
"In an interview, Mr. Adame did not defend his webcam use — he said he spent years in therapy, in part for compulsive sexual behavior — but he also said he thought there was a 'generation gap' in attitudes toward online sex."
"Times are changing," Mr. Adame said. "Our laws and contracts are changing but maybe not quick enough."
Adame was using a site he thought was private and protected from revealing the identities of the individuals. He thought he had some control over who was watching him, but he did not.
"I think a lot of us have things — for some people, they turn to food or whatever thing they do that is somewhat compulsive or they think they do too much of," Mr. Adame said. "For me it was going on a webcam."
The Times concluded the goal of whoever sent the screenshots of Adame seemed to be to embarrass or harm him.
But how did Adame's role as a public personality enter into the decision to fire him? It appears to be lawful. "Broadcast companies usually require on-air employees to sign contracts that contain morals clauses, which give them the power to fire employees for a wide range of behavior, from arrests to offensive Tweets, that might harm the corporation's public image," according to the Times.
"Two Spectrum employees familiar with the discussions that led to Mr. Adame's firing said the decision had been complicated, and that the company worked with him for several months to avoid this outcome. Neither person disputed Mr. Adame's timeline of events."