Freelance Publicist for Live With Regis and Kelly Apologizes For Hasty Tweet; Turns in Resignation
The publicist who caused a Twitter firestorm as a result of her comments about being happy over the ending of soaps, in favor of The Chew, has not only apologized for her tweet, but resigned from her position at Live With Regis and Kelly. Here's the statement Brittany Forgione sent to me and Daytime Confidential's Senior Editor Jillian Bowe, who broke the story, earlier this evening:
I take full responsibility for the situation. I wrote that tweet on my personal Twitter account, but it was never for a second meant to be hurtful towards anyone. I grew up watching “All My Children” with my mother and though I was sad to see it go, I was excited for the new shows getting a chance to shine. My words were said so quickly and without thought that it ended up creating something I would have never wished for. Seeing those awful reactions and threats online was so shocking and scary for me, and I was so concerned about the reputation of our show, that I was afraid to admit what I had done so I lied to my manager. I’ve held high regard for ABC for years, as they know, and it is only fair to the company and myself that I resign from my freelance PR position.
This soap opera lover for one accepts Forgione's apology. We all make mistakes, and it took guts for her to own up to what she initially tweeted in haste. People definitely have a right to express their opinions on Twitter, but it was very shortsighted not to anticipate a negative reaction when making a comment about being happy that a beloved genre, which has come into viewers homes for generations, is in turmoil.
Soap operas like All My Children, One Life to Live, As The World Turns, Guiding Light and the rest have been more than just TV shows.They have provided their viewers with extended families and communities to visit daily, year-after-year, decade-after-decade. Not to mention, they've served as incomparable training grounds for such Hollywood luminaries as Morgan Freeman,Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, Robin Wright, Kelly Ripa, Josh Duhamel and hundreds more. Additionally, they've inspired such visionaries as Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, currently working on bringing an adaptation of the ABC Daytime soap Dark Shadows to the big screen; comedienne Carol Burnett and Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels.
Soap fans have grown up, gotten married, borne children (many named after fave soap characters!), gotten divorced, remarried, come out of the closet, buried loved ones, etc. all while watching their daily "stories." People, especially those working in the entertainment industry, need to be more mindful of how raw soap fans' nerves are right now. Imagine if someone was systematically destroying professional football, basketball or baseball. Watching our soap operas have been just as much a national passtime as anything requiring wearing a cup or that would get you on a box of Wheaties. Godspeed, Ms. Forgione.
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Comments
23 July 2008
4 days 2 hours
I accept her apology as well. I'm just not sure she understood how unnerved us soap fans truly are. To think, this little girl looses her job over a tweet, but Fronz is still sitting high after a public relations bloodbath of the slaying of a whole industry. Lord in the morning....
6 June 2010
22 min 33 sec
This whole thing has been hilarious and just so entertaining to see unfold over the last days.
Man, don't fuck with DC, don't fuck with soap fans. That's for sure.
Brave of her to step up to the plate, though. Losing her job is a bit extreme, in my opinoin. But at least THE message has been sent.
6 June 2010
22 min 33 sec
I also feel like she may be the scapegoat in someway. Her tweet was a little TOO PR - even mentioning ABC for those who don't know The Chew is on that network. I don't know about this one.
1 July 2009
7 hours 20 min
Don't mess with us and DC, we might be a small but a very vocal bunch.
Apology accepted!!
10 May 2008
6 hours 30 min
Apology accepted. I don't see Frons quitting his job after f*cking up the ABC soaps.
14 April 2009
8 hours 57 sec
Well now she knows what it feels like to be among the unemployed....just like so many of the soap actors/actresses
29 September 2011
1 year 21 weeks
If she really did lie to her boss that was probably the nail in the coffin for her as far as her job was concerned. Would have made her boss look like an idiot repeating the lie, that was very obviously a lie. Kind of sad she reacted like a little kid to being caught, if she had womaned up and just apologized from the start maybe she wouldn't have needed to resign.
1 July 2008
5 hours 32 min
Apology accepted. And too bad for Brittany. Best wishes (and better judgment) in her next job. On another note...
Every time I read Brittany's last name, I want to read it as Frangione - instead of Forgione - as in Nancy Frangione who played the devilishly delicious Cecile DePoulignac on "Another World." And while I can hear Cecile uttering that blasphemous tweet, I am sure she would not apologize for it.
22 July 2011
1 year 33 weeks
No you don't mess with the soap fans, but I'm sorry it all came down to her resignation. To lose a job in this day and age is not good.
11 April 2009
10 hours 37 min
I think it's sad that she lost her job in this economy. She made a mistake and should have been honest about it.
My sympathies to her. I hope that she is able to find a new gig soon.
(Seriously, the economy is horrific. I don't want anyone jobless.)
26 October 2009
4 hours 6 min
Shouldn't someone in public relations be a little smarter about public relations? Sorry she lost her job but she wasn't very good at it.
23 April 2008
8 hours 57 min
I definitely accept her apology. A lot more people have gotten away with much worse actions, never mind words. She was right to message you guys. I hope she works again cause, while that tweet was insensitive, her career should not be over from such craziness.
20 November 2008
2 weeks 5 days
Something is not adding up for me. I think its curious that she would say that she was hacked to her boss. That just doesn't ring true. I think the hacked story came from her boss or higher-ups.
Brit F should not have said what she did on twitter. I am sure she was trying to promote the "new" show which may have been encouraged in some way. She just should not have thrown daytime dramas under the bus.
I tweeted her that it was a lousy thing to say as did many others. A sincere apology would have been fine for me. She got called out on it--so she should take responsibility and move forward. I don't think she should have lost her job over the whole thing. IA--with another poster--that is extreme.
But, if she really did lie to her boss-then I guess she should have resigned.
17 March 2010
4 hours 48 min
It's always the small fries who catch the heat when the whole company effs up. I do not doubt she was encouraged to promote The Chew in any way possible, they just never imagined they would get caught. I think they do think tv fans are that dumb, soap fans in particular.
I hope Ms. Forgione lands on her feet and has learned from her massive PR blunder.
21 January 2011
1 year 24 weeks
Not a doubt in my mind that she was forced to resign, as appropriate. Now if they could only do the same with Frons...
That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that she will still be on the ABC payroll in another capacity once this "blows over". She was just taking orders from her higher ups. ABC will rue the day they cancelled soaps--if the Spew's sinking ratings are any indication.
BURN!!!!!
13 September 2008
1 year 33 weeks
Often, when someone makes a comment like this, they feel that they can because they are saying it in a "safe space." I think that she felt safe not only because it was a personal twitter account, but because she was working in a place (i.e., ABC Daytime) where soaps have been viciously bashed behind the scenes. With all of the disrespect shown to soaps by her employer, she probably felt that the company wouldn't have any problem with anything negative she might have to say about the genre. But at the end of the day, the Mouse House threw her under the bus instead. It's too bad.
22 January 2011
3 hours 55 min
Jamey, thank you for sticking with this story.
Even though I'm an unabashed lover of all things soap, I do not consider myself an overly dramatic person; but when I read here on DC that this person put that tweet out, tears came to eyes. I felt hurt. She hurt me and she disrespected every soapfan out there, past and present.
There needed to be consequences for such disrespect. I'm glad that indeed there were.
(Maybe I am a tad overly dramatic after all.)
8 September 2009
7 hours 41 min
Yikes, I didn't want her gone, I just think what she tweeted was insensitive given how people feel about what happened to the soaps.
I think that maybe they fired her to try and stave off harsh criticism of the Regis Show or ABCD. Those classy, classy folks at ABC...
I really, really want The Chew and Revolution to tank. I want FRONS GONE!
9 September 2009
1 year 31 weeks
Sorry just don't get this tweet crap people loosing their jobs over it; will they ever learn to think before you speak, that's whats wrong with this country. Agree with posters the ones who are killing are beloved soaps should have been fired long ago,heaven help the ones that are still on the air.
25 June 2009
1 week 5 days
Just goes to show that everything you post online these days -- be it from a business or personal account -- reflects upon you. As a PR person (!), she really should have known better.
Now I just wish ABC/Disney would hold Brian Frons responsible for HIS terrible decisions and actions.
While I'd prefer to have AMC back, unfortunately I think that's a fantasy. But if "The Revolution" must be shoved down our throats, perhaps someone smart can see fit to keep #1 ABC soap OLTL around and replace "The Chew" with "The Revolution." Is that too much to ask?
4 May 2009
58 min 11 sec
To think I changed my original post in the first thread about this whole thing when I found out she had been hacked. Now to find out that was a lie.
"Dirty curtains" as one of my friends says.
10 February 2009
11 min 30 sec
How do you spell SCAPEGOAT?
6 June 2010
22 min 33 sec
Exactly what I said.
She took the heat.
She's not really fired. She'll have another job soon. But her losing her current job is ridiculous. The embarrassment she deserves, but the job loss was unnecessary.
Eh, her embarrassment is ABC's. If what she says is true, she made her boss look like a fool.
17 May 2009
7 weeks 5 days
I still think Barbara Warren isn't telling the truth and was trying to save the face of her colleague. Brittany doesn't seem savy enough to cone up with a scheme and then lie to Barbara about it!
Brittany now says she is sad...sad she got caught and was prob forced to resign or does glad mean sad now?
In the end I could care less, didn't know these ppl b4 and don't care to know them (or follow). What amazed and entertained me is the utter stupidity of these people who get caught by Social Media.
Even her apology sounds pathetic. I think this will be her last PR job. Unless The Chew feels sorry for her!
25 February 2009
4 hours 33 min
Hmmmm. I am not exactly sure what to think about this. She's a free lance publicist for ABC. She generated a lot of buzz via a Twitter tweet, which is basically cheap publicity for The Chew.
True, her tweet was salt in the wound for daytime drama fans, but she sure did garner bloggers and tweeters to respond!
Saying or tweeting controversial commentary never hurt bombastic radio personalities or over-the-top cable personalities.
For someone professing to be glad soaps are over, she sure knows how to generate drama with a cliff-hanger!
21 November 2007
1 year 33 weeks
I feel really bad for Brittany. She should have never lost her job over this. How many of us has had a lack of judgement and had something we said bite us in the butt. I'm sure most of us didn't lose our jobs over it.
I don't condone her comment but ever since I read it on this site I was over it the second I read it. People have a right to speak their mind just as others are allowed to make comments about her comment, but she shouldn't have had to leave over this.
12 February 2010
2 days 5 hours
Brittany Forgione is a total IDIOT!! Pure and simple. QUITTING before they could fire her sorry ass is probably the smartest thing she's done in a while!! This just goes to show that you don't post stupid crap on Twitter in the first place, especially if you are in a position where your words MATTER. Think twice before posting and if in doubt, wait 24 hours before you actually post. It's basically the same rules that apply to sending e-mails when you are angry or in a bad mood. One strategically-placed foot in the mouth is not worth sabotaging your career.
Oh well.....it's not like the world needs more publicists. I ain't shedding any tears over her being in the unemployment line. I'm too busy mourning all the AMC and OLTL actors and staff members who are going to STILL end up jobless through NO fault of their own. When a person THROWS away their job, they garner NO sympathy or empathy from me.
11 November 2007
35 weeks 5 days
wow..admitting she lied?? hmmmm, always tell the truth the first time, kiddos. Even if she would have said "OMG, I'm such an idiot, didn't mean it"!! right after the tweet (or on DC) would have been better than this mess!
1 January 2010
35 weeks 4 days
I can't believe she resigned...SMH.
14 June 2009
9 hours 57 min
This is just awful. Please everyone take this as an abject lesson about facebook and twitter etc. For every good thing (which I am still having trouble thinking of what that could be) that these "social networks" ie gossip lines produce they have 10 negative uses. The most unfortunate thing is the gossip has your name on it. It is not a private commentary.
As I said yesterday exactly who is this girl that her opinion counts for anything? Did we check in the Cafeteria at ABC to see how the cooks and dishwashers felt about AMC going off air too? She stated an emotion (probably based on a friend getting a new job at the chew) that was different than our own. Who cares? Atleast who cared until her boss started strong arming the press about it..... That was the offence, not this girls opinion. That she lied to her boss is not any of my concern either. That is between her and her boss. The boss should have just let this all go away in three days. Or maybe just tell the girl to apologize on twitter even if she was innocent. Again we get the blood of a scapegoat.
That is a shame that you lost your job Brittany. Tough lesson but learn from it. PR is a tough game and everything that comes out of your mouth is PR not just about your own clients.