A US television reporter has garnered significant attention and praise for her remarkable composure after a large flying cockroach landed on her during a live broadcast. Rachel Menitoff, reporting for Los Angeles station KTLA News, was delivering a segment on dangerous extreme heat conditions from Sherman Oaks, California, on Wednesday when the unexpected visitor made its appearance.
The incident, captured on camera, shows a considerable cockroach landing on Menitoff's neck before moving across her body and briefly settling on her microphone. Despite clearly feeling the insect, Menitoff maintained her professional demeanour, continuing her report without any visible sign of distress or interruption to viewers. The broadcast concluded with her segment fully delivered.
Following the live shot, a video posted by Menitoff on Instagram revealed her immediate reaction off-camera, where she quickly brushed herself off and visibly shook as she searched for the bug. The clip, which she captioned with a humorous note about the cockroach 'Trying to steal my thunder', quickly went viral. Her colleagues at KTLA also shared the footage on X, commending her exceptional professionalism and asking, 'Who else could remain this cool!?'
The video has since circulated widely across social media platforms, with viewers expressing astonishment at Menitoff's ability to stay calm. Comments ranged from outright admiration for her stoicism to humorous admissions of how they would have reacted, often involving screaming or panicking. One viewer on X wrote, 'How she didn’t freak out despite being in camera is beyond me,' while a fellow reporter from Axios simply suggested, 'Give this woman a promotion.'
While animals interrupting live news reports is a somewhat common occurrence, with numerous viral examples over the years – including raccoons, dogs, and even a baby elephant – Menitoff's encounter with a flying cockroach stands out for its particularly unsettling nature. She later acknowledged the difficulty of the situation on her Instagram story, writing, 'Trust me, it was NOT easy to keep my cool,' underscoring the professionalism displayed during the live broadcast.