Fox Anchor Swallows Fly During Live Broadcast: Vanessa Welch Keeps Her Composure to Report Serious Story

A Boston-based news anchor is earning praise from viewers after she managed to maintain her composure despite a gross and unwanted mid-broadcast snack. Vanessa Welch, an anchor for Fox affiliate station Boston 25 news, was delivering a report on the unanimous passing of Massachusetts Senate budget amendment 901, legislation inspired by the murder of Amanda Dabrowski, when she appeared to swallow a fly on air.

The buzzing insect first appeared to land on Welch’s eyelashes as she delivered the broadcast. Rather than brush the fly away, the anchor continued, showing true journalistic strength when, even when the fly fell into her mouth, she appeared to swallow it and continue with the story without missing a beat in a moment that was caught on live TV.

The moment captured plenty of attention and generated plenty of comments. Reacting to the scene, one person wrote on an Instagram video of the moment, “that is professionalism right there,” with another person commenting, “Nah she needs a raise, she didn’t even bat an eye.” A third person applauded, “I have NEVER seen that level of professionalism DAMN,” with somebody else adding, “The way she just ate it though and kept going.” Another viewer quipped, “My natural instinct would have kicked in straight away and I’d have been a screaming wreck flipping tables and spitting that damn thing out my mouth.”

While most seemed to believe the object in question was a fly, others suggested it may have just been fake eyelashes, with one person writing, “Looks more like she is wearing individual strip lashes (like lashify) and one of them has detached and come off while blinking.” Another person wrote, “Losing an eyelash is already embarrassing, but swallowing it on live TV? That’s next-level awkward,” with somebody else pleading, “Tell me that was an eyelash, tell me that was an eyelash.”

Welch does not appear to have publicly addressed the incident at this time. Welch joined Boston 25 in 2015 after serving as an anchor and reporter at WFTV in Orlando, Florida for nine years. She currently anchors Boston 25 News at 5:00, 6:00, 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. with Mark Ockerbloom and Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz.