A Texas news station has apologized after one of its veteran reporters made a racial remark during coverage of the Karmelo Anthony trial.

What to know about the case and the Texas reporter’s on-air remark

Anthony was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, whom he fatally stabbed at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. Because Anthony was a minor at the time of the crime, he was not eligible for the death penalty, according to Blavity and the Atlantic Black Star.

The case has drawn national attention, with public opinion divided and race serving as a central point of discussion. Rebecca Lopez, a senior crime and justice reporter with WFAA since 2008, was doing a live broadcast Tuesday, describing the racial tension surrounding the case.

“Let’s talk a little bit about the big, uh, gorilla, so to speak,” she said in a video shared on Threads. “There were people out here on both sides shouting racial slurs at one another. But it was very clear that the defense and prosecution did not want this to be about race. They said this was not about race.”

WFAA reporter Rebecca Lopez faced backlash on social media over her trial coverage

Shea Jordan Smith (@sheajordansmith) shared the video, calling out Lopez and WFAA for her choice of words to describe how both sides have responded to the case.

“Reporters have every right to provide analysis while waiting on a verdict. That’s part of the job. But when a reporter (@rebeccalopez66 of @wfaa) covering the Karmelo Anthony trial refers to the ‘gorilla in the room,’ I’m going to need some clarification on exactly what was meant by that,” Smith wrote.

He continued, “Because we all know the phrase. It’s ‘the elephant in the room.’ That’s the colloquialism. That’s the expression people use when discussing an obvious issue everyone is avoiding.”

In a follow-up post, Smith said, “So when a different animal gets substituted into that phrase, people are going to notice. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue. But when the case involves a Black defendant and the substituted term happens to be ‘gorilla,’ it raises legitimate questions about judgment, professionalism, and awareness.”

Other users also called Lopez out, criticizing her coverage and choosing to boycott the station.

“It definitely wasn’t a slip of the tongue. This woman is racist. She’s in the news business as a reporter. I won’t be watching this station again,” one user wrote.

“If you’ve watched these two and their commentator on trials for many years, it’s a huge disappointment. I have messaged @wfaa many times because they must have better people for this type of coverage,” another said.

“F**king gross. ‘They said it wasn’t about race,’ meanwhile the reporter uses a term that is racially offensive. But, sure, tell me how the trial wasn’t about race and how that was demonstrated,” a third user said.

“Ethical responsibility and objectivity as a journalist, she doesn’t have any professionalism or decorum. WFAA, is this what your platform really is?” another wrote.

WFAA releases statement after Lopez’s comments spark outrage

WFAA has responded to the backlash, releasing a statement to Atlanta Black Star:

“Yesterday, while reporting on the track meet stabbing trial, our reporter used an idiom to describe dynamics in the courtroom that was inappropriate. We apologize for that error and are committed to ensuring this doesn’t happen in the future,” the station wrote in its statement.

It continued, “This mistake in no way reflects the culture of our newsroom or the tenor of our coverage. Our reporters are held to high standards and abide by the principles of ethical journalism. We hope our long track record of fair, balanced, and sensitive reporting, specifically on this case, speaks for itself.”

Lopez has not publicly commented on the incident or issued an apology for her remarks.