A veteran Texas TV reporter is facing backlash after using the phrase “gorilla in the room” while covering the closely watched murder trial of Karmelo Anthony — prompting her station’s parent company to issue a public apology and acknowledge the remark was inappropriate.
Rebecca Lopez, a senior crime and justice reporter for Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA, made the comment Tuesday during live coverage of Anthony’s trial while discussing tensions surrounding the case.
“Let’s talk a little bit about the big, uh, gorilla, so to speak,” she said before noting that people on both sides of the case had been shouting racial slurs and that attorneys wanted the proceedings to focus on the facts rather than race.
The incident was first reported by Atlanta Black Star.
Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the 2025 murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
Because Anthony was a minor at the time of the killing, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
Lopez’s comment immediately ignited criticism online, with some viewers questioning whether she misspoke or intentionally substituted the phrase “gorilla in the room” for the more commonly used expression “elephant in the room.”
A video of the moment spread on social media, where critics argued that the wording was problematic and offensive because the defendant in the case is black.
The comment was made at the 8:11 mark of the video below
One user who reposted the clip wrote that while reporters are entitled to provide analysis during trial coverage, the choice of words raised questions about “judgment, professionalism, and awareness.”
Others were less forgiving.
“She is a seasoned reporter. She should know better,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.
Another accused the station of lacking professionalism, while others urged WFAA to explain the remark.
In a statement provided by Tegna, WFAA’s parent company, the broadcaster acknowledged the comment was inappropriate and sought to distance the newsroom from the controversy.
“Yesterday while reporting on the track meet stabbing trial, our reporter chose an idiom to describe dynamics in the courtroom that was inappropriate in this instance,” the company said.
“This mistake in no way reflects the culture of our newsroom or tenor of our coverage.”
The company emphasized that its journalists are expected to follow strict professional standards.
“Our reporters are held to high standards and abide by the Principles of Ethical Journalism,” the statement said.
“We hope our long track record of fair, balanced and sensitive reporting, specifically on this case, speaks for itself.”
Tegna also pledged to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
“We will do our very best to ensure this does not happen in the future,” the company said.
Tegna declined to say if Lopez was disciplined by the station.
She has worked at WFAA since 1998 and serves as the station’s senior crime and justice reporter. She has been one of the outlet’s leading journalists covering high-profile criminal cases in North Texas.
The Anthony case has drawn intense public attention and generated heated debate online, with race frequently becoming a flashpoint despite repeated efforts by attorneys to keep the focus on the evidence presented in court.
According to Lopez’s report, demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse had exchanged racial slurs, underscoring the tensions surrounding the proceedings.
