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Read the texts detailing rift between former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill and colleague before her departure
Merrill, who anchored the morning shows, abruptly left the station in 2024. She filed a lawsuit Tuesday that claims she was discriminated against for being white.
Kate Merrill, the former WBZ morning anchor who suddenly left her role last year, is claiming she was discriminated against for being white in a new federal lawsuit.
At the center of the lawsuit is Merrill’s working relationship with Jason Mikell, a then-recently hired meteorologist who is Black. Merrill claimed she was asked to help and support him by both his superior and Mikell himself, but she was later accused of racist microaggressions towards him and another Black colleague, according to the lawsuit.
Merrill was demoted to working weekend nights, which was announced publicly in two staff meetings to humiliate her, according to the lawsuit filed in Boston Tuesday. The demotion was “career ending,” the lawsuit alleges, and Merrill submitted a constructive discharge resignation on May 24, 2024.
The filed lawsuit includes screenshots of multiple text exchanges obstensibly between Merrill and Mikell, and between Merrill and WBZ Weather Executive Producer Terry Eliasen about Mikell.
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Another thread allegedly shows texts between two colleagues who purportedly witnessed a verbal confrontation between Merrill and Mikell, which Merrill alleges he was not disciplined for, according to the lawsuit.
WBZ hired Mikell in September of 2023, allegedly to replace a white meteorologist who was let go despite having “never been warned about any performance deficiencies,” according to the lawsuit.
Here are all of the alleged texts included in the lawsuit’s exhibits:
Merrill and Mikell’s interactions began as warm and friendly, according to alleged texts
Jan 2. 2024 between Mikell and Merrill:
Mikell: Just a few fly aways on your right side my friend (smiling emoji)
Merrill: Thank you!
Jan. 31 between Mikell and Merrill:
Mikell: Kate, as I mentioned a short time ago to Liam, I truly appreciate the kindness, helpfulness, and openness during this transition to the show. I’m not ignorant to the fact that it hasn’t been easy and I like to think I’ve been respectful of the change these past few months. I care about each of you and certainly the show and its performance. Let’s keep kicking a–. You have a hard worker right alongside each of you every morning xoxo
Merrill: (appears to have reacted to the message with a “heart”)
Mikell allegedly made an inappropriate sexual innuendo on-air on Feb. 22, 2024 implying Merrill “and her co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo,” according to the lawsuit. The suit did not include what Mikell allegedly said.
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After that incident, Eliasen told Merrill he was concerned about Mikell’s general performance, according to the lawsuit, and asked for Merrill’s help. She agreed despite the alleged innuendo, the lawsuit said.
Feb. 27 between Eliasen and Merrill:
Eliasen: Watching now
Eliasen: Yeah….I emailed him a hit by hit running commentary. Covered all of that and more. Will talk with him more tomorrow.
Eliasen: He already responded. And took it quite well. In his words… “I’ll be mindful of my southernisms and weird phrases”
Merrill: (red heart) thank u.
Eliasen: Let’s keep working on him, he’s not gonna be able to change completely overnight. But at least he’s open to criticism.
Merrill: Exactly. A little bit of coaching and help he could be great. He’s so nice. He has potential to be great if he just listens and is himself and keeps it simple.
1. Just tell him a simple reax is best until he’s comfortable. Keep it simple. Don’t extend the adlib to be safe 2. No phrases no weird sayings to be more conversational. 3. Be himself.
Eliasen: Pretty much exactly what I told him. Just relax and have a chat. You don’t need to be overly witty or come up with the perfect one liner.
Merrill: Tell him how bad Zack was at first. (Laughing face with tears of joy) “Umbrella on your side”
Eliasen: (appeared to react to the message with a “haha”)
Feb. 28: between Eliasen and Merrill
Merrill: Way better today. Wayyyyyyy
Eliasen: (appeared to give the text a “thumbs up”)
Feb. 29 between Mikell and Merrill:
Merrill: Because I didn’t tell you today… You nailed it today. It was perfect (smiling face with heart eyes) the tone, the reax was so real and genuine and great. (red heart). Well done! (clapping hands)
Mikell: I knew the precise moment when I did when I glanced over you with your smile (smiling emoji) I felt it!!!! (red heart)
What appears to be March 1 between Merrill and Eliasen:
Merrill: This is what I texted him yesterday (sends screenshot of text Feb. 29 text between Mikell and Merrill described above)
Eliasen: Yeah he told me about that. He loves that sh–
Merrill: I know!!! (Laughing face with tears of joy)
Merrill: I wouldn’t text that to most people. But I want to encourage him to feel comfortable
Eliasen: Appreciated
Eliasen: I talked to him, he’s doing fine, and he does feel like things are getting better. He made a point that he sends out a Weather message every morning and he was hoping that from that or from you guys watching his weather casts, the tosses would be less generic. I told him that it’s not the anchors job to watch the weather, and none of them are reading what any of us send out including my blog. I also told him that you in particular have so much going on that he can’t expect that to happen. That he needs to either write a toss in inews that he wants you to follow or tell you ahead in advance what he’s going to start with.
Merrill: Thank you.
‘Conquered never Con-Chord’
During the broadcast on April 3, Merrill privately corrected Mikell’s on-air pronunciation of “Concord,” and Mikell allegedly “immediately confronted Ms. Merrill, loudly yelling at her on the studio floor and asserting that she was being critical of him,” the lawsuit said. “His tone was aggressive and unprofessional. Ms. Merrill immediately lodged a complaint with WBZ’s Human Resources department.”
Here are the alleged texts regarding that incident:
April 3 between Mikell and Merrill:
Merrill: Hey Boo… For both Concord MA and NH it’s Conquered never Con-Chord (emoji blowing a kiss)
Mikell: That’s what I said
Merrill: No earlier you said Con-Chord. It was a while ago. Sorry earlier. (Laughing face with tears of joy)
Mikell: Doubtful
Mikell: but ok
Merrill: Wow. Cool. Ok. Sorry
Morning of April 3 purportedly between Jordyn Jagolinzer and Breana Pitts, two colleagues who allegedly witnessed the verbal confrontation between Merrill and Mikell:
Jagolinzer: Not Kate and Jason fighting right now
Pitts: …..
Jagolinzer: She texted him I guess like how to pronounce concord cause he said it wrong he literally walks over and freaks out Lmaoo he’s like why do you only text me when i do something wrong blah blah like so aggressive lmao (laughing emoji) she’s like I’m trying to help he’s like no you’re not bananas
Pitts: She sent me screenshot of text holy sh–!
Jagolinzer: He texted her ??? What’d it say
Jagolinzer: I haven’t asked her yet I texted in the moment like WTF??
Pitts: When she told him how to pronounce it he said I did pronounce it that way and she said no you didn’t and he wrote doubtful (text edited)
Pitts: What did Chris Tanaka do
Pitts: Just sit there
Jagolinzer: DOUBTFUL? What lmao
Jagolinzer: Like bro you don’t pronounce anything right
Jagolinzer: Yeah he just sat there
Jagolinzer: Literally I had no idea these texts were going on Jason just gets upset and like flips out, like so unprofessional
Afternoon of April 3 between Jagolinzer and Pitts:
Pitts: So Jason literally unfollowed all of us? Lol
Pitts: Kate just asked me if he unfollowed me and I checked and he did
Pitts: WTF is going on with him
Jagolinzer: I didn’t know he unfollowed of us… that is so f–ing bananas!! I told Kate today I thought I did something to him too because I saw he unfollowed me when he weirdly tagged me in a post as a collaborate and when I went to search him on my page he wasn’t there and then I went to his and searched his following and I wasn’t there and I was like wtf lmao
Jagolinzer: I can’t believe he unfollowed all us…
Pitts: He even unfollowed Liam? (Anchor Liam Martin left WBZ the month before.)
Pitts: Like wtf
Pitts: Something deeper must be going on
Pitts: Like someone told him we don’t think he’s good or something
Jagolinzer: So I just went to his following
Jagolinzer: And he’s not even following like Penny anymore
Jagolinzer: I don’t get it at all
Jagolinzer: I guess idk if he ever followed her tho
Jagolinzer: But says she follows him lmao
Pitts: Is he unhinged
Jagolinzer: Based on what I saw today yeah….
Jagolinzer: I couldn’t believe it
Jagolinzer: I was like is he really starting an argument in front of everyone – mic’d up – to someone who like has been here forever
Jagolinzer: I was flabbergasted
Pitts: And like dude don’t take it personal we just need to get town names right bottom line
No date between Eliasen and Merrill:
Merrill: I tried to talk to him several times in person and he won’t speak to me. He’s rude and mean and won’t even look at me. I begged him to tell me what i did. And he won’t
I don’t know. I didn’t do anything and this is not ok with me at this point.
Eliasen: Wtf. Ok I will call him after work today
April 5 between Eliasen and Merrill:
Eliasen: Ok I talked him off his ledge. The three of us will meet next week. Let me know when works for you. Monday may be tough cause of eclipse
Merrill: Seriously what did I do? That is the rudest anyone has been to me at work ever
Read the entire lawsuit here. WBZ did not return a request for comment about the lawsuit.
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